NCAA Division III Adopts Conduct Foul Program
August 3, 2005
CONTACT: Josh Centor, NCAA
Public and Media Relations 317/917-6117
DIVISION III ADOPTS CONDUCT-FOUL PROGRAM
INDIANAPOLIS --- Division III is doing its best to provide a safe and positive playing environment for all of its student-athletes, and has recently adopted a program that tracks conduct fouls in all sports that recognize them.
The Empire 8, under Commissioner Chuck Mitrano’s leadership, has not only witnessed reductions in penalties, but also a more conducive playing atmosphere.
“The Empire 8 has been using Division III grant funds to track conduct fouls for more than three years and to report real-time for two years. There is no doubt that this program will have great influence if it has the correct support,” Mitrano said.
Instead of tracking conduct fouls at the end of the playing season, Mitrano suggests that tracking penalties in real-time is a more effective practice. He encourages institutions to report infractions and explanations of conduct fouls to the athletic director within a prescribed period of time, ensuring that the opportunity to educate is preserved.
The Empire 8 has reduced yellow cards in men’s and women’s soccer by 20 percent and eliminated all red cards in both sports. Technical fouls in men’s basketball fell by 35 percent in one year and 57 percent over a two-year stretch. Additionally, technical fouls in women’s basketball were reduced by 50 percent in one year and 75 percent over the two-year span. All ejections in men’s basketball have been eliminated.
Mitrano presented his data to the NCAA and was awarded a grant to track conduct fouls throughout the division. The results were so impressive that Division III has adopted the program on a division-wide basis for all institutions.
“I’m pleased with the program on three fronts,” said Dan Dutcher, Vice-President for Division III. “First, it calls greater attention to the issue of sportsmanship and proper conduct within the division. Second, it helps to establish some valuable baseline data. It helps us to understand what the current status is within the division related to conduct fouls. Third, the results from the first two years suggest that the reporting process itself may help to discourage improper conduct and encourage better sportsmanship.”
Sportsmanship is one of the main tenets of the Division III philosophy statement and the division’s strategic plan.
The program’s main objective is to reduce unsportsmanlike behavior by making violators, coaches and athletic directors aware of their behavior. This awareness often prompts institutions to be more proactive and educational.
“This formal adoption is very much representative of the outstanding educators of our division and the Division III philosophy,” Mitrano said.
The response to the initiative has been positive from the membership and it is being recommended association-wide.
“The conduct foul program establishes a program that holds athletic directors, coaches, student-athletes, and ultimately presidents and institutions, accountable for conduct in athletic competitions,” said Todd Hutton, President of Utica College and former President of the Empire 8. “Emphasizing good sportsmanship through a mechanism like a conduct-foul program is a tangible way that the NCAA can demonstrate its commitment to the developmental growth of student-athletes and, of course, good sportsmanship.”
The program’s mission is not to punish poor sportsmanship, but more importantly, to prevent it from being an issue.
“The intent is not punitive but preventative. It reinforces the ethic of good sportsmanship that is so prevalent in Division III sports but also targets those individuals who would violate this ethic,” Hutton said.