Institutional Control’ Defined Tiebreaker
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Special observance Student-athlete view Call for change February 26, 1996 Volume 33, No. 8 Student-athletes to Playing rules would Coaches see need be honored nation- benefit if athletes for new approach 3 ally April 6 with 4 to women’s had a greater role 6 special day in their formation gymnastics National Collegiate Athletic The Association Page 6 Official Publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA News ‘Institutional control’ defined Tiebreaker BY RONALD D. MOTT chief executive officers, faculty athletics rep- STAFF WRITER I See document: Page 12. resentatives, athletics directors, senior wo- now universal man administrators and compliance coor- The NCAA Committee on Infractions has dinators at NCAA institutions and conference released a document to aid members in bet- on Infractions in November 1994 to help commissioners. in football ter understanding the concept of institu- reduce frustration and confusion regarding David Swank, professor of law at the Uni- tional control. the perceived subjectivity of institutional-con- versity of Oklahoma and chair of the Com- “Principles of Institutional Control,” as trol charges being made in infractions cas- mittee on Infractions, said he encourages I-A support leads to prepared by the NCAA Committee on In- es. institutions to remember that the document fractions, defines what constitutes “control” A lack of institutional control is one of the should not be considered a “checklist.” rules committee action and actions that likely demonstrate a lack of more serious findings the committee can this control. The document also discusses render. It carries with it the prospect of “The committee hopes that these princi- The NCAA Football Rules Committee has vot- compliance measures an institution may tougher sanctions, including longer proba- ples will provide a better understanding ed to require the use of a tiebreaker in all foot- have in place at the time of a violation as fac- tionary periods and bans on postseason among the membership of the Association ball games involving NCAA member institutions, tors in determining the presence of institu- competition, said Robin J. Green, adminis- regarding what efforts and attitudes help cre- beginning next season. tional control. trator for the Committee on Infractions. The Football Rules Committee made the deci- The NCAA Council asked the Committee The document was mailed February 19 to See Defined, page 11 ➤ sion during its annual meeting February 13-15 in Kansas City, Missouri. The decision follows a vote of support for the use of a tiebreaker at a meeting of Division I-A football coaches Febru- Gathering focuses on life skills program ary 11. “The committee was particularly sensitive to BY SHELLY SHEPARD the overwhelming mandate of the Division I-A SPECIAL TO THE NCAA NEWS coaches because the tiebreaker was already being used in other divisions,” said Vincent J. Dooley, ORLANDO, Florida — The NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program chair of the Football Rules Committee and direc- held its first conference here February 8-10 as a program track with- tor of athletics at the University of Georgia. in the National Collegiate Life Skills Conference. “After much discussion, the committee felt the Emily Ward, NCAA education resources program coordinator, said rule regarding how a game is resolved should be the conference enabled her to meet with CHAMPS/Life Skills common throughout college football,” Dooley Program coordinators; provided the opportunity to present new cur- said. “People who have been involved in the riculum materials; and allowed coordinators the opportunity to build tiebreaker report it is very exciting, and it will networks and share ideas. help resolve problems determining conference Ninety-nine individuals attended the conference, representing 77 championships.” institutions participating in the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program. The NCAA tiebreaking procedure gives both The conference included a variety of presentations and breakout teams a chance to score after regulation has sessions, covering topics ranging from how to raise money for a cam- expired. In an overtime period, each team gets pus CHAMPS/Life Skills Program to NCAA legislation that could an offensive possession beginning on the oppo- affect the program. nent’s 25-yard line. A team’s possession ends The CHAMPS/Life Skills Program conference was hosted by the when it scores, turns the ball over, or fails to con- NCAA education resources staff. vert a fourth-down play. This untimed procedure is repeated until the score is no longer tied at the Partnership with athletics directors end of an overtime period. Gene Hooks, executive director of the Division I-A Athletics Direc- Last season, the Football Rules Committee ap- tors Association, spoke about the partnership between the NCAA proved the NCAA Special Events Committee’s and the association, as well as the future of the program. request to use the tiebreaker system in all post- Hooks said the program was created in part as a response to crit- season bowl games. This year, the Las Vegas icisms of the way colleges handle student-athletes. Bowl was the only bowl that had to use the One criticism Hooks cited was: “ ‘We’re using them four years and Emily Ward photo tiebreaking procedure. then forgetting them and getting them out of there.’ It was a valid Previously, the only Division I-A regular-sea- criticism that we had to address.” Life skills coordinators participate in an outdoor activity designed to show student-athletes “natural high” alterna- See Football, page 24 ➤ See Life skills, page 24 ➤ tives to alcohol and drugs. Hastert letter assails effort to clarify Title IX policy guidance BY RONALD D. MOTT clarification in July of 1995.” ity of the three-part test must be reconsidered. In his letter, Hastert focused on the propor- STAFF WRITER On January 16, the OCR released its final clar- The three parts must comply with the original tionality component of the OCR’s three-part ification of Title IX policy guidance, a document statute and must be clear and workable for compliance test. Hastert, a former wrestling Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, is turning that differed only slightly from a draft version America’s colleges and universities. Title IX coach, has argued against proportionality large- up the heat under the Title IX debate, vowing distributed last fall for comment. should never be used to diminish athletic oppor- ly on behalf of nonrevenue sports coaches asso- to keep the issue on the front burner in Wash- “The clarification was altered little, and none tunity, only increase opportunity. Therefore, I ciations. ington. of the alterations correspond to my recom- will continue to pursue any option available to He took particular exception to Cantu’s state- In a strongly worded letter to the head of the mendations,” Hastert wrote in his January 26 reach this goal.” ment concerning the proportionality compo- U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil letter to Cantu. “Rather, you speak to some of There is little indication that the House nent in the “Dear Colleague” letter that accom- Rights (OCR), Hastert charges that Norma V. my concerns in an oblique way in your ‘Dear Postsecondary Education, Training and Lifelong panied the final clarification. In that letter, Cantu, assistant secretary for civil rights, fails “to Colleague,’ where you simply refute my assump- Learning Subcommittee — which held hear- Cantu wrote: “The crux of the arguments made address the concerns expressed by the 142 mem- tions. ings on Title IX last May — has immediate plans bers of Congress who wrote to (her) seeking “In light of this action, I believe that the valid- to revisit the topic. See Letter, page 11 ➤ Page 2 The NCAA News February 26, 1996 Schedule of key dates for March and April MARCH NCAA News DIGEST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A weekly summary of major activities within the Association 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Institutional control 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Average squad sizes, 1994-95 31 Infractions committee develops document to aid membership MARCH A document entitled “Principles of Insti- RECRUITING Men’s Division I basketball tutional Control as Prepared by the NCAA 1-15: Quiet period, except for 20 days between No- Committee on Infractions” defines what con- vember 16,1995,and March 15,1996,selected at the dis- stitutes “control” and actions that likely demon- cretion of the institution and designated in writing in the strate a lack of institutional control. office of the director of athletics: Evaluation period.** The NCAA Council asked the Committee on 16-22 ..........................................................Contact period. Infractions in November 1994 to address frus- 23-27 ..............................................................Quiet period. 28-31................................................................Dead period. tration and confusion regarding the perceived Women’s Division I basketball* subjectivity of institutional-control charges 1-26:Quiet period,except eight days selected at the dis- being made in infractions cases. cretion of the institution and designated in writing in the For more information, see pages 1 and 12. office of the director of athletics: Contact period. Staff contact: Robin J. Green. 27-31................................................................Dead period. Men’s Division II basketball 1-27 ............................................................Contact period. 28-31................................................................Dead