All Division III student-athletes are able to participate in athletics during this academic year without being charged a season of participation or semesters of eligibility.
The Division III Presidents Council approved the blanket waiver recommendation from the Division III Management Council on Wednesday.
The blanket waiver allows student-athletes to compete up to the established dates of competition/contest maximums without being charged a season of intercollegiate participation or a term of attendance for any term (semester/quarter) during the 2020-21 academic year in which they are eligible for competition.
"This one-time waiver provides our students the flexibility and clarity now to make the necessary decisions for their academic and athletic experiences," said Tori Murden McClure, chair of the Presidents Council and president at Spalding. "We continue to see the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our student-athletes and membership, and the Presidents Council unanimously concluded this recommendation was appropriate."
The recommendation does not serve as a rationale for future reduced enrollment by student-athletes. Student-athletes benefiting from this waiver are expected to adhere to full-time enrollment requirements in current and future academic years, consistent with the Division III philosophy.
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, before the Management Council approved the recommendation to the Presidents Council.
Chair, vice chair elected
Presidents Council members elected Fayneese Miller, president at Hamline, as the next chair of the council. Troy Hammond, president at North Central (Illinois), was selected as the next vice chair. They will begin their tenures after the Division III business session at the 2021 NCAA Convention in January.
New members appointed
The Presidents Council approved the following appointments to the Presidents Council: Sean Decatur, Kenyon president; Eric Fulcomer, Rockford president; and Sue Hasseler, Muskingum president. Decatur and Hasseler will begin their terms at the close of the 2021 NCAA Convention. Fulcomer will start in June 2021.
