Compliance Form Completion/Administration

XI. Did your institution complete and administer required compliance forms?

 YES

DANIEL TALLEY, Compliance Director / Head Tennis Coach

Daniel Talley is the Compliance Director – as well as head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis programs – at The W. The Mississippi University for Women graduate spent the last two seasons (2018-20) as the assistant coach of the Owls men’s and women’s tennis teams, before taking the reins in 2020-21. As MUW works its way through the process for NCAA Division III membership, Talley has been invaluable in coordinating all aspects of making sure Owls’ programs and staff are compliant with the rules of NCAA III. Likewise, he spearheads on-going education and updates for The W coaches and staff.

Prior to joining the Owls staff, Talley headed the New Hope High School tennis program. Taking over the team in 2013, he started with only 10 percent of the previous roster and practically built the team from the ground up. During his 5-year tenure, Talley recruited and developed players with a team first mindset, focusing on the player and not the results. The Trojans went from last place in the district to district champs with three playoff appearances (2015, 2017, 2018).

Coach Talley is an active member of the Columbus Community Theatre and the Tennessee Williams Tribute. He participates in numerous southeastern comic-cons and cosplay events and has hosted multiple comic-con panels. The first-year head coach works with the youth group at Shaeffer’s Chapel UMC and occasionally hosts trivia nights at local eateries.

Coach Talley holds an associate degree from East Mississippi Community College and a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from The W.

Compliance at Mississippi University for Women

NCAA III compliance is vital and included throughout our processes and procedures. From the initial experience to the entirety of the experience the Mississippi University for Women is committed to being compliant with all NCAA rules and regulations. It is an exhaustive process and one we will continue to focus on for continued dedication and commitment.

It begins with following the established policies and procedures and continued education. Each University Department is responsible for developing their own processes and procedures to which this information is provided and evaluated to ensure compliance with the NCAA Division III. Also, the NCAA Division III provides a variety of educational opportunities for us to utilize, as well as the NCAA Membership Athletic Director Mentor and the Faculty Athletics Representative Mentor. To date a number of constituent groups, to include, but not limited to the President, the President’s Cabinet, Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation, Compliance Director, Coaches, Registrar, Director of Financial Aid, Director of Admissions, Faculty Athletics Representative, Faculty, Staff, Students, StudentAthletes, SAAC and outside constituent groups have either been provided education directly through the various modules or have received the information from those that have participated in these sessions. Some examples of educational experience include, but are not limited to the NCAA III videoconferences to include hot topics and updates, the NCAA financial aid videoconference, the Getting into the Game educational tool, attendance at the NCAA III Convention (by the President, Faculty Athletics Representative, Compliance Director and Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation), the 2022 FAR orientation, the monthly updates and NCAA III regional rules. The Members of the President’s Cabinet are, or are the supervisors of, financial aid, admissions, the registrar, student life, and academics are all present for the weekly cabinet meetings. All areas have received information, guidelines about the NCAA III rules and regulations. All areas outside of athletics are informed and empowered to follow these rules. If any attempt to bend or break these rules, the Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation needs to be informed immediately, so that proper responses may occur. Educational sessions and updates from athletics are given as needed. These areas are also sent compliance updates as needed to ensure they stay informed of changed. The Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation communicates often with each of the areas, so that rules are followed.

The athletics staff is provided with a plethora of resources in a variety of ways including, but not limited to PowerPoints, videos, email, websites and hardcopies. The resources include, but are not limited to the NCAA.org, to include the NCAA.org/sports/d3, access and location of the NCAA Division III manual online, the Staff Handbook, the Athletic Training Manual, the Compliance

Manual, the Student-Athlete Handbook, the location of each of these documents on the athletics website, as well as the coaches page located on the website which is dedicated to providing information as well as a number of required documents and forms. An example would be the forms needing to be completed for either an official or unofficial visit for prospective student-athletes. The coach submits this request in advance of the visit (a seven-day advance request is highly encouraged, but exceptions can be made if proper procedures and documentation can all be completed). The request comes directly to the Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation who reviews, approves and documents the visits, as well as follows up with the staff about the visits to ensure compliance with the NCAA.

The Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation, the Assistant Athletic Director and the Compliance Director all review the regulations set forth in NCAA Division III. During our Athletic and Campus Recreation Department meetings, time is allotted to review NCAA III rules, regulations, requirements, updates, etc. This year we have set time aside in each meeting to discuss eligibility, sportsponsorship, playing/practice season, social media requirements, recruiting process and procedures, amateurism, NIL, legislation, the NCAA constitution and much, much more. We meet at least once a month as a group and as needed; however, this fall we anticipate an increase to our number of meetings. However, learning is not limited to during meetings or when one has a question, active learning should occur every day. It is the responsibility of all of our coaches to grow and continue to educate themselves. Also, every year all coaches are required to take the NCAA DIII test and to pass with an 80% test result. We utilize the results of these tests to follow up on commonly missed questions and topics to focus on for our meetings and for the Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation to focus on during the monthly individual meetings with each head coach.

For example, hiring coaches and staff who have an understanding, appreciation and commitment to the NCAA III philosophy including the rules and regulations which guide our department and University is paramount. In the hiring process, we inquire, listen and observe our prospective coach and staff candidates to ensure that they fully understand the commitment to NCAA III compliance at the Mississippi University for Women. This attention to detail has enabled us to seek out candidates who strive to work within the framework of the NCAA III and in a collaborative manner. The hiring process allows any prospective candidates to be screened through numerous interviews, which includes interviews with the Faculty Athletics Representative, about past experiences and trainings specific to the NCAA III rules and regulation. This intentional process has allowed us to focus on maximizing our attention on the details of operating a highly successful compliance focused department. The Mississippi University for Women seeks to hire those with a proven track record of success in following the rules and then a track record of success in competition. Winning has to be done the right way!

Once hired, the new staff member, will be supported by a number of individuals. The entire athletic department will work to bring them up to date with the Mississippi University for Women compliance systems. The Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation will meet with them to go over a general overview of department guidelines and procedures and how we implement the NCAA guidelines in a day to day compacity. The Assistant Athletic Director will meet next and discuss in detail the aspects of merging university standards and NCAA best practices. The Compliance Director will meet with the coach to show the in-house processes for working and recording NCAA compliance. This will include but is not limited to Team rosters, practice logs, playing seasons, etc. Lastly, and moving forward the new staff member will be partnered with a returning staff member and identified as their mentor for the first year as they develop a deeper understanding of the rules, regulations, requirements and responsibilities.

The Mississippi University for Women fosters a collaborative environment throughout the department. We have broken our coaches into 2 “PODS”, each pod has a common area and the coach’s individual offices. This is done with an open-door policy and the mindset that we are all in this together. Each coach shares ideas and concerns in a setting that promotes open dialogue. We strive to eliminate any barriers that tend to divide a department and enable our coaches to freely discuss the various aspects of our craft. It is not uncommon to find a group of coaches from a wide variety of sports discussing the numerous elements of our profession. If we limit the free exchange of ideas and learning to only occur in meetings, then we would miss out on utilizing the shared experiences of all coaches.

The education of the NCAA III rules and regulations are evident throughout the recruiting process. As a prospective student-athlete applies to the institution, the coaches, the Compliance Director and the Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation observe their progress on the software Slate. This program allows members of the University including head coaches to check on every prospective student-athlete as they turn in paperwork to the Admissions Department. Once the prospective student-athlete clears all admission requirements and has been accepted to the University by the Admissions Department, the prospective student-athlete is offered the opportunity to sign a Celebratory Signing Form. If the prospective student-athlete decides to participate, the sport specific coach send the Celebratory Signing Form to the prospective student-athlete and it is the decision of the prospective student-athlete whether to have a public signing or a private signing.

If the prospective student-athlete is an incoming Freshman, the Compliance Director will verify the incoming status of the prospective student-athlete to ensure that all the information of the prospective student-athlete is added to that year’s athletic team list for that sport. The list is designed so that the Compliance Director, Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation and Assistant Athletics Director are able to identify each student-athlete and their scheduled class hours for the semester. The list will be

updated throughout the school year to reflect status, grade point average, enrolled hours and to keep track of the eligibility of the student-athlete.

If the prospective student-athlete is a Transfer student, then once the Compliance Director will send a Transfer Verification Report Form to all prior institutions that the prospective student-athlete has attended. The declared institutions will be verified through our Registrar’s office to ensure that all institutions have been contacted. Any gaps in institutional records will need to be explained by the prospective student-athlete. Once the Transfer Verification Report Form is returned, the student-athlete information sheet is updated to reflect the entirety of the prospective student-athlete’s academic and athletic collegiate careers up to that point. Eligibility is based on several factors; including but not limited to grades, disciplinary conduct enrolled semesters and seasons of participation.

If another institution fails to return the Transfer Verification Report Form, then the Compliance Director will request all transcripts from the Registrar’s office to verify the eligibility of the prospective studentathlete. This is a bit more time-consuming as the Compliance Director will need to account for the entire record of the prospective student-athlete from graduating high school until coming to the Mississippi University for Women.

At the beginning of the academic year, the athletic department will meet with each team to inform or review policies, procedures and expectations from an institutional and NCAA perspective. StudentAthletes will be guided through the informational session and notified of the documents and committed required by the NCAA and the University. All paperwork must be submitted to the Compliance Director prior to the start of any athletic-related activities. An internal checklist is completed per team, identifying to the administrative and coaching staffs who is eligible to participate. Student-athletes who have not given not been given full clearance will not be permitted to participate in team or individual activities. If a student-athlete is unavailable to attend the meetings, they will meet directly with the Compliance Director to receive the necessary information and to submit all documents and requirements.

At the start of each semester, the enrolled hours for each student-athlete is reviewed by the Compliance Director and each team’s coach. At the mid-term of the semester, the grades will be reviewed by the Compliance Director, Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation, and the sport specific head coach to communicate the current academic standing and if necessary identify ways to help student-athletes access the necessary personnel (i.e. professors, student success navigators, advisor) and/or resources (i.e. tutors, counselors, writing center) needed to assist ensure that all student-athletes are in good standing and are on track to complete the semester with a passing grade. Upon completion of the semester, the Compliance Director will compile all the grades and hours passed to determine the

eligibility of the student-athlete for the next semester. Coaches will be notified of the grades and student-athletes will be contacted about any changes to their eligibility status and any next steps in the process.