WELCOME to the Summer 2007 Compliance Corner!

Welcome to Compliance Corner - the official WBCA publication for Division I legislation! In collaboration with the NCAA membership services staff, this publication will be distributed on a quarterly basis and will contain NCAA Division I legislative news and notes affecting women's basketball, recruiting basics, questions from our coaches, Q & A, and other legislative information you need to know. The primary purpose of this publication is to help our coaches navigate the complexity of NCAA bylaws and legislation and serve as a quick and convenient reference. In this issue, we cover July 2007 and update the progress of the legislative issues discussed and voted on by the WBCA membership during the DI Business Meeting in Cleveland . In order to eliminate repetition, previous issues of Compliance Corner can be found on our website wbca.org under DI Legislation. If new legislation affects time periods we will note those legislative changes, otherwise we will focus on hot topics and keeping you abreast of the current legislative actions. Feel free to offer any suggestions or feedback to make this tool more useful. However, we encourage you to contact your compliance officers on campus with any questions.

Thank you,
WBCA

Text Messaging

• Proposal No. 2006-40 which specifies that electronically transmitted correspondence that may be sent to a prospective student-athlete is limited to electronic mail and facsimiles was adopted in April and has an effective date of August 1, 2007. Under the NCAA legislative process, if more than 30 override requests are submitted during the override period, the NCAA Board of Directors must review its action on the proposal. Thirty-four override requests were submitted. Beginning Wednesday, August 1, 2007 electronically transmitted correspondence is limited to electronic mail and facsimiles. However, the NCAA Board of Directors meets on Thursday, August 2. The Board can chose to change its decision on the proposal (e.g. defeat it) or uphold its previous action. It if upholds its previous action, the proposal will be voted on by the NCAA membership at the 2008 NCAA Convention. If that occurs, the legislation is still effective and in place until the membership votes.

New Legislative Proposals

• July 15 is the deadline for all divisions to submit legislative proposals to be considered in the 2007-08 legislative cycle. Division I has an annual legislative cycle with proposals being considered by the Management Council first in January at the NCAA Convention. Any proposals supported by the Management Council at that time are forwarded to the NCAA Board of Directors for possible adoption. Any remaining proposals in the cycle are reviewed for a second time by the Management Council in April. Again, any proposals supported by the Management Council at that time are forwarded to the NCAA Board of Directors for possible adoption.
• The WBCA introduced a new legislative process by which issues are gathered through the Foresight Committee from April through October. Issues are discussed throughout the season and then there is an open forum during the WBCA National Convention DI Business Meeting prior to an electronic vote taken on all of the issues in the afternoon session. Issues supported by 70% of the membership institutions are then forwarded to the Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee for consideration and submission into the DI legislative cycle. The WBI then requests the Championships/Competition Cabinet to sponsor the legislation. Please see the "For Your Information" section to track on the supported issues and current status.
• The comprehensive list of 2007-08 women's basketball related proposals submitted by the July 15 deadline will be available on wbca.org Legislation/DI in late August.

Rules Changes

• The Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rules changes for women's basketball 2007-08 season. Please refer to wbca.org Legislation/DI for a complete list. The men's 3-point line will be moved to 20 feet 9 inches starting with the 2008-09 season. The women's 3-point line will remain at 19 feet 9 inches for now. In addition to being a foot apart, the lines will also be different colors.

Recruiting in July 2007

In women's basketball, during the July evaluation periods, all communication with a prospective student-
athlete, the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardians, the prospective student-athlete's coach or any individual associated with the prospective student-athlete as a result of the prospective student-athlete's participation in basketball, directly or indirectly, is prohibited. (NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.1.7.2.2-(c)).

Q: What are the July Evaluation periods this year?
A. July 6-15, 2007 and July 22-31, 2007.

Q: May we call a prospect during a July evaluation period if we know they are not participating in a certified event?
A: No. Bylaw 13.1.7.2.2-(c) specifies that during July evaluation period, ALL communication is prohibited. This provision prohibits all forms of communication, including in-person contact, general correspondence (e.g. letters, faxes, instant messages, e-mail) and telephone calls.

Q: May we call or write a prospective student-athlete who has signed the National Letter of Intent with our institution, but is not attending summer school, during the July evaluation periods?
A: No. The prohibition applies to all prospective women's basketball student-athletes, including those that have signed NLI, but are not receiving athletically related financial aid while enrolled in summer school prior to initial full-time enrollment. (Please see "For Your Information" for possible future legislative proposal.)

Q: What if there is financial aid or housing issues to discuss with the prospective student-athlete?
A: Housing and Financial Aid offices can conduct normal business with prospective student-athletes as they do with incoming students, this just cannot be a function of the athletic staff.

Q: May we still call prospective student-athletes outside of evaluation periods in July?
A: Yes. Bylaw 13.1.3.1.3 specifies three (3) telephone calls to a PSA may be made during the month of July following the PSA's junior year in high school with no more than one telephone call per week.

Q: So may I call prospective student-athlete's three (3) times this July?
A: No. Because of the way the calendar falls out this year and based on the women's basketball recruiting calendar coaches will only be able to make two (2) permissible phone calls in July 2007. Specifically, one (1) phone call will be permissible from July 1-5, and another permissible phone call may be made from July 16-21.

Q: Is it permissible for currently enrolled student-athletes to have contact with prospective student-athletes during certified events?
A: No. Per a NCAA Bylaws 13.02.3, 13.02.5.1, 13.1.7.2 and a staff interpretation dated May 9, 2007 contact restrictions at a prospect's practice or competition site apply to enrolled student-athletes (or other students). Therefore, it is not permissible for an enrolled student-athlete to have an off-campus, in-person recruiting contact with a psa at any site prior to the prospect's contest on the day or days of competition or with a prospect involved in competition from the time the prospect reports on call and becomes involved in competition-related activity until the prospect is released by the appropriate institutional authority and departs the dressing and meeting facility. Further, contact between an enrolled student-athlete and a prospect that occurs outside of this time period is permissible, provided it is an unavoidable, incidental contact that does not occur at the direction of a coaching staff member.

Q: Are the new additional criteria for summer basketball event certification in place for this summer?
A: Yes. Bylaw 30.17 has been amended to include the four (4) additional requirements for summer event certification and they include a) qualified medical personnel must be present at summer events; (b) athletically related activities are precluded prior to 8 a.m. and the last athletically related activity may not begin later than 10 p.m.; (c) prospective student-athletes may participate in no more that five games over a rolling two-day period and in no more than three games on any one day; (d) the price of an event packet must be listed on the event certification application and the price MUST be made available to coaches prior to their arrival at the event.

Q: Is there a maximum event operators are allowed to charge coaches for the event packet?
A: No. Event operators are independent contractors and by law can set the price of their event packets based on what the market will pay. By requiring event packet prices to be made public prior to the event, coaches can decide if they are able and/or willing to attend and pay the price set or chose to attend an event that is equal in talent but has a reasonable cost of their event packet.

Miscellaneous

Q: When do student-athletes need to have the new mandatory medical examinations?
A: Effective May 1, 2007, in all sports, prospective student-athletes and student-athletes who are beginning their initial season of eligibility are required to undergo a medical examination or evaluation administered or supervised by a physician prior to initial participation in any practice or competition or out-of-season conditioning activities. In following years, returning student-athletes are required to have an updated medical history completed each year. The updated medical history must be administered by an institutional medical staff member (e.g. sports medicine staff, team physician) and within six months prior to the student-athletes participation in any practice, competition or out-of-season donditioning activities for the applicable academic year.

Q: Is it permissible to have institutional athletics information on my personal web site or personal page on a site?
A: Yes. It is permissible to include information related to the institutions athletics programs, subject to the restrictions applicable to an institutions athletics web site. For example, it is not permissible for an institution or an athletics department staff member's personal web site to include a hyperlink to the web site of a recruiting/scouting service or a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program.

Q: Is it permissible to post messages on a prospective student-athlete's message board?
A: Not beginning August 1, 2007 when all electronically transmitted correspondence is limited to electronic mail and facsimiles.

Following is a list of the legislative issues brought forth through the WBCA Foresight Committee that received a minimum of 70% majority vote during the WBCA 2007 DI Business Meeting voting session. All legislative issues receiving 70% majority vote were then forwarded to the Women's Basketball Issues Committee for their possible consideration and submission into the DI legislative cycle. The WBI then requests the Championships/Competition Cabinet to sponsor the legislation for the 2007-08 NCAA Division I legislative cycle.

1. After a PSA graduates from high school and signs NLI, they should be considered a current student-athlete only if the PSA has received final certification and is a qualifier.

2. After a PSA graduates from high school and signs NLI, they should be considered a current student-athlete and allowed to work summer camps.

3. After a PSA graduates from high school and signs NLI, they should be considered a current student-athlete regardless of summer school enrollment.

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Requests subcommittee of cabinets to examine the current bylaws pertaining to the definition of a psa to determine whether changes are warranted to allow for specific exception in the way an institution interfaces with a prospect who has graduated and signed NLI. Consider such issues as working summer camps, being considered currently enrolled student-athletes under all NCAA legislation, if certified as qualifiers by NCAA Eligibility Center. Also requested that the Committee on Academic Performance examine whether possible incentives could be developed to allow more access.

4. After a PSA graduates from high school and signs NLI, they should be considered a current student-athlete for the purpose of communication during the evaluation periods in July.

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Recommends DI Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend current bylaws to permit, in women's basketball, during the July evaluation periods and institution to communicate with a psa who has graduated from high school and has signed a NLI or equivalent.

5. The number of coaches permitted to recruit off-campus at non-scholastic event weekends (Fall and Spring) during the academic year should increase from three to four.

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Recommends DI Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend current bylaw in women's basketball, to increase from three to four, the number of coaches who may evaluate psa's off-campus at any one time at nonscholastic events during the academic year.

6. So as to mirror the timeframe coaches are allowed to start calling PSA's, PSA's and/or legal guardians may begin toll-free and/or collect calls beginning April 1 of their junior year. (With the passage of 2006-33 the beginning date will read "Thursday after the conclusion of the NCAA Women's Final Four).

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Recommends DI Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor noncontroversial legislation to amend bylaw to permit institutional staff members to accept collect and toll-free telephone calls placed by psa's and guardians, provided the calls are not placed earlier than the Thursday after the conclusion of the NCAA Women's Final Four in April.

7. The restriction which only allows one group of four student-athletes from the same team to be involved in skill-related instruction at any one time in any facility should be changed to allow multiple groups of four student-athletes in any facility with appropriate guidelines if in the same facility. (Separate floors, curtain divider, separate gyms)

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Recommends DI Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor noncontroversial legislation to amend bylaws to specify that, in women's basketball, participation by more than one group of four student-athletes in permissible individual skill-related periods, may occur in the same facility or in different facilities at the same time, provided there is no co-mingling between the groups.

8. The number of hours allowed per week spent on individual skill instruction ought to be increased from two hours to four hours.

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Requests that the Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee of the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet examine whether there would be merit in amending current legislation to provide for an increase in the number of hours a student-athlete may be involved in out-of-season skill instruction per week from two to four hours. It is the Women's Basketball Issues Committee's position that by increasing the number of hours of permissible out-of-season skill instruction, the skill level of the game would be further enhanced and coaches would be provided additional valuable teaching opportunities.

9. For the purpose of addressing facility sharing issues with men's basketball and/or volleyball, the first practice should be permitted to start prior to 7:00 p.m.

Women's Basketball Issues Committee Action: Recommends DI Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend current bylaw to specify that, in women's basketball, an institution may not commence on-court preseason basketball practice sessions prior to 5 p.m. (rather than 7 p.m.) on the Friday nearest October 15.

April 18 through July 5, 2007: Quiet Period

July 6 through July15, 2007: Evaluation Period

July 16 through July 21, 2007: Dead Period

July 22 through July 31, 2007: Evaluation Period

2007 National Testing Dates: SAT Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1 ACT Sept 15, Oct. 27, Dec. 8