The Great Northeast Athletic Conference Well Represented at Annual NCAA Convention

Indianapolis, IN – Every year the National Collegiate Athletic Association holds a Convention where all three Divisions attend. The NCAA Convention this year took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, and featured numerous eye opening events. These events ranged from educational sessions such as The Inclusion of Transgender Athletes and Budgeting to Success, to voting for NCAA Legislation. Other events included an inspirational speech from NCAA President Mark Emmert, Honors Dinner, and Trade Show. 

The GNAC was well represented at the NCAA Convention with Athletic Directors, Associate Athletic Directors, Presidents of Institutions, Faculty Athletic Representatives, the GNAC Commissioner, and the GNAC National Student Athlete Advisory Committee Representative. Together they represented their Institutions and the voice of the GNAC in a first class way in everything they attended. Nafeesa M. Connolly, the GNAC National Student Athlete Advisory Committee Representative, had this to say about her experience at the Conference as a whole, “"I had been thinking about what the NCAA Convention was going to be like since October, and now that I've finally gone I can honestly tell you it’s amazing! The people you meet, the work that you do, it all makes a difference for student athletes across the nation: it's truly a feel-good experience." One of Nafessa's favorite parts of the Convention was meeting President Emmert at the DIII SAAC meeting; and also, meeting Jill Costello’s (Inspiration Award Recipient) parents. And of course, getting together with all the other National SAAC members from Division I and II.

There was various Legislation was discussed and voted on at the convention. Delegates voted to deregulate text messaging for recruiting. Now, it will be held to the same regulation as phone, e-mail, and fax. A proposal to require sickle cell testing was referred to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports for additional review. Proposals on clarifying the Division III philosophy, and aligning the membership requirements for conferences with the automatic qualification requirements for a conference were adopted. Also, the proposal on specifying that a professional sports organization may serve as a financial sponsor of an intercollegiate competition event, under certain conditions was adopted. Lastly, the proposal on requiring certified strength and conditioning coaches to maintain current CPR, AED, and first aid certification was adopted.  (Brown, 2012)

The Special Olympics was also a focus of DIII discussions. The partnership of DIII and the Special Olympics was decided upon at last year’s convention. There was also an inspirational speech given from a Special Olympics Golf Olympian Jason Plante. He urged institutions to reach out to their local Special Olympic chapters and volunteer. The GNAC has done so already, and looks forward to expending participation with such an amazing organization.

Works Cited

Brown, G. (2012, January 14). Text Messaging Adopted in Division III. Retrieved Jan 16, 2012, from NCAA.org: 

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/latest+news/2012/january/text+messaging+adopted+in+division+iii