General | 10/21/2020 5:23:37 PM
The Division III Management Council is forwarding a recommendation to the Presidents Council to allow all Division III student-athletes to compete up to the established dates of competition/contest maximums without being charged a season of intercollegiate participation for this academic year.
The Presidents Council will review the recommendation during its Oct. 28 videoconference.
The blanket waiver request would not charge student-athletes a term of attendance for any term (semester/quarter) during the 2020-21 academic year in which they were eligible for competition.
The council noted that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to dramatically affect higher education at least through the end of this academic year and likely beyond, and student-athletes are feeling the impact from both an academic and athletics perspective. The uncertainty regarding the extent of their athletics participation and the related eligibility repercussions contribute to a growing list of concerns for student-athletes.
This recommendation does not serve as a rationale for future reduced enrollment by student-athletes. Rather, the council reaffirmed its commitment that intercollegiate athletics involves students competing against other students. Consequently, student-athletes benefiting from this waiver still would be expected to adhere to full-time enrollment requirements in current and future academic years, consistent with the Division III philosophy.
“I want to commend the council members for their thorough consideration of the waiver request,” said Heather Benning, chair of the Management Council and executive director of the Midwest Conference. “Several perspectives were brought to the table, and, ultimately, I believe the consensus point for the council is recognition of the undue stress and mental health impact the uncertainty of college sports amidst a global pandemic has placed on student-athletes. Providing this one-year waiver will provide definitive guidance for DIII student-athletes making academic and athletic decisions for the winter and spring terms.”
Almost three-quarters of the Division III conferences recommended the season-of-participation blanket waiver, and it also was supported by several governance committees, including the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.