VIDEO: America East at the NCAA Convention - AmericaEast.com

VIDEO: America East at the NCAA Convention - AmericaEast.com

The foundation of the NCAA has always been the welfare of student-athletes. At the 106th annual convention last week, members from all three divisions met to discuss the pressing issues in intercollegiate athletics.

America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen attended the convention and shared some of the latest decisions and updates. As a member of the Leadership Council, Huchthausen as well as the other representatives, approved the final components of the men’s basketball recruiting model. They adopted recommendations permitting summer access, allowing coaches to work with their student-athletes during summer months while still meeting academic benchmarks. The Council also approved on-campus evaluations, allowing prospective student-athletes to try out if they meet certain criteria.

Furthermore, the Division I Board of Directors reaffirmed its support for a $2,000 miscellaneous expense allowance, but directed the Student-Athlete Well-Being working group to come back with other recommendations for implementation. The hope is to continue to support the concept but develop a model to help the student-athletes that need it the most.

Other hot topics that were discussed were agents, multi-year scholarships, and a reduction in the number of contests allowed. All of these topics will continue to be reviewed in the near future.

Curtis Schickner, a UMBC student-athlete, serves as America East’s national SAAC representative and was elected to act as the Vice Chair of Division I SAAC at the convention. Commissioner Huchthausen commented on how important the national SAAC representatives are at both a local and national level.

“It’s quite impressive to watch those young people stand up in front of the room or in a meeting or general Division I session and provide their opinions and perspectives on whatever the policy or legislative recommendations are being discussed and the membership respects what their opinion is.”

 

Commissioner Huchthausen believes NCAA President Mark Emmert is moving the membership in the right direction. “It is a bureaucratic process but the membership is committed to change. It’s important that everyone has the chance to be part of that process.”

 

Check out this feature to hear what the America East Commissioner, Amy Huchthausen, and national SAAC representative Curtis Schickner have to say about their roles at the NCAA Convention.

 

For more information on convention news and national topics visit http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2012-01-13/ncaa-convention-coverage