Major conferences earn autonomy

IOWA CITY - College athletics' five power conferences were granted a new level of autonomy Thursday by the NCAA that allows the leagues to enact specific legislation without a full vote of Division I membership.

By a 16-2 vote from the NCAA Division I board of directors, the five highest-revenue athletics leagues - Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast (which includes Notre Dame) - now can create collective and specific rules on student-athlete welfare issues. That includes monetary stipends, long-term insurance and lifetime undergraduate scholarships. Autonomy will add significant costs to the power-five schools and full implementation is expected by mid-2015.

The University of Iowa is a member of the Big Ten, and Iowa State University is a Big 12 member.

'We are pleased with (Thursday's) vote by the Division I board of directors,” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said. 'With the adoption of a structure that allows for autonomy, we can begin enacting legislation that addresses a variety of important student-athlete issues. I couldn't feel better about our colleagues in the Big Ten, or those in other conferences, who put in so much time and effort proving once again that as an industry we are capable of coming together on behalf of our student-athletes.

'The new governance structure preserves the many traditions of Division I athletics while directly impacting all student-athletes competing at that level who will benefit from improved academic, health and safety initiatives resulting from the additional resources generated by the NCAA basketball tournament and other NCAA revenues. We look forward to moving past the process that brought us structural autonomy and onto the prospect of substantive reform that focuses on education and student-athletes.”

For major schools, enacting student-welfare legislation is vital with the NCAA facing lawsuits for likeness infringement. Also, a regional National Labor Relations Board office ruled this spring that Northwestern football players could be considered employees and be allowed to unionize. Northwestern has appealed the decision to the national board.

According to a draft circulated among Big Ten schools in March and obtained by The Gazette via the Freedom of Information Act, there are six primary initiatives the autonomous group wants to announce as a formal platform within the first six months. They include:

n Defining a full scholarship as including cost of attendance

n Provide lifetime undergraduate scholarships for current and former athletes

n Meet health, safety and nutrition needs of students, including post-competition health care

n Create athletics dead periods for athletes to access opportunities outside athletics

n Provide more support for academically at-risk athletes, including withholding them from competition

n Participation from athletes in the new governance structure

Autonomy prevents a likely secession from the NCAA by the most powerful schools and conferences. Revenue disparity among 350 schools in Division I limited cooperation on many topics, such as stipends. In October 2011, the NCAA's board of directors approved stipends up to the cost of attendance after Delany introduced the concept. The measure was voided after an override from schools that have significantly smaller budgets and revenues.

For instance, in fiscal year 2013 Iowa's athletics department reported $107 million in revenue, and Iowa State reported $62.3 million, according to figures from the schools. Northern Iowa reported $16.9 million in athletics revenue that year, with more than $8 million coming from the institution or student fees.

The new governance structure comes with significant costs, however. Providing stipends adds roughly another $2,000 for each scholarship athlete. Based on 2013 numbers, costs rise by another $568,000 at Iowa and $446,000 at Iowa State for stipends alone. For Northern Iowa, which as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference is exempt from the autonomous structure, it would cost around $340,000.

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta was hesitant to put a specific number on the costs associated with autonomy.

'I'm pleased the board approved the restructuring package,” Barta said. 'I think it allows a large and complex organization the chance to make important and necessary changes in a more efficient and effective way. That being said, there is a lot work to be done to achieve the goal of making the collegiate model - which I love and believe in - better and stronger.

'The Big Ten has been advocating and supporting a cost of attendance scholarship adjustment the past two years. I'm sure that will be an immediate priority - as will some of the health and safety initiatives - and other top priorities. I expect there will be some time lapse to make sure we get things right. My understanding is the plan will be to have at least an initial reform package by January.”

Under the new structure, student-athletes now will have a voice and a vote in all issues. Each of the 65 schools get a vote along with three student-athletes from each of the five conferences to total 80. For measures to pass, 48 votes and three of five conferences are required, or 41 votes and four of the five conferences. Rules will be adopted only in April, instead of the current January and April voting periods.

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