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Athletics departments, student-athletes to discuss support issues

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newspaperEighty voting members of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC will meet in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday to consider a series of proposals as part of the Autonomy governance process that gives the five conferences the ability to enact NCAA rule changes in specific legislative areas.

The proposals under consideration were originally submitted by conferences in the Fall of 2015.

“Sports are an important part of the education received by thousands of young men and women in our conferences,” the five commissioners said in a joint statement.  “Our job is to help students succeed in college and in life and we know that through sports, students learn discipline and how to manage their time.”

The meeting will include representatives from each of the 65 member schools of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC conferences and 15 student-athlete representatives, each of whom has a full vote and has been included in the ongoing discussions at the conference level.

Last year’s meeting in Washington, DC resulted in the passage of measures that protected student-athlete scholarships and allowed, for the first time ever, the creation of full cost of attendance benefits for student-athletes. The five conferences also adopted a Resolution, which outlined the vision for the future of intercollegiate sports and included a list of concepts to be delivered as legislative proposals during the following two years, including the areas of time demands, enhanced benefits and a redefinition of rules related to agents and advisors.

“We are in a new era in college sports,” the commissioners added.  “We are determined to protect and improve the student-athlete experience.  Thanks to college athletics and the scholarships students receive, many will graduate debt-free. We are also tasked with helping them develop the skills they need to be successful in life.”

 

About the Autonomy Session

The autonomy proposals will be reviewed during a Discussion Forum on Friday beginning at 8 a.m. CT, followed immediately by voting during the Autonomy Business Session. The chair of the group will be President Harris Pastides of the University of South Carolina.

Proposals can be approved by one of the following methods:

  • 60 percent of all votes (48 votes) and a simple majority support from schools in three of the five conferences, or;
  • A majority of all votes (at least 41) and simple majority support from the schools in four of the five conferences.

In addition to representatives from the 65 universities, 15 student-athletes will give a voice for the tens of thousands of current student-athletes in the five conferences.  The student-athletes in the autonomy process include:

 

Name                                        Institution                      Sport

Patrick Andrews                      Clemson                            Baseball

Kaila Barber                             Notre Dame                      Track and Field

Brady Bramlett                        Ole Miss                            Baseball

Ty Darlington                          Oklahoma                         Football

Diamond DeShields                Tennessee                         Women’s Basketball

Ben-Marvin Egel                     Purdue                               Men’s Golf

Chris Hawthorne                     Minnesota                         Football

Jay Hughes                                Mississippi State             Football

Taylor James                            California                          Women’s Rowing

Anthony Lyons, Jr.                  Texas Tech                       Baseball

Luis Macias                              Utah                                    Men’s Swimming

Nandi Mehta                             Northwestern                   Women’s Soccer

Kene Orjioke                            UCLA                                  Football

Artie Rowell                             Pitt                                      Football

Maddie Stein                            Kansas                               Softball

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