Every third Thursday of each month, Idaho Director of Athletics Dr. Rob Spear will post a new blog entry directed towards Vandal fans. Dr. Spear will use these monthly communiqués to set the record straight and talk to you – Vandal to Vandal..
An archive of previous blog entries can be accessed here.
January 2012
I recently returned from the NCAA convention and
want to provide you an update on proposed legislation that we have been discussing over
the past several months. While some of
the most controversial pieces of legislation continue to be discussed and are subject
to override votes, it is my opinion that eventually all of the student-athlete
well-being pieces of legislation eventually will be adopted. Here is your update:
Student-Athlete
Well-Being
Multi-Year Awards. The Board voted to reaffirm its original
action to adopt the multi-year award proposal.
The proposal will proceed to an online (one vote per active member
institution and multi-sport conference) override vote. It is anticipated that
the vote will take place in February. Philosophically, I personally oppose this but as an institution the University of Idaho will not oppose it.
$2,000 Stipend. The Board removed the portion of the
proposal that provided all non-athletics financial aid no longer would count
toward team limits. The board also
charged the Student-Athlete Well-Being Working Group with developing an updated
$2,000 miscellaneous expense allowance proposal that considers:
·
Increasing the total dollar value of full and
equivalency grants-in-aid in effect by $2,000 (not to exceed the institution's
cost of attendance).
·
Maintaining the value of a full grant-in-aid at
its current level, and establish an “exempt” category of miscellaneous expense
funds that are designated on team squad lists for use at the institution's
discretion to award up to $2,000 (not to exceed cost of attendance) for full
grant recipients, as well as to provide up to the proportionate amount of
applicable funds to any or all equivalency grant recipients only.
The University of Idaho will oppose these proposals when they
come up for vote in April.
Resource Allocation
Number of Contests. The Board adopted an immediate moratorium to
cap the number of contests/dates of competition at the levels that currently
exist in all sports and commission a study to determine the maximum number of
contests/dates of competition of the playing season (championship and
non-championship segments) that is essential to the success of each NCAA sport.
Scholarship Reduction. The Board voted to defeat legislation to
reduce scholarships in FBS football and women's basketball.
Foreign Tours. The
board voted to defeat the proposed legislation that would eliminate
institutional foreign tours.
Go Vandals!
