2022 Rules Updates Recaps

Upcoming Bylaw Changes

Frequency of Play Start Dates (with Beach Volleyball) pg. 2 8

Outside Competitive Experience Criteria pg. 9 12

Progress Rule: GPA requirement pg. 13

Initial Eligibility Changes pg. 14-15

Recap of Recently Passed Legislation

20% Season of Competition Rule pg. 16-17

What happened to the Unattached Criteria? pg. 18 19

Progress Rule: Exception for Entering Freshmen pg. 20

Invitational Sports Requiring EC Decisions pg. 21

NEW! (as of July 1, 2022) Grad Student Interp & Certification p. 22 26

Frequency of Play Updates

Start Dates & New Championship Sport – Beach Volleyball

Article I, Section H, Item 5: Practice & Competition Start Dates

Effective August 1, 2022

Frequency of play, practice and scheduling policies shall be applied only during the period of August 1 to May 15, pursuant to the following specifications. The start date specified is the earliest possible date on which any activity meeting the definition of a practice or competition may occur, though teams are free to choose a later date. Scrimmages and exhibitions are excluded and not subject to the start date for competitions.

New EXCEPTION: If a sport holds its national championship in the spring and an affiliated conference/Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) (formerly the Association of Independent Institutions) completes its qualifying competition for postseason in the fall academic term, then the start date for practices, scrimmages and exhibitions for participating conference/CAC teams is 17 days prior to the first allowable competition, not to precede August 1.

Sport

Start Date for Practices, Scrimmages, & Exhibitions Start Date for Competitions

Baseball September 1

Thursday,September1,2022

Thursday of last full week in January for games occurring after winter break; Thursday,January26,2023

Fall games are permissible anytime beginning September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

Basketball (men’s and women’s)

35 days prior to first allowable game Thursday,September22,2022

Beach volleyball September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

Last Thursday in October Thursday,October27,2022

Thursday of last full week in January for dates occurring after winter break; Thursday,January26,2023

Fall dates are permissible anytime beginning September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

Bowling (men’s and women’s)

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022 September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

Competitive cheer

Competitive dance

Cross country (men’s and women’s)

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

17 days prior to first allowable meet Monday,August8,2022

Football 24 days prior to first allowable game, not to precede August 1 Monday,August1,2022

Golf (men’s and women’s)

Lacrosse (men’s and women’s)

Soccer (men’s and women’s)

Softball

7 days prior to first allowable competition Monday,August15,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

17 days prior to first allowable game, not to precede August 1 Monday,August1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

4th Thursday in August Thursday,August25,2022

4th Thursday in August Thursday,August25,2022

4th Monday in August Monday,August22,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

3rd Thursday in August Thursday,August18,2022

Thursday of last full week in January for games occurring after winter break; Thursday,January26,2023

Fall games are permissible anytime beginning September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

Swimming and diving (men’s and women’s)

Tennis (men’s and women’s)

Indoor track and field (men’s and women’s)

Outdoor track and field (men’s and women’s)

Volleyball (men’s)

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

Thursday of last full week in January for dates occurring after winter break; Thursday,January26,2023

Volleyball (women’s) 17 days prior to first allowable competition date, not to precede August 1 Monday,August1,2022

Wrestling (men’s and women’s)

35 days prior to first allowable game Thursday,September22,2022

Fall dates are permissible anytime beginning September 1 Thursday,September1,2022

3rd Thursday in August Thursday,August18, 2022

Last Thursday in October Thursday,October27,2022

Sport

Frequency of Play – Limits Update Effective August 1, 2022

Number of Games/ Contests/ Playing Dates

Baseball 50 contests Basketball (men’s and women’s) 28 games

Note - For the sport of basketball, an institution is allowed one or more exhibition competitions per season so long as the total number of games, exhibitions and scrimmages does not exceed 30. Beach volleyball 26 dates Bowling (men’s and women’s) 14 contests

Competitive cheer 10 cheerleading contests. A student may not participate in more than 10 total dates between competitive cheer and competitive dance.

Competitive dance 10 dance contests. A student may not participate in more than 10 total dates between competitive cheer and competitive dance. Cross country (men’s and women’s)

7 meets Football

11 games, with a student limited to participating in no more than 15 contests. (This includes varsity, junior varsity, freshman games and scrimmages.)

Golf (men’s and women’s) 12 matches/tournaments

Lacrosse (men’s and women’s) 18 games Soccer (men’s and women’s)

18 games played at any time during the sport season. Three additional dates to be played only after the fall term has concluded. The three additional dates may be played only during weekends and other nonscheduled class dates, according to the academic calendar. Softball 50 contests

Swimming and diving (men’s and women’s)

12 meets

Tennis (men’s and women’s) 24 dates/tournaments and/or scrimmages (except for the ITA exception listed below).

Indoor track and field (men’s and women’s)

Outdoor track and field (men’s and women’s)

Volleyball (men’s)

10 meets counted on the basis of an individual student’s participation in the meet

10 meets or (12 meets if indoor track is not sponsored) counted on the basis of an individual student’s participation in the meet

26 dates

Volleyball (women’s) 26dates

Wrestling (men’s and women’s) 18 dates

FAQ’s:

Q: I thought the NAIA operated off of a 24-week season where all competition and practice takes place in the allotted 24 weeks. Is this changing?

A: No, the 24 week season is still in effect and is unchanged by this bylaw amendment. However, what is being changed through this bylaw amendment is a more structured approach for when some sports may begin their 24 week season. Some sports highlighted in the bylaw amendment would have a structured time when their practices and/or competitions may start.

Q: Will practice and competition start dates be determined for each sport?

A: No. Only some sports are given specific practice and/or competition start dates. These sports have been selected due to the extensive research that has been done on the sports’ average season length, travel, and commitments of student-athletes and support staff.

Other factors regarding specific demands of the particular season may also come into play. As an example, a survey of campus presidents showed that more than half viewed student athletes returning fall as a significant burden on their institution due to the early return of student-athletes prior to the rest of the student body and the resulting challenges created. As a result, this bylaw amendment employs practice and game start dates in fall sports to try to balance (1) a more appropriate return time for fall sport student-athletes (2) appropriate time to acclimatize and condition prior to competitions (3) appropriate time to conduct a non conference and regular season schedule prior to postseason timelines.

Q: Many of our spring sports start in the fall due to the severe weather we sometimes see occurring into the spring months. Will we be able to conduct our seasons in the fall if a specific competition start date is given for spring sports?

A: Yes, conducting fall competitions for spring sports would continue to be permitted. See the sports of baseball and softball for example. These sports typically hold many fall games or scrimmages to prepare their teams for the spring season. The bylaw amendment accommodates for these sports by allowing fall games to occur like normal and can begin anytime after August 1. Start dates that are specified for practices and games in the spring apply only to the winter/spring terms.

Q: How does the season of competition bylaw (Article V, Section B, Item 19) where a student is not charged a season if they compete in less than 20% of the frequency of play limits effect this bylaw?

A: The calculation for 20% will be based off of the frequency of play maximum limit as it currently reads in the bylaws.

This bylaw will go into effect August 1, 2022 to allow for institutions to make appropriate changes to their athletics schedules. At that time, the 20% threshold will then be calculated based off of the decreased frequency of play limits (in applicable sports).

Q: Can we play scrimmages and exhibitions prior to the start date of competition?

A: Yes, this bylaw excludes scrimmages and exhibitions from the “competition start date.” These contests can occur any time after the start date of practices.

Q: Will strength and conditioning sessions be restricted to the practice start date?

A: Practice is defined in Article I, Section G, Item 6, of the NAIA bylaws. Strength and conditioning sessions are excluded from the definition of a practice and therefore can happen at any time. From the NAIA Interpretation Library, this article, this article and this article will be helpful to read to determine what can occur on or after the start day specific to practice.

Q: In the sport of football, can the football acclimatization period happen before the start date for practices?

A: No. The football acclimatization period meets the definition of a practice and therefore cannot start until the designated practice start date, which is specified as 24 days prior to the first allowable competition in football. The first allowable competition in football is the fourth Thursday in August.

To use the 2021 season as an example, the first allowable competition could occur on Thursday, August 26, meaning the first allowable practice day would be Monday, August 2. (Note that if the calendar falls in such a way as the fourth Thursday in August is early in the month, the earliest possible start date for football will always be restricted to August 1. A football team will never be permitted to begin fall practices prior to August 1.)

Q: Can there still be open gyms or voluntary workouts prior to the first day of practice?

A: Yes. This bylaw does not require students to refrain from activity, but prevents athletically related activities that are organized or directed by a member of the coaching staff. Students would be free to work out or practice on their own if they choose.

Q: Can teams still practice and compete over the summer?

A: Yes. The portion of the bylaw that speaks to practice regulations states that the practice regulations apply during the period of August 1 May 15. Summer months of May 16 July 31st are not regulated and teams are free to practice and compete as they see fit. (Note there are specific regulations in place

detailing if/how incoming freshmen or new transfer students are permitted to practice and/or compete with a team over the summer before they have identified with the NAIA institution.)

Q: Who will be tasked with tracking this? Will we have to start submitting practice logs?

A: Practice logs will not be required. As with the vast majority of our rules, the onus will be on NAIA member institutions to track these practice and competition start dates, and report any violations that may occur.

Q: What about the other sports that do not have any changes proposed? Are they required to change their practice or competition start date?

A: Many of the sports that have not been addressed in this bylaw amendment are relatively new in the NAIA. Sports such as bowling, competitive cheer, competitive dance, and lacrosse are still developing within the NAIA. As those sports continue to develop and their regular season structure and length stabilizes, if similar concerns are raised the start dates for those sports could always be reviewed and potentially addressed in a subsequent bylaw proposal if necessary.

For other traditional sports not addressed here (like tennis, swimming and diving, and track and field), those sports were evaluated and found to not experience the same duration and/or level of concern as the other sports addressed in this bylaw amendment. At this time, the sponsors did not feel adjustments were necessary to these regular season formats.

Q: Is beach volleyball considered a separate sport from indoor volleyball?

A: Yes, beach volleyball and indoor volleyball are considered separate sports and will be held to separate 24 week seasons and frequency of play limits. Similar to indoor volleyball certification, every beach volleyball student-athlete will be required to be certified as eligible under the beach volleyball eligibility certificate at the time of competition.

Q: My school has created a beach volleyball program, though most of the team are also members of our indoor volleyball team. Our indoor volleyball team wishes to practice indoors with their indoor volleyball coach during the spring term. Would this count towards the 24 week season for indoor or beach, or both?

A: There are current examples of intercollegiate sports where the training for each sport is similar in nature (i.e., indoor and outdoor track and field). While the training might look very similar for both sports, we honor different 24 week seasons for each sport season. We will honor the fact that this volleyball team is practicing indoors under the general rules and structure of indoor volleyball, even though it is practice activity that could also be beneficial towards beach volleyball. As such, we will consider this activity to be indoor practice and separate from beach volleyball’s 24 week season. The caveat to this is that beach volleyball must be declared as a varsity program (column A or B) on the Declaration of Intent form.

Q: Why is the limit established as 26 dates?

A: The frequency of play limitation for indoor volleyball will be reduced to 26 dates starting at the beginning of the 2022 2023 academic year. The National Administrative Council (NAC) oversees the process by which a sport transitions from emerging to invitational to championship status and, in conjunction with the Beach Volleyball Coaches Association, has determined there is no reason to

structure beach volleyball frequency of play limitations in a different way than the indoor volleyball programs.

Q: Why are these frequency of play limits being proposed at this time?

A: Beach Volleyball is completing Year 1 of Invitational Sport status this year (2021 2022). In Year 2 of Invitational status (2022 2023), any NAIA institution who sponsors an intercollegiate beach volleyball team is required to abide by all NAIA regulations, including frequency of play limits. Accordingly, the NAIA must determine the appropriate frequency of play limitations for beach volleyball at this time so that these limits are in place for the 2022 2023 year.

Q: I have a beach volleyball student-athlete that is currently in their 10th semester term of attendance during this spring 2022 term. Will this student’s terms of attendance limits “start over” when the sport moves to invitational year 2?

A: No. Per the Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives Policy, a student athlete moving from an emerging sport to invitational year 2 will still be held to the same eligibility standards as all current NAIA athletes. At the time of certification, if the student athlete has exhausted all terms of attendance (10 semesters/ 15 quarters), then the student athlete no longer has eligibility remaining to compete in the NAIA.

Q: If a student has exhausted all of their seasons of competition in indoor volleyball, would they be able to use their remaining terms of attendance to compete in beach volleyball?

A: Yes. A student athlete gets four seasons of competition in a given sport, and indoor volleyball and beach volleyball are considered separate sports. If a student has exhausted four seasons of competition in indoor volleyball, but still has remaining terms of attendance (from the COVID exemptions, or otherwise) this student will be able to compete in beach volleyball while using their remaining terms.

Elite-Level Criteria & Chargeable Outside Competitive Experience

EffectiveMay1,2022asappliedtoeligibilitydecisionsforNAIAcompetitioninAugust 2022orbeyond. This bylaw goes into effect on May 1, 2022, as applied to eligibility decisions for NAIA competition in August 2022 and beyond. This means that this criteria is not retroactive. If a student was charged for a league prior to May 1, 2022, that would not be chargeable under the new criteria they cannot have that competition reviewed again.

This amendment was proposed by the Competitive Experience Committee with the intention of making the application easier to understand. The current bylaws intend to charge students for any competition that is roughly equivalent to the NAIA-level of competition or above. Through its work, the committee believes that students may often be charged for competition that technically meets the criteria but that common sense would determine should not be chargeable. Attempts to adjust the specific criteria have made minor improvements, but some underlying challenges make this approach difficult. Much of the criteria relies on evaluating specific participants within leagues/teams and relying on statements from league/team officials, who may have an inherent conflict of interest in marketing their teams to sound highly competitive but also don’t want the students’ eligibility to be impacted.

The committee has focused on finding a new approach that is (1) more transparent for current and prospective students/parents, coaches and administrators, (2) allow individuals to more easily and more consistently be able to predict when a student may be charged, and (3) raise the standard for charging students season of competition to help ensure students are not losing seasons except when it is clearly necessary.

Article V, Section B, Item 19:

Participation in any professional level competition on or after the first day of the thirteenth month following high school graduation. A student will be charged a season of competition for participating in at least one professional level event within a 12 month period. A team, league or event will be defined as professional level competition and result in charging a student a season of competition if any one of the following is met:

i. Competition on a team or within a league (all sports) shall result in a season of competition if the team or league self declares as professional.

ii. Competition on a team or within a league (all sports) shall result in a season of competition if both of the following are met:

1) The team or league self declares as semi professional; and

2) Team(s) within the league pay or reimburse participants beyond actual expenses of travel, meals and lodging.

iii. For individual sports, a student’s participation will be evaluated based on the student’s specific division, series or group/heat within the event. If that division, series or group/heat within the event is self declared as professional or semi professional, the student’s competition shall result in a season of competition charged.

Any athlete, individual or team sports, will be charged a season of competition for competing in one professional level event. Prior to this change, individual sport athletes had to compete in 3 or more events in a 12 month period before they would be charged. Now competition in one professional level event will start their season of competition.

The eligibility center will continue to review the competitive history of all new NAIA athletes but for those athletes who do not need an eligibility center decision it will be the responsibility of the school to do a thorough competitive experience review with the student. The competitive experience form must be completed for any student that hasn’t been certified in every term since identification, transfer students from non NAIA institutions that weren’t charged a season every year before coming to the NAIA, and students who’ve had a break in enrollment.

FAQ’s

Q: What happens to the previous “elite-level criteria” that was used to evaluate outside competitive experience and determine if it was chargeable?

A: Beginning May 1, 2022, a student athlete will not be subject to the previous elite level criteria to determine if they will be charged for outside competition. That criteria will no longer be in effect. Instead, the new criteria shown in this bylaw amendment aimed at identifying professional level competition will replace it.

Q: Assume this summer a student-athlete competes in elite-level competition (per the existing rules), but it is not considered professional as described in the proposed bylaw. How would that be treated?

A: The elite level criteria that is currently used will still be in effect for all eligibility determinations made up until April 30, 2022. If a student athlete’s outside competition meets the current criteria of “elite level” and the student seeks an Eligibility Center decision or is certified on campus prior to April 30, 2022, then the student athlete may be charged a season of competition.

However, if the student athlete plays in this league this summer but does not seek an Eligibility Center decision or is certified on campus prior to April 30, 2022, that means the competition will not be evaluated until after the new rule regarding professional level competition is in effect. As a result, the student’s competition in this league would not meet the standard of the competitive experience rule at the time it is evaluated and would not be charged.

The reasoning for the delayed implementation is to allow for the Eligibility Center to make the needed tech changes to the Eligibility Center website, update the Directory of Competition, conduct additional research to current chargeable events, and update all corresponding educational materials.

Q: Can this bylaw be used retroactively to change previous seasons that have already been charged under the current “elite-level” criteria?

A: No. As with all bylaw amendments, the new iteration of the bylaw amendments cannot be applied retroactively from the effective date unless specifically stated within the bylaw amendment.

Q: Where can I find the current criteria for elite-level competition?

A: In PlayNAIA, click the “Resources” tab, in the grey box on the left hand side, click the drop down menu for “Eligibility Rules”. In the drop down menu, click on “Competitive Experience”.

Q: Who evaluates if a student’s previous competition is considered “professional-level”? When does this evaluation take place?

A: For any student who is required to have an Eligibility Center decision, the Eligibility Center will review and evaluate any non collegiate competition to determine if it is meets the criteria and results in the student being charged with a season of competition. For a student who is not required to have an Eligibility Center decision for the current term, it is the responsibility of the campus AD, FAR, registrar and head coach to ensure that all of a student’s previous competitive experience has been divulged, researched and evaluated in the same fashion, and will make the ultimate determination regarding whether a student is charged a season of competition for non collegiate participation or not.

Q: In the current criteria evaluating outside competitive to determine if it is “elite-level competition,” students participating in individual sports are not charged until they participate in their third chargeable even within a 12-month period. In effect this means each student participating in an individual sport is able to compete in two elite-level contests without being charged. Under this bylaw, will individual athletes get two “freebies”?

A: No. Both student athletes who participate in team and individual sports will be subject to being charged when they compete in one professional level competition in a 12 month period.

Q: I am a track athlete and I like to sign up for local marathons. I know in these events, there may be professional athletes who are trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon or other professional-level races. But I’m not competing at that level. Will I be charged a season of competition for running in a local marathon?

A: No, not necessarily. In the language of the bylaw, see Item b.iii regarding individual sports. It states that for an individual sport, student athletes will be evaluated based on the student’s specific division, series or heat within the event. This was specifically worded in this manner using marathons and community races as an example, which frequently have various divisions or series open to the general public and open to elite runners. If the student athlete signs up for a race/marathon and competes in any of the amateur divisions, they will not be charged a season of competition. However, if the student participates in the “Professional Series,” they will be charged a season of competition.

Q: How do I know if a league pays or reimburses participants beyond the actual expenses of travel, meals, and lodging?

A: It would be up to the student athlete to inquire into what type of payment or reimbursement agreement comes with competing on a team or within a league before participating. When evaluating a student’s past competition the Eligibility Center and/or campus administration will need to evaluate any such payments or reimbursements the student received. If it is a lump sum, then it would be advisable to calculate the average cost of travel, meals, and lodging that would occur with the team/league for a season to ensure it is not in excess of this amount.

Q: What does semi-professional mean?

A: The NAIA does have a definition of semi professional that is imposed on leagues or teams. Rather, declarations of semi-professional made by a team, league or competition will be taken at face value. For purposes of this bylaw, this means the NAIA will take the league, team of event’s declaration that the com[competition is close to the level of professional. Recognizing that some teams or leagues may use the term of “semi professional” largely for marketing and promotional purposes rather than because it necessarily defines the level of play, there is an additional criteria for making a team or league chargeable in addition to a declaration of semi professional.

Q: My son wants to be an NAIA student-athlete and competes in a league that declares itself to be semi-professional, but they do not offer any payment or any contracts. Would he automatically be charged?

A: No. See Item b.ii. The team or league would have to declare itself semi professional and participating teams within the league would have to pay/reimburse athletes more than the cost of travel, meals, and lodging to result in your son being charged a season of competition. If only one of these two criteria is present (i.e. the league declares itself semi pro but no reimbursement occurs, or vice versa), then the athlete will not be charged a season of competition.

Q: If an athlete competes in a professional-level league as defined in the bylaw, is he automatically considered a professional athlete who has lost their amateurism?

A: No. The NAIA definitions of a professional athlete (see NAIA Bylaws Article VII, Section C and D) still stand as the guidelines of whether or not a student athlete has violated their amateurism standing.

Q: How will this bylaw change the current Directory of Competition (DOC)?

A: This new bylaw amendment would significantly reduce the number of chargeable entries in the DOC. Eligibility Center staff conducted an analysis of the existing entries (teams, leagues or events that have been researched). This analysis makes some assumptions utilizing some of the current evaluative criteria regarding if a team, league or event is professional. Specific review of individual teams, leagues or events has not yet taken place. The analysis should not be viewed as entirely definitive, but is certainly directionally correct. Based on this analysis, under the current evaluative criteria, 2,865 of the current entries are considered to be chargeable events. Under the new bylaw amendment, 803 of entries would be considered chargeable.

Changes to the Progress Rule

Article V, Section C, Item 9

Progress Rule – GPA Requirement

To participate in a second, third and/or fourth season in a sport, all students must have and maintain a total cumulative GPA of at least 2.000 on a 4.000 scale.

EXCEPTION: A student is exempt from this requirement during their second season of competition in a sport if the previous season of competition was charged for non intercollegiate participation.

Amended Bylaw Article V, Section C, Item 9

Prior to this change athletes were not required to have a specific collegiate GPA until they were a junior academically or athletically. Now an athlete must have at least a 2.000 GPA before they compete in their second season of competition and from then on. The progress rule, where this GPA requirement is found, is sport specific and tied specifically to seasons of competition charged. If a student is going into their second season of competition in baseball but is competing in their first season in football they would need to meet the GPA for baseball and not football. This means a student could be eligible for one sport and not be eligible for a subsequent sport.

With this new change also comes a new exception. A student is exempt from meeting this GPA requirement for their second season of competition if their previous season that was charged was for non-intercollegiate competition. For example, an international student competed in a chargeable league prior to coming to the NAIA and was charged for that competition. This student would not be expected to have a 2.000 GPA to compete in their second season of competition. On the other hand if a student was charged a season at a junior college and came to the NAIA for her second season of competition, they would have to meet the 2.000 GPA.

This amendment was proposed by the Council of Faculty Athletic Representatives and will go into effect on May 1, 2022, as applied to eligibility decisions for competition in August 2022 and beyond.

New Freshmen Initial Eligibility Standards: May 1, 2022 as applied to eligibility decisions for NAIA competition in August 2022 or beyond

An entering freshman student can become eligible by achieving an overall high school grade point average of 2.300 or higher on a 4.000 scale.

EXCEPTION: A prospective student attending an accredited U.S. high school can satisfy NAIA entering freshman academic requirements prior to completing high school graduation requirements provided the student has registered with the NAIA Eligibility Center and satisfies one of the following academic criteria:

a. A student may satisfy freshman academic requirements upon completing six semesters, or its equivalent, of secondary education by obtaining an overall high school grade point average of 3.300 or higher on a 4.000 scale.

b. A student may satisfy freshman academic requirements upon completing seven semesters, or its equivalent, of secondary education by obtaining an overall high school grade point average of 2.800 or higher on a 4.000 scale.

The early determination of eligibility by the NAIA Eligibility Center shall be the center’s only determination. It shall be the responsibility of the certifying member institution to verify that an entering freshman has graduated from an accredited high school or been accepted as a regular student in good standing as defined by the enrolling institution and met all other NAIA, conference and institutional academic requirements prior to representing the institution in any manner against outside competition.

Beginning on May 1, 2022, entering freshman will have a new way to meet initial eligibility. Previously a student needed two of the following three to be eligible: GPA, class rank, and/or test score. If a student didn’t meet the two out of three then they would have to meet one of the exceptions or request an exception with the National Eligibility Committee. However, entering freshman beginning in the fall of 2022 will be able to meet initial eligibility requirements by only meeting the elevated GPA requirement of 2.300 on a 4.000 scale. This change is in light of the national trend of institutions of higher learning moving away from standardized tests and fewer high schools providing a class rank.

With this change also comes a change to early decision criteria as well. Now students can receive an early decision of eligible based solely on their high school GPA. A student who has a 3.300 or higher after their sixth semester of high school and a student with a 2.800 or higher after their seventh semester can receive early decisions of eligible. As with all early decisions it

will be the schools responsibility to ensure a student receiving an early decision did in fact graduate from high school and has been accepted in good standing.

This bylaw change does not go into effect until 2022 because the Council of Presidents and National Eligibility Committee extended the entering freshman COVID exception for the 2021 2022 academic year.

FAQ’s

Q: What about the 2.00 High School GPA standard that has been in place these past couple of years?

A: In conjunction with the National Eligibility Committee and Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives, the Council of Presidents approved an exception to initial eligibility rules for incoming freshmen in 2020 21 and the 2021 2022 academic years only due to the ramifications of the COVID 19 pandemic. This exception allowed student athletes to become immediately eligible with only a 2.0 HS GPA. Moving forward, this exception will expire.

Q: We are recruiting a student from a junior college who has used one term of attendance (spring of 2021) and one non-intercollegiate season of competition (competed in a chargeable league in 2018). How will the freshmen eligibility requirements work for this student?

A: The student is still considered an entering freshman because she will be in her second semester term of attendance, and therefore the student can still seek to use the new FR eligibility requirements. The student can be certified to play in 2022 2023 season based off a 2.300 HS GPA, even though it will be her second season of competition. Prior to competing in her third season of competition, she will be required to have a 2.000 collegiate GPA per NAIA Bylaws Article V, Section C, Item 9.

Q: What about the old, traditional 2/3 FR Eligibility Requirements. Is this still in effect?

A: Yes, if a student’s HS GPA is between a 2.00 2.29 HS GPA, the student can seek eligibility by pairing the GPA with a qualifying test score or class rank.

Q: What if an athlete receives an early decision of eligible but their final high school GPA is less than 2.3, do they need a new decision? Are they ineligible?

A: They do not need a new decision and they would still be considered as having received an eligible decision. It will be the NAIA institutions responsibility to ensure the student did in fact graduate from an accredited high school or has been accepted as a regular student in good standing.

Q: What if there are multiple GPAs on the student’s high school transcript? Which one will be used for eligibility?

A: In keeping with long standing NAIA policy, the Eligibility Center will rely on the GPA that is used by the high school to determine class rank/valedictorian.

Article V, Section C, Item 19: Season of Competition

Minimum Participation – 20% SOC Rule

Effective: August 1, 2021

a. Participation in more than 20% of the maximum allowable number of intercollegiate contests or dates (excluding scrimmages) at an NAIA institution, whether in a varsity, junior varsity or freshman program, during the 24 week season. Any participation in NAIA approved postseason shall result in a season of competition. The NAIA shall count seasons of competition based on intercollegiate participation charged by another intercollegiate athletic association.

A student who participates in the following number of contests or dates during the 24 week season will be charged a season of competition.

Baseball 12 contests* Lacrosse 5 contests

Basketball 7 contests Softball 12 contests*

Bowling 4 contests Swimming and diving 3 meets

Competitive cheer 3 dates Tennis 6 dates/tournaments

Competitive dance 3 dates Indoor track and field 3 meets

Cross country 3 meets Outdoor track and field 3 meets

Football 3 contests Volleyball 7 dates Golf 4 contests Wrestling 5 dates Soccer 5 contests

*ForparticipationoccurringAugust1,2022andafter,notethatBaseballandSoftball contestswillbereducedto11contestsduetothereductionoffrequencyofplayand competitiondateseffectiveAugust1,2022.

NOTE 1: These limits shall be updated annually to reflect 20% of the maximum allowable contests or dates as listed in Article I, Section H, Item 1 of the NAIA Bylaws.

This new exception was proposed by the Competitive Experience Committee and will cover intercollegiate athletic participation beginning on August 1, 2021. The intention is to institute a minimum number of intercollegiate contests a students must participate in before they would be charged a season of competition. The numbers above are equivalent to a student competing in the minimum amount of intercollegiate contests to be charged a season of competition. For example a basketball player would be charged a season of competition if she competed in seven contests. Don’t forget that competition in NAIA approved postseason will automatically charge a student a season of competition regardless of the number of games they compete in.

All types of contests will count towards the total except for scrimmages. This is a continuation of the previous bylaw that stated a student would not be charged for competing in scrimmages only. A key point of this legislation is that the 20% calculation is based on the frequency of play limits for each sport. For the purposes of this bylaw, it does not matter how many games your team actually competes in. Take basketball again, if your team only plays in 15 games any students who only compete in six contests will not be charged a season of competition. Despite the fact that the student played in more than 20% of the games the team actually held.

This amended legislation removes the unattached exception. As you might know, the unattached exception had undergone massive changes recently and the proposers felt this bylaw change simplified this bylaw. Not to mention it makes this bylaw more equitable across all sports the NAIA sponsors. Instead of an athlete and coach trying to thread the unattached exception needle, they now know exactly how many contests an eligible student can compete in before they are charged.

Seasons of competition for non-intercollegiate competition will continue to be reviewed in the same manner. Furthermore, the NAIA will continue to take previous seasons charged or not charged by previous athletic associations at face value.

Key Take-Away: Coaches, FAR’s, and Compliance Administrators need to be clear on rosters and who might meet the SOC exception.

What Happened to the Unattached Criteria?

The new bylaw amendment that passed in October 2020 removed the blanket exception to the seasons of competition (SOC) ruling, commonly known as the “unattached criteria”. As of May 1, 2021, there will no longer be a way for a student athlete to get a “free pass” to being charged an SOC for competing in outside competition (i.e., non-intercollegiate competition). All outside competitive experience will be evaluated under the elite level competition criteria.

If the outside competition meets the definition of elite-level (see the Competitive Experience Evaluative Criteria), then the student will be charged according to whether they compete in a team sport (i.e., baseball, soccer) or an individual sport (i.e. wrestling, tennis, track & field). If the student competes as part of a team sport, then the student will be subject to being charged an SOC for competing in one competition in a 12 month period.

FAQ’s

Q: How do we ensure the athlete is not representing the NAIA school in competition?

A: The rule of thumb is to utilize the old unattached criteria as the guide to ensure an athlete is not representing an NAIA institution in competition. Examples of this include (but not limited to), not wearing institutional gear in competition, not being coached by the NAIA coach during the activity, and the NAIA coach cannot enter or pay for the student athlete in the outside competition. If any of these examples occur, then the student would be considered to be representing the NAIA institution in competition and all eligibility requirements would apply.

However, these actions canoccur and it will not affect whether an athlete is considered “attached’ to the NAIA institution: the NAIA institution can transport an athlete competing in outside competition; an NAIA team can feed and house an athlete competing in outside competition; and there is no requirement that the athlete must be certified as eligible prior to competing in outside competition.

Q: How does this interplay with Intercollegiate Competition & the new 20% rule?

A: Per the NAIA bylaws, a student athlete will not be charged more than one SOC (combining both intercollegiate and outside competitive experience) in a 12 month period. If the student athlete is charged for outside competitive experience, then the student will not be charged for intercollegiate and vice versa.

There is a scenario where a student may not be charged for either outside competition or intercollegiate competition. Using the most common example of wrestling, if a student competes in two elite level competition in a 12 month period (prior to bylaw change for OCE starting May 1, 2022), they will not be subject to being charged an SOC for outside competitive experience. In addition, if a student athlete competes in four intercollegiate dates (under the 20% limit for wrestling frequency of play limits) then the student will not be charged for intercollegiate play. Therefore, the combination of two outside competitions and four intercollegiate competitions will NOT result in a season of competition charged.

Q: Are we saying that if a student is enrolled, they can no longer compete in any collegiate competition on their own unless they are representing our institution?

A: No. The NAIA bylaws dictate what happens when a student athlete represents an institution in competition. If the student athlete is representing the NAIA institution in competition, then they must be certified as eligible. If they are not representing the NAIA institution in any form or fashion (old unattached criteria is useful here as a framework) then they can compete in outside competitive experience, or a college open competition if available to all athletes to enter.

Q: Does the new rule essentially eliminate the option for an ineligible athlete to compete?

A: The old language required an athlete to be eligible to take advantage of the full free pass (aka unattached exception). If they were not eligible, then they would default to outside competitive criteria application.

Outside competitive experience is now the only thing that is applicable and is the only framework that is applied outside of intercollegiate competition.

Q: What if an NAIA coach wishes to pay for an entry fee for a student-athlete who wishes to compete by themselves (not with an NAIA institution) in a collegiate open?

A: NAIA coaches can pay athletic related expenses for intercollegiate competition only. If the event is considered to be outside competition, even if it is called a collegiate open, the NAIA coaches cannot pay for the entry fee as it does not constitute athletic related expenses as part of the NAIA team.

Progress Rule - Effective on May 1, 2021, as applied to eligibility decisions for competition in August 2021 and beyond.

SUBJECT: PROGRESS RULE EXCEPTION TO ARTICLE V, SECTION C, ITEM 9

EXCEPTION 2: An entering freshman who has been charged one or more seasons of competition for non intercollegiate participation will be exempt from meeting the Progress Rule for one year (two semester/three quarter terms) at an NAIA institution. This exception applies only to a student’s first season of competition at the NAIA institution, after which the student will be required to have earned the requisite hours needed to satisfy the Progress Rule.

This new exception was proposed by the Competitive Experience Committee and the intent is to create a one-time, one-year exception to the Progress Rule for incoming freshman students who have been charged at least one season of competition for non intercollegiate participation. At the conclusion of the first year, the student will be required to satisfy the Progress Rule and the corresponding number of hours required for the total number of seasons of competition the student has been charged.

The reasoning behind this bylaw amendment is to allow students who might have unknowingly or knowingly participated in a chargeable league prior to coming to the NAIA to compete immediately while working towards satisfying the progress rule. One of the main components of this bylaw amendment is that it is a one time exception that can only be used for entering freshman. An entering freshman is defined in our bylaws as any student who has not identified with any institution(s) of higher learning for any two semesters or three quarters. We will illustrate this point in the case studies below. Another point to keep in mind is that this exception cannot be applied to multiple seasons of competition, even if the student might still be considered a freshman in the second year.

Lastly, athletes utilizing this exception should be prepared to meet the requisite hour requirements associated with their seasons of competition in future years. There have been concerns raised by membership that students who utilize this exception will subsequently be ineligible in future years because it will be impossible for them to earn the required hours in one academic year. It is important to recognize this new exception will also work in conjunction with the new season of competition bylaw that will go into effect in August of 2021. Thus this exception could allow a student to compete immediately without being charged a season of competition. This will allow the athlete to compete in their first year while attempting to earn the necessary hours to compete in the future.

Invitational Sports Requiring Eligibility Center Decisions:

Competitive Cheer and Dance

Invitational Year 1: 2014-2015 Invitational Year 2: 2015 2016 EC Decision Required

Men’s/Women’s Lacrosse

Invitational Year 1: 2015 2016 Invitational Year 2: 2016-2017, 2017-2018 – EC Decision Required

Men’s Volleyball

Invitational Year 1: 2015 2016 Invitational Year 2: 2016-2017, 2017-2018 EC Decision Required

Men’s/Women’s Bowling

Invitational Year 1: 2017 2018 Invitational Year 2: 2018 2019 EC Decision Required Women’s Wrestling

Invitational Year 1: 2018 2019 Invitational Year 2: 2019 2020 EC Decision Required Beach Volleyball

Invitational Year 1: 2021 2022 Invitational Year 2: 2022 2023 EC Decision Required

On the horizon: Women’s Flag Football – potential for first year of invitational 2022-2023.

If the student athlete does not meet the exception to receiving an Eligibility Center decision as listed in CFAR Policy, the student will be required to receive an EC decision during the second year of invitational sport status if the sport competes as a varsity sport per the declaration of intent.

2022 Graduate Student Interpretation & ECP Certification

At the 2022 NAIA National Convention, the National Eligibility Committee (NEC) reviewed the continuing eligibility requirements for graduate students and made the ruling that graduate students who have completed at least one term of attendance in graduate school will not be required to meet the 24/36 Hour Rule.

Article V, Section D, Item 5, Exception 2 states:

EXCEPTION 2: A student who has completed all academic requirements for graduation and who is enrolled in a graduate program, professional school or fifth year, post baccalaureate degree teacher education program or post baccalaureate certification program may participate in intercollegiate athletics provided the student has athletic eligibility remaining and the following conditions are satisfied:

1. The graduate must be enrolled in a full time class load as defined by the school in lieu of 12 institutional credits at the time of participation.

2. To maintain eligibility status, the student must successfully complete the full time class load as defined by the institution.

3. The registrar must verify that the above conditions have been met prior to participation of the student.

The NEC determined that the second condition that requires a student to successfully complete the full time class load as defined by the institution in order to maintain eligibility will hold the student to a stronger standard than the 24/36 Hour Rule.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: A student completes nine hours as required by the graduate program, but three hours were finished with a D. The graduate program requires the student pass all courses with a C. Will the student maintain eligibility for the next term?

A: No. The bylaw states that the student must successfully complete the full time class load and three credits were not successfully completed per the requirements of the graduate program. The student will not be eligible for the following term.

Q: Can a student use summer school in this situation to gain eligibility for the following term?

A: No. The student must earn all credit within the academic term. Summer is not considered a term of attendance. Therefore, credit earned outside of the graduate term will not meet the requirements of “successfully complet(ing) the full time class load”.

How to Certify Graduate Students

Changes have been made in the ECP system to assist in certifying graduate students.

Here is how the screen will show before making the needed changes.

Step 1: The Graduate Student box must be checked in order for the second box on the left, “institutional credit hours enrolled this term” to be less than 12 institutional credit hours.

Upon clicking the Graduate Student box, you will see two options: First term grad student or Student with one or more TOA in grad school.

When the first term graduate student box is checked, the student will be required to meet the 24/36 Hour Rule as normal for the previous two semesters/ three quarter TOA in undergrad.

Remember that per Article V, Section C, Item 3, if a student evokes the senior exception in the last term of undergraduate work, that term will count towards the total limit of 10 semesters/ 15 quarter TOA, but the term will not be used to calculate the 24/36 Hour Rule. You would simply look to the previous two terms prior to the term in which the student used the senior exception.

If the above selection is made, this will reflect that the student will no longer be held to the 24/36 Hour Rule.

However, the subsequent box MUST be checked (if applicable) to ensure the student maintains eligibility. If the box remains unchecked, the student will not be eligible to compete per the bylaw.

Another safe guard was put in place to ensure the student is meeting continuing eligibility requirements per V.D.5 Exception 2, criteria 2. In this example, even though the subsequent box is checked under graduate student, box three is not the same numerical value as box two. This was created to ensure that, assuming box two reflects the full time credit load of the academic program, box three must be of equal or greater value than box two.

A quick note on the Progress Rule The NEC affirmed the application that all credit hours previously accumulated will count towards the Progress Rule. Many graduate programs will not recognize undergraduate

credit earned under a graduate school transcript. If that is the case, the NAIA institution can still certify based on the total number of undergraduate accumulated credit earned.