The Impact of Enrollment Management on NCAA Financial Aid Regulations at Division III Schools

1
The Impact ofEnrollment Management onNCAA
Financial Aid Regulations atDivision III
Schools

• Eric Hartung
• NCAA
• July 13, 2009

Session 251
2
Overview

• Division III Principle and Associated Legislation
• Athletics and the Financial Aid Awarding Process
• Findings
• Current Issues
• Looking Ahead

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Division III Principle and Associated Legislation
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Philosophy

• Division III Philosophy NCAA Bylaw 20.11 (b)
• Division III institutions shall award no
  athletically related financial aid to any student.

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Legislation

• Consistent Financial Aid Packages - Bylaw 15.4.1
• Must be consistent with the institutions policy
  for all students and meet the following criteria
• Cannot consider athletics ability or
  participation (e.g. team captain)
• Institutional financial aid procedures must be
  the same for students and student-athletes

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Legislation

• Consistent Financial Aid Packages - Bylaw 15.4.1
• Financial aid packages for a specific
  student-athlete must not be distinguishable from
  the general pattern of all financial aid for all
  recipients at the institution and    
• The percentage of the total dollar value of
  institutionally administered grants awarded to
  student-athletes shall be closely equivalent to
  the percentage of student-athletes within student
  body.

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Legislation

• Consistent Financial Aid Packages - Bylaw 15.4.6
• Institutions using an admissions rating formula
  (e.g., admissions matrix rating system) that
  considers athletics ability or participation must
  remove the athletics component of the admissions
  rating formula score before using it for
  financial aid packaging purposes.

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Legislation

• Athletics department staff members are precluded
  from
• Involvement in review of institutional financial
  aid awarded to student-athletes (e.g., may not
  arrange or modify financial aid package)
• Serving on institutional financial aid
  committees and
• Administration, oversight or direct or indirect
  influence of any financial aid packaging
  decisions.

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Athletics and the Financial AidAwarding Process
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Guiding Principle

• Athletics department personnel should not
  influence, directly or indirectly, a
  student-athletes financial aid package.
• The financial aid awarding process may include
  admissions office, scholarship committees and
  financial aid office.

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Examples of Athletics Involvement

• Scholarship committee PROHIBITED.
• Recruiting process - coach as a conduit to the
  financial aid office and admissions.
• Individuals with dual roles athletics/admissions
  .
• "Tip Sheets" how is the information used and
  the role admissions plays in non-need-based
  financial aid packaging.
• Financial aid appeals process coach as an
  advocate.

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Findings 2005-2008
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Two-Stage Review Process

• Level I
• Quantitative report based on submitted data.
• Determine if there is sufficient evidence to
  request a justification for perceived inequities.
• Level II
• Quantitative report as well as narrative and
  additional quantitative information from the
  school.
• Assess justification.
• Ensure policies and procedures are free of
  athletics criterion and/or influence.
• Ensure clean policies are not benefiting
  student-athletes.

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Four Years of Reviews

• The NCAA Division III Financial Aid Committee has
  conducted a Level I Review for 137 schools (31).
• 104 schools (24) have been reviewed at Level II.
• 44 schools 42 of the Level II referrals have
  been forwarded to enforcement services.
• Violations have been discovered at 10 of
  Division III schools.

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Violations Discovered
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Major and Secondary Violations

• Three cases from 2007 are in the major
  enforcement process at this time.
• Seven cases from 2008 are being processed by
  enforcement services at this time.

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Sanctions

• Secondary Violations
• Generally education-based.
• Could be more punitive based on recommendation
  from the financial aid committee and review by
  enforcement services.
• Major Violations
• Compliance assessment.
• Probationary period.
• Public reprimand.
• Could be more punitive based on enforcement
  services investigation and ruling by the
  committee on infractions.

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Current Issues
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2009-10 Timeline
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Next Steps

• Continued membership education.
• NASFAA
• NACAC
• Release of division-wide four-year report.
• Release of comprehensive institution-level
  reports.
• 2009 reporting cycle is open.
• Due date Monday September 14th.