The Score: September 9, 2020

Important Dates

SEPTEMBER 15:

Deadline to resubmit an updated Declaration of Intent. Email Nathan Docter with any questions.
National Awards Day

OCTOBER 1: PlayNAIA default Term for Determination changes to Spring 2021. Fall sport cancellations begin.

OCTOBER 5-7: Virtual Fall Meetings. Details can be found here.

OCTOBER 6: Virtual Business Meeting to vote on 2019-20 legislative proposals.

DECEMBER 1: Year-End Report Submission Deadline. New data pertaining to Return on Athletics will be required. Click here for more information.

COVID-19/Fall 2020

NEW: Six-sport Minimum Waiver

Per the NAIA Bylaws Article I, A, 1c, institutions are required to sponsor six championship sports to maintain NAIA membership. Last Wednesday, the COP Executive Committee approved a recommendation for a one-year waiver for the six-sport requirement. This means that schools sponsoring fewer than six sports in 2020-21 will maintain NAIA membership.

NEW: COVID Screener Trainer Course Available

Do you want to use non-healthcare professionals to assist with your game-day COVID screening? The COVID Screener training course is now available and is required to be completed by any non-healthcare professionals before they can conduct game-day screening. To allow your staff access, simply go to NAIAHelp and add the individuals as “COVID Screeners” in your staff profile. Legislative Services will send an email to all ADs and designated COVID Screeners when access is granted. Questions? Contact [email protected].

2020-21 COVID-19 Response Manual Now Available

Since the fall 2020 return to play guidelines and recommendations were shared in July, significant changes have occurred. The original guidelines have been updated to reflect the decisions made in the past six weeks and renamed 2020-21 COVID-19 Response Manual.

News

NEW: Five Star Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to the 180 Champions of Character Five-Star Institution winners. There were 112 gold winners, 46 silver winners, and 22 bronze winners. NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Conference Awards were earned by 16 NAIA Conferences.

The Champions of Character Scorecard measures a commitment to character training, academic focus, character promotion, conduct in competition, and character recognition on a scale of 0-100 points. Award levels are based on the number of points earned: gold (90-100 points), silver (75-89 points) and bronze (60-74 points).

NEW: Catastrophic Insurance Policy Posted

The catastrophic insurance policy for 2020-21 is now available on the NAIA website.

NEW: NAIA Hiring for Director of Student-Athlete Development Programs

The NAIA is looking for a Director of Student-Athlete Development Programs and we need your help. If you know anyone who has experience creating and delivering programs that benefit students’ personal and professional development, physical and mental health, and character growth, please forward them this job description. The position is located at the NAIA National Office in Kansas City, Missouri. Check out the NAIA Career Center for more listings from the national office and campuses.

NEW: NAC Approves Player of the Week Calendar Change

The NAC approved the option to eliminate the first two weeks of the originally approved fall sport Player of the Week calendar and move those two weeks to the spring season. The new calendar is an equal split between fall and spring dates for all sports except cross country.

Legislative

NEW: 2020 Proposed Legislation and FAQs

New FAQs are available regarding the 2020 legislative proposals, all of which will be voted on at the virtual business meeting on Tuesday, October 6. Videos explaining the proposed legislation are available, as well as the opportunity to offer feedback on the legislative forum. Please note that these are the same proposals that were shared last March; only effective dates have been adjusted.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or 816.595.8180.

NEW: 2020-21 Handbook Released

The 2020-21 Official & Policy Handbook has been released. This is the first version of the handbook. The bylaws will be updated after the business meeting on October 6. Keep an eye out for more updates next month.

Eligibility Center

NEW: Annual Cancellations Begin October 1

Beginning Oct. 1, annual cancellations (previously referred to as inactivation) will begin for students with fall 2020 applications for fall sports. Cancellations will only affect students who are registered for fall sports and have taken no recent action in PlayNAIA. See the Sept. 1 eligibility center update for more details.

CFAR Exception to Reapplication Requirement

Students who receive an eligible fall 2020 decision will not be required to reapply for winter/spring 2021 eligibility center decisions even if they do not identify at their NAIA institution during the fall 2020 term. We have updated the situation analysis to reflect the situations this exception applies to. Please note, eligibility rules will still need to be met, but eligibility will be handled during on-campus certification. The exception to reapplication is only applicable for students who received fall 2020 decisions and would normally need to reapply for winter/spring 2021.

Sponsorships

NEW: Preparing for Spring Travel

NAIA National Partner Shorts Travel Management (STM) invites you to join university athletic travel leaders of air, hotel, and ground transportation for an interactive session on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 12 p.m. CST. STM will share “Best Practices for Safe Travel” as we look to the future, as well as discuss any thoughts and concerns with travel during this unique, challenging time. Click here to save your spot.

Rules

Rule Modifications

On August 20, the National Administrative Council passed additional rule modifications for several fall sports to help with physical distancing and student-athlete safety.