PAC-12 REFORM: Part II Details
By Bret Stuter
PAC-12 REFORM: PART II PRESS RELEASE DETAILS. The University of Washington is a member of the PAC-12
The Pac-12.com followed up on the announcement of reforms for student athletes with the following press release bulletin posted on January 20, 2017. We had reported on the passage of reforms hours earlier. At the time, details of those reforms were not yet available.
As the University of Washington is a member of the PAC-12, this reform should be of particular interest to the football and basketball programs.
"For Immediate Release CONFERENCES CONCLUDE THIRD ANNUAL AUTONOMY MEETING AT NCAA CONVENTION NASHVILLE, Tennessee (January 20, 2017) – Representatives of the Autonomy Five conferences met at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday to take additional action to improve the experiences of students who play sports. Over the last three years, the Autonomy Five conferences have passed significant reforms to help student-athletes succeed in college and in life. Students who participate in intercollegiate athletics at the 65 institutions within the Autonomy Five conferences of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC will soon see changes to their athletics schedule to include more time away from athletics so they may pursue other endeavors. Previously-adopted reforms include protecting athletic scholarships from being canceled due to athletic performance, providing full cost-of-attendance stipends, and for the first time ever, a new structure that allows students to vote on legislative matters. “We are here to help students be successful in college and in life,” the five commissioners said in a statement. “In three years, we have taken many steps to further improve the experience of some 36,500 students in our five conferences. These students are great representatives of our schools and our goal is to help them earn their degree while playing the sport they love and, in many instances, graduate debt free thanks to the scholarships we provide.” The following is a summary of the reforms that have been put in place: TIME BALANCE REFORMS – 2017 · The Autonomy Five conferences, in consultation with students, coaches, faculty and administrators, approved changes giving students more time to pursue academics, work, internships, or additional rest and recovery. · Students who play sports will have an additional 21 days away from athletics, in most cases. · Student-athletes will be involved in the establishment of their schedules, allowing for more transparency for student-athletes than ever before. COLLEGIATE ELEGIBILITY – 2016 · Prior to full-time collegiate enrollment, an individual who is drafted by a professional baseball team may now be represented by an agent or attorney during contract negotiations, without impacting future collegiate eligibility. CONCUSSION PROTOCOL & INDEPENDENT MEDICAL CARE – 2016 & 2015· To better protect the safety of students competing in athletics, medical officials at each school have “unchallengeable autonomous authority” in deciding a student’s ability to play a sport. · A Concussion Safety Protocol was established to review each institution’s concussion management plan. COST OF ATTENDANCE REFORMS – 2015 · For the first time in history, students who play sports at an Autonomy Five institution are receiving full cost of attendance benefits as part of their athletic scholarship. · These students can receive stipends to cover expenses in addition to their scholarships. · In total, with scholarships and cost of attendance stipends, students may receive benefits for tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation, general supplies, and personal expenses, allowing many of them to graduate debt-free. MULTI-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP REFORMS – 2015 · The Autonomy Five conferences voted to guarantee that athletic scholarships cannot be canceled for poor athletics performance. –sec–"
We will analyze the particular of these reforms and begin reporting on those items and potential impacts. But in the interest of assuring you receive both timely and accurate information, we are presenting the press release to you at this time.
Next: University of Washington Releases 2017 Husky Football Schedule
For now, we will begin to absorb and interpret what this means.