Frequently Asked Questions

Proposed Amendments to the NAIA Bylaws

20-B-01

Bylaws Amendment #1 – Softball Frequency of Play Limit
Current Rule: Softball teams can compete on a maximum of 28 dates.
Proposed Change: To change the frequency of play limit in the sport of softball from 28 dates to 56 games, and adjust medical hardship limits accordingly.
Effective Date: August 1, 2021
Submitted By: Softball Coaches Association
Co-sponsored By: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference

Q1: What happens if two games occur on one date?

A: This proposal would require each game to count towards the frequency of play limit of 56 games, no matter what date the various games occur.

Q2: How does this change scrimmage dates in NAIA Bylaws Article I, Section G, Item 2?

A: The scrimmage dates listed in this section are in addition to the frequency of play limits listed in Article I, Section G, Item 1. These additional scrimmages are still counted as dates, just like they are for most other team sports. The intention in allowing the scrimmages to be viewed as “dates” is to allow multiple scrimmages to occur on one date.

Q3: Under current rules, my softball team does not always play double headers, so we play fewer than 56 games right now. What if we can’t get a full schedule of 56 games?

A: An institution is not required to play the maximum number of games available, and is free to play fewer than the maximum. A team that does not participate in the maximum number of allowable games may conduct additional scrimmages in place of games if it chooses, not to exceed the maximum NAIA limit (in this case, 56 games).

The National Administrative Council (NAC) determines the minimum amount of games a team must play to be eligible for the national championship. Softball is currently set at 16 dates, which would translate to 32 games. The NAC will update its policy and determine an appropriate new minimum if this proposal is passed.

Q4: What happens if a game is canceled due to weather and resumed later?

A: If the game has not yet begun and bad weather forces it to be canceled, then it is considered as though it never happened. The game could be rescheduled and only when the make-up is played would it count against team scheduling limits.

If the game has commenced, softball sport rules dictate that a game is not considered a complete game until five innings have been completed. If the five innings are completed before bad weather occurs, it will be considered a complete game and count as a game towards the team’s available 56 games. If less than five innings have been completed, it is not considered a game, it does not count towards statistics or win/loss records and does not count against the team’s scheduling limits. A make-up game could be scheduled, and that game would then count against team limits.

Q5: What does this mean for medical hardship limits in softball?

A: The medical hardship limit is 20% of the maximum number of contests or dates. If softball’s limit becomes 56 games, then the hardship limit would become 20%, or 12 games. Only once a student plays in more than that hardship allowance (in other words, 13 games or more) would the student become ineligible for a medical hardship.

20-B-02

Bylaws Amendment #2 – Volleyball Frequency of Play Limits: Scrimmages
Current Rule: Volleyball scrimmage dates are limited to two additional dates as written in Article I, Section G, Item 2. These two additional dates can be used at any point in the 24-week season.
Proposed Change: Add an additional three scrimmage dates to be played only after the end of the fall term during weekends or non-scheduled class dates.
Effective Date: August 1, 2021
Submitted By: Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association
Co-sponsored By: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference

Q1: Is this proposed amendment only specific to women’s volleyball?

A: Yes. This is due to women’s volleyball and men’s volleyball having different championship seasons (e.g. women’s championship season occurs in the fall and men’s championship season occurs in the spring). With that in mind, the rationale of spring scrimmage dates that occur after the championship for women would not carry over to the men’s schedule.

Q2: The proposal says the scrimmages can only occur on non-scheduled class days and weekends. Is it permissible to scrimmage on a Friday after classes have concluded at our school?

A: No. The proposal requires that these additional scrimmages can only be used on non-scheduled class days. If classes were scheduled on Friday, you would not be permitted to use one of the spring scrimmage dates that day. You could use it on Saturday or Sunday, or another Friday in which no classes were scheduled.

Q3: Can our women’s volleyball team have more than three scrimmage dates scheduled in the spring if we didn’t use all of our scrimmages in the fall?

A: Yes. The three spring scrimmage dates proposed here are new and additional scrimmage opportunities that would be restricted to the spring term. It would not restrict you from using any of your other available scrimmage opportunities at any point in your 24-week season, including the spring term.

20-B-03

Bylaws Amendment #3 – Wrestling: Frequency of Play Exception
Current Rule: A wrestling student-athlete who works with a coach to practice for or compete in any event will be treated as engaging in practice which must count towards the 24-week season, and possibly treated as an event that must count towards the student’s and the team’s frequency of play limit.
Proposed Change: To create an exception to the frequency of play limits and 24-week season for wrestling student-athletes who qualify and compete in US Senior Nationals, national or Olympic team trials/competition or to represent USA wrestling in competition (or international equivalents). Permits student, coach(es) and one teammate to practice in advance of competition without counting towards 24-week season.
Effective Date: October 6, 2020
Submitted By: Women’s Wrestling Coaches Association
Co-sponsored By: Mid-South Conference

Q1: How does this affect international student-athletes?

A: Student-athletes could utilize this exception by competing for any country’s national or Olympic team. Similarly, a student has an opportunity to utilize this exception for other events that are the equivalent of US Senior Nationals or USA Wrestling events. As there is not a clear international definition and there will be some variances in different countries’ wrestling structures, participation in these events will have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Q2: How long is the student’s training exempt from the 24-week season?

A: The student may begin to practice with a coach four weeks in advance of the competition and have both the practice and competition exempt from the 24-week season. The student could train with a coach prior to those four weeks, but it would be required to be treated as a practice and count towards the team’s 24-week season.

Q3: How does this impact a student or a school’s frequency of play limit?

A: A student-athlete who competes in any one of these elite-level competitions as stated in the bylaw proposal will not count towards the student-athlete’s individual frequency of play limit, nor will the competition count towards the team’s frequency of play limit.

Q4: I have a wrestler who has previously qualified for US Senior Nationals. The proposal says a teammate could help her prepare for these events. What if the primary student-athlete has qualified for US Senior Nationals, but the teammate has not?

A: Each student-athlete who qualifies for one of these senior-level events (such as US Senior Nationals) is allowed to have one teammate assist them in any given training session. The teammate is not required to be qualified for the event. Therefore, if there were multiple student-athletes on the same NAIA team who qualified for US Senior Nationals, each of them could have one additional non-qualified teammate assist them in training without the practice counting towards the 24-week season.

The non-qualified student-athlete must be on the same NAIA team as the student-athlete who is training for the national/Olympic event.

Q5: I have a wrestler who often qualifies for these sort of events, and has a training partner who wrestles for a nearby NAIA school. Could the two of them practice together in advance of US Senior Nationals under this exception?

A: No. The proposed exception is specific to a teammate currently on the student-athlete’s NAIA team. Under standard NAIA rules, anytime individuals who are not identified with the NAIA school are involved in a practice or athletic activity, it must be treated as a competition. In this scenario, if these two student-athletes wanted to prepare together and have coaches present, NAIA rules would view this as a wrestling competition that would count towards frequency of play limits and the 24-week season for both NAIA institutions. The student-athletes would be free to work out together on their own without any coaches present or involved and it would not count towards team limits or the 24-week season.

Q6: I have a wrestler who qualified for Olympic Trials. During the four weeks leading up to the event, what activities are covered by this exception?

A: Any practice involving the wrestler and a coache(es) and one other teammate could be exempt from the 24-week season. (If several other teammates are involved in a practice, it would not meet the exception and would have to be included in the 24-week season.) If the wrestler wishes to compete in an event during this four-week period as part of their preparation and wanted a coach present, it would likely have to be counted towards the team’s and student’s frequency of play limits and 24-week season.

Q7: How does this affect a team’s 24-week season if the practice occurs during one of the three allotted break periods in the 24-week season per Article I, Section G, Item 5?

A: If an athlete is training with an NAIA coach and abides by the requirements described in the exception, the training period does not count towards the team’s 24-week season. This holds true even during a time in which the team is on a break from the 24-week season, and the training period will not trigger the 24-week season.

Q8: Does this proposal apply to both men’s and women’s wrestling?

A: Yes. Both men’s and women’s wrestling are covered in this bylaw proposal. If passed, the exception would apply to both genders.

Q9: Would this competition still potentially start a season of competition, just like any other elite-level event?

A: Yes. This proposal simply creates an exception related to scheduling, and does not impact how a student’s eligibility may be affected by such competition. However, note that Bylaws Proposal 20-B-04 does include an exception that would allow national or Olympic team competition to be exempt from seasons of competition. If proposal 20-B-04 is approved, students who compete in such events would not have their eligibility impacted. Please note that 20-B-04 does not include any reference to USA Wrestling or US Senior National events, meaning competition in any of these events will be included in determinations regarding seasons of competition.

20-B-04

Bylaws Amendment #4 – Seasons of Competition: Minimum Participation
Current Rule: A student-athlete is charged a season of competition for competing in a single competition (scrimmages are excluded).
Proposed Change: To institute a minimum number of intercollegiate contests a student must participate in before the student will be charged a season of competition, equivalent to greater than 20% of the frequency of play limit for that sport, rendering the medical hardship provision moot except for instances where a student was not an NAIA student-athlete during the season in question. In addition, replace the unattached exception with an exception permitting national or Olympic team competition without charging the student a season of competition.
Effective Date: May 1, 2021 as applied to eligibility decisions for competition in August 2021 or beyond
Submitted By: Competitive Experience Committee

Q1: What type of activity constitutes participation?

A: Throughout the bylaws, participation is defined to include any time an athlete competes in any competition for any length of time. A single play, one at bat, or one minute in the game constitutes participation.

Note that scrimmages are excluded from this bylaw both currently and under the proposal, meaning that a student’s participation in a scrimmage does not apply to determinations about seasons of competition. Therefore, the 20% limit reflects the games, competitions, dates, tournaments and meets in which a student could be charged a season of competition.

Q2: Who will be responsible for tracking the number of contests in which each student competes?

A: This will be the responsibility of the institution to track the number of competitions that each student competed in, and whether the student should be charged a season based on the amount of competition. Current rules about seasons of competition do not require this sort of detailed tracking, but even under current rules institutions must be able to identify if a student competes in any game for purposes of season s of competition and financial aid rules, and must know which games specifically if the student needs to request a medical hardship. Note that the Council of Presidents approved changes to the financial aid policy in April 2020 that are now in effect and take a similar approach to this proposal, stating that a varsity student’s aid will not count towards the team limit until the student competes in more than 20% of the maximum contest limit. This policy change went into effect in August 2020, meaning that institutions should already be incorporating strategies for how to track student participation.

Q3: What is the 20% based off of? Is it based on the maximum allowable number of games, or the school’s initial planned schedule, or the number of games the school ultimately plays?

A: The 20% is evaluated against the maximum number competitions allowed under Bylaws Article I, Section G, Item 1. This is the same approach that is currently utilized regarding medical hardships, which use the same 20% threshold of the sport’s frequency of play limit.

Q4: My soccer team rarely schedules the full maximum frequency of play limits for the sport (18 games). We generally schedule just 12 or 13 games. How will this proposal impact my student-athletes?

A: Soccer players on your team will be treated the same as soccer players on any other team in the NAIA. The number of games a student can play in before being charged a season of competition will be 20% for all soccer players, regardless of how many games a team schedules or ultimately competes in. In the sport of soccer, a student is charged a season of competition when they compete in their fifth game, no matter how many games your team ultimately plays.

Q5: If a student-athlete receives an eligible decision from the eligibility center and competes in just one game and therefore is not charged a season of competition, would the student-athlete need to get a new eligibility center decision before competing again?

A: No. Since the student “used” his or her eligibility center decision in the term it was issued, the student does not need to get an updated decision. This is true regardless of whether or not the student is ultimately charged a season of competition their first term of participation in the NAIA.

Q6: What happens if a basketball player competes in less than 20% at NAIA School A, then transfers at winter break to NAIA School B? Is the student charged a season of competition at School A? If they play at School B, will the total number of games they play in be combined between two institutions to count towards the 20%?

A: The student is not charged a season of competition at School A because the student did not compete in 20% of games. If the student transfers mid-year after playing in a game at School A, the transfer residency rule would apply when the student identifies at School B, as the residency requirement relies on a student’s “participation” at their prior school regardless of whether they were charged a season of competition.

Assuming that School A does not provide the student with a release, the student would not be able to participate at School B due to the residency requirement. The result would be the student would only play at School A during that academic year but would not be charged a season of competition.

If School A chose to provide a release and waive the residency requirement, the student could compete immediately at School B. The proposal is specific to the number of games to be played at a particular institution, meaning the games the student played at School A will not be combined with the games at School B. The student would not be charged a season of competition until he played in 7 games at School B.

Q7: How does this 20% approach affect student-athletes transferring into the NAIA from other associations?

A: The 20% limit applies to NAIA student-athletes only. Consistent with current practice, transfer students’ previous seasons of competition will be determined by the association they were participating in at that time. This proposal does not amend the language that says the NAIA will honor past intercollegiate experience at face value for student-athletes transferring from other athletic associations.

Q8: Can the 20% limits be applied to past seasons? I have a soccer player who only played in 2 games in Fall 2019. Can she get that season of competition back?

A: No. This proposal is not retroactive, meaning an NAIA institution cannot apply the 20% approach to previous seasons of competition that have already occurred. Students who participate in 2019 or any other past season chose to participate (and be charged) under the rules that were in place at that time. The effective date on this proposal is August 1, 2021, so if passed this 20% approach will begin to apply in the 2021-22 academic year.

Q: What happened to the unattached exception?

A: The proposal eliminates the unattached exception. That means that student-athletes who participate in non-intercollegiate competition will be subject to being charged seasons of competition based on the elite-level criteria.

The Competitive Experience Committee’s rationale for eliminating the unattached exception included the following:

Efforts to decrease the use of the exception often created other implications that were challenging to apply. For example, requiring students to be eligible to use the exception reduced the use of the exception as a loophole for ineligible students but required that students had their eligibility properly certified, including over the summer or during breaks in enrollment.
The unattached criteria had become more complicated over time, and often led schools to inadvertently apply it incorrectly. This meant schools unexpectedly found themselves in violation by playing an ineligible player, and that students unexpectedly were charged seasons of competition.
The proposal’s 20% approach provides all students with a cushion to participate in some amount of competition before being charged. This 20% cushion provides a blanket approach for all students to utilize, including events that previously would have had to meet the unattached criteria in very specific ways. For example, a wrestler could participate in up to four competitions that his coach entered him into, while wearing his school singlet, or having his coach present and providing feedback, all without being charged a season of competition.
The proposal’s addition of an exception for national or Olympic team play is intended to ensure students can continue to take advantage of such opportunities.
The combination of the 20% approach paired with the national/Olympic team exception is intended to essentially replace the unattached exception in a way that is more manageable, more consistent and more in line with the original intent.

Q10: Without the unattached exception present, does this mean that an ineligible student can participate on their own at will?

A: Just as it stands currently, student-athletes who do not meet NAIA eligibility requirements may still compete in non-intercollegiate competition, but will risk being charged seasons of competition. The removal of the unattached exception simply means that there will not be a specific exception that exempts such competition from being counted towards seasons of competition.

Q11: How does this bylaw change regarding seasons of competition apply to the financial aid limits?

A: The financial aid limits are policy decisions determined by the Council of Presidents (COP). In April 2020, the COP adjusted the financial aid policy to say only those varsity students who compete in more than 20% of the sport’s frequency of play limits will have their aid count towards the team limit. Therefore, if this proposal passes, the 20% approach will be applied the same for determining when a student is charged a season of competition and when that student’s aid counts towards the team limit.

20-B-05

Bylaws Amendment #5 – Progress Rule Exception for Non-intercollegiate Competition
Current Rule: Progress Rule applies equally to any student with prior seasons of competition.
Proposed Change: To create a one-time, one-year exception to the Progress Rule for incoming freshmen students who have been charged at least one season of competition for non-intercollegiate participation. At the conclusion of the one 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.
Effective Date: May 1, 2021 as applied to eligibility decisions for competition in August 2021 or beyond
Submitted By: Competitive Experience Committee

Q1: Why does the bylaw state this exception is valid for an academic year and not a calendar year?

A: The academic year reflects the timeline that a student-athlete will be certified for the following two semesters or three quarter terms of attendance. This approach allows for consistent application of the rule, whether the student enrolls at the start of an academic year or mid-year.

Q2: How does this affect freshmen who do not compete their first year?

A: This exception may only apply in the student’s first two semesters or three quarters terms of attendance (which is the definition of an entering freshman). If a student does not compete their first year, they cannot utilize the exception after the first academic year has concluded.

Q3: How does this apply in conjunction with Exception 1 in the bylaw? Can the two exceptions overlap?

A: Exception 1 is meant to address student-athletes who are charged their first intercollegiate season of competition in their first term of attendance. Exception 1 is not available if a student has outside seasons of competition when they first identify at the NAIA institution.

Q4: How does this exception apply to student-athletes that are seeking amateurism reinstatement?

A: Part of the requirement for amateurism reinstatement is that a student must serve residency at the NAIA institution in which they wish to compete for two semesters/three quarter terms of attendance. Therefore, once the student has his or her amateurism reinstated, they will be outside the window to utilize the exception in this proposal.

Q5: Does this exception carry over between seasons?

A: No. This exception is for a one-time exemption the first time the student is certified and the Progress Rule applied at the NAIA institution. Upon certifying for the second intercollegiate season at the NAIA institution, the student-athlete will not be able to utilize the exception.

Q6: What happens if the student-athlete receives a medical hardship or competes in less than 20% of the season and thus is not charged a season of competition?

A: This is a one-time exception that can only apply during the student’s first year at the NAIA institution, so it becomes moot if the student is ultimately not charged or if the first intercollegiate season is returned to the student. If the student is not charged a season in their first year at the NAIA school, when they are certified the following year the student would no longer meet the requirements of the exception.

Q7: A men’s basketball player has been charged two seasons of competition: one season for competing in an elite-level, non-intercollegiate league, and another season for competing for one semester at a junior college. The one semester at the junior college is his first and only term of attendance, meaning he is still considered a freshman under NAIA rules. Can this student utilize Exception 2 under the Progress Rule?

A: Yes. He satisfies all criteria of the exception by still meeting the definition of an entering freshman and by being charged at least one non-intercollegiate season of competition. The intent of the exception is to allow a student a one-time grace period when charged with a season of competition for non-intercollegiate play prior to completing his first year, recognizing that he may have been unaware of the Progress Rule and likely does not have the requisite coursework needed to satisfy the rule. In most cases when a student has both an intercollegiate and a non-intercollegiate season charged, the student will have used more than one term of attendance and would not be eligible for the exception.

20-B-06

Bylaws Amendment #6 – Senior & Graduate Student Exceptions: Enrollment Verification
Current Rule: Verification of enrollment must be submitted by the registrar to the eligibility chair in writing.
Proposed Change: To permit a registrar to verify a senior or graduate student’s enrollment in less than 12 hours by signing the Official Eligibility Certificate within the Eligibility Certification Process (ECP) software without requiring additional documentation from the registrar.
Effective Date: October 6, 2020
Submitted By: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
Co-sponsored By: National Eligibility Committee

Q1: Why is this change being proposed?

A: All NAIA institutions now are required to certify students’ eligibility through ECP, but this is a relatively new requirement. Previously, institutions that certified eligibility using hard copy forms were instructed to provide verification by their registrar through a written letter. Now that everyone uses the ECP system and registrars review each certificate, it is more efficient to allow registrars to simply verify the exception via the electronic system without the additional step.

Q2: What does “verify” mean?

A: For the purpose of this bylaw amendment, when a registrar signs the eligibility certificate in ECP, they are affirming that the student meets the exception to the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule and therefore an additional letter stating the same in writing is no longer needed.

Q3: What happens if the registrar is incapacitated?

A: An administrator on campus that serves in the capacity of registrar or is the director or indirect supervisor of the registrar may sign in the Registrar’s stead. The intent is to ensure that the person who is responsible for the information he or she is signing understands the importance of the accuracy of the information, and has the authority to be held accountable for any information submitted under his or her signature.

20-B-07

Bylaws Amendment #7 – Repeat Courses
Current Rule: Allow repeat courses to count towards the 24/36-Hour Rule and the 12-Hour Enrollment rule when the student has previously taken the course and earned a “C” or “D” but the student’s major requires at least a grade of “B.”
Proposed Change: To permit the initial attempt of a course to be utilized to satisfy the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule and the 24/36-Hour Rule when the course is required to be earned with a higher grade to satisfy degree completion or general education requirement in the student’s declared major field of study.
Effective Date: May 1, 2021 as applied to eligibility decisions for competition in August 2021 or beyond
Submitted By: Registrars Association
Co-sponsored By: Faculty Athletics Representatives Association

Q1: Why is this change necessary?

A: The sponsors of this proposal wish to change the existing bylaw slightly. Regardless of what grade the student’s major field of study requires the student to achieve, if the student has not yet met the minimum grade required in a course and is directed by their major field of study to repeat the course, this proposal would allow the student to do so and the repeat will count towards the 24/36-Hour Rule and the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule.

Q2: If a student took a course that was repeated due to it being required for a prior declared major and then the student switches majors, can the course still count towards the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule or 24/36-Hour Rule when declared with a different degree?

A: That depends on the student’s current declared major. The course must be required to be repeated under the student’s declared major at the time of certification. If the current declared major does not require the repeat, then the course cannot be used to satisfy the 24/36-Hour Rule and/or 12-Hour Enrollment Rule.

Q3: For a transfer student, is the student’s previous declared major from the prior school the deciding factor? Or is it the student’s declared major at the NAIA institution?

A: The student’s major at the NAIA institution is what will determine whether the repeat course can be used to satisfy the 24/36-Hour Rule or the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule.

Q4: How are students treated who have not declared a major?

A: These students would be unable to utilize the exception.

Q5: Does it matter how much time passes between the student’s initial attempt of the course and the retake?

A: No. The course can be repeated immediately, or several terms later. The rule applies the same regardless of how much time passes in the interim.

20-B-08

Bylaws Amendment #8 – Recertification: 21-Day Window
Current Rule: A student who is eligible the last day of a term may retain eligibility until midnight of the 21st calendar day following the close of a term to allow an institution time to recertify eligibility.
Proposed Change: To extend the window for recertification from 21 days to 30 days following the close of a term or 10 days from the end of the interterm, during which time any student who was eligible during the term can maintain eligibility and continue to compete.
Effective Date: October 6, 2020
Submitted By: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
Co-sponsored By: River States Conference

Q1: How are inter-terms impacted by this? Do you still get 30 day regardless?

A: In the instance that that a winter-term attaches to the fall term, the bylaw amendment will not allow for 30 days to certify after the conclusion of the winter-term. If a winter-term attaches to the fall, then the NAIA institution has only 10 additional days after the conclusion of the winter-term to certify their student-athletes for the following spring term.

20-B-09

Bylaws Amendment #09 – Amateur Code – Name, Image, Likeness Compensation
Current Rule: Prospective or current student-athletes are not permitted to receive compensation for use of their name, image or likeness in promoting a commercial product or enterprise or in making a public appearance if that promotion references their status as a student-athlete or any institution they have attended.
Proposed Change: To allow prospective and current student-athletes to receive compensation for use of their name, image or likeness in promoting a commercial product or enterprise or in making a public appearance even if that promotion references their status as a student-athlete or any institution they have attended.
Effective Date: October 6, 2020
Submitted By: Association of Student-Athletes
Co-sponsored By: National Coordinating Committee

Q1: Is there a monetary limit on how much the student-athlete can receive for promoting their name, image or likeness?

A: No, there is no limit. The intention is to allow the student access to control their name, image or likeness and receive fair market value for such use. Therefore, the value is determined by the market, not by the NAIA.

Q2: What types of compensation for name, image, and likeness are the student-athletes required to report?

A: There are a wide variety of possible opportunity for students ot receive compensation from the name, image or likeness that must then also be reported to their athletics department: influencers on Instagram accounts that reference their school or status as a student-athlete, opportunities to endorse a local business or event, opportunities to receive compensation for actively promoting their institution. There is currently information on the NAIA website comparing how a variety of scenarios would be treated under current amateurism restrictions as well as under this proposal. For more information, please visit: https://www.naia.org/membership/name-image-likeness

Q3: The proposal says the student is obligated to report any name, image or likeness compensation to their institution. What happens if the student does not report their compensation? Does it affect the student’s eligibility and/or amateurism?

A: Yes, the student’s ability to continue competing could be at risk. The National Coordinating Committee will review all failures to report compensation and will determine if a student is eligible to continue competing.

Q4: If students are already receiving compensation before they are an NAIA student-athlete, would they still need to report it to their NAIA athletics department?

A: If the compensation or endorsement includes reference to their status as a student-athlete or any institution where they have ever enrolled, then it must be reported to their NAIA athletics department.

Q5: Written into this proposal is an opportunity for the Council of Presidents and National Coordinating Committee to make emergency adjustments to the bylaws if needed. Why is this, and would this legislative amendment process ever be applied to any other portion of the bylaws?

A: This is an unusual provision within the NAIA bylaws, as all other changes to the bylaws are required to be decided by a vote of the membership at the annual meeting. The reason for this inclusion is because in this specific area of intercollegiate athletics, state and federal laws are changing rapidly and in various ways across the country. The intention is to ensure that NAIA rules can be amended, if necessary, to ensure that all NAIA institutions are able to comply with any state or federal rules and not be in violation of NAIA rules. If this emergency provision ever has to be utilized and the COP must enact a bylaw change, the change would then be brought to the NAIA membership at the next available opportunity to codify or adjust the approach.