Pac-12 outlines concepts for upcoming autonomy slate

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pac-12 Conference announced today the initial concepts being proposed by the Conference for the Autonomy Session at the 2016 NCAA Convention. This year’s concepts center on student-athlete welfare and include time demands, student-athlete image and likeness, and financial assistance.

Along with the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC, the Pac-12 has summited concepts for consideration in this year’s legislative cycle. The initial concepts being proposed by the Pac-12 are:

•    To allow student-athletes to use their names, images, and likenesses to promote their own non-athletic business ventures. 
•    To establish a contiguous eight-hour period between 9 p.m. – 6 a.m. where athletic activities cannot be required.
•    To mandate a three-week discretionary period for student-athletes immediately following the conclusion of their seasons.
•    To allow student-athletes to decline athletics aid during an academic year within a multi-year agreement in order to accept greater institutional aid.
•    To add an exception to the one-year period of award requirement that would allow institutions to provide athletics aid for less than one academic year on more than one occasion to non-recruited student-athletes.

“At the root of what we’ve done with our peer conferences over the last 18 months is to reaffirm our commitment to student-athletes and to bring college athletics into the 21st century,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “But there is more work to be done. We believe that further exploring these concepts will help ensure that student-athletes have the time to participate in the full spectrum of campus life and focus on their academics."

The Pac-12’s initial concepts come as a result of the work of the Pac-12 Council which is made up of athletics directors, senior woman administrators, and faculty athletics representatives from each of the Conference’s 12 member institutions.

"Pac-12 universities and the Pac-12 Council are committed to making sure student-athletes have the time, support, and independence necessary to participate in extracurricular activities and devote more energy to their academic pursuits,” said University of Utah Faculty Athletics Representative and President of the Pac-12 Council, Dr. Karen Paisley. “We're looking forward to further vetting these concepts and working with our peers around the nation to ensure that student-athletes have the best experience possible."

The concepts being proposed by the Pac-12 and the other four autonomy conferences are now subject to a period of review by several NCAA Division I (DI) Council standing committees and the DI Council. After that review, the five conferences can then amend the concepts, including adding co-sponsors, before finalizing the concepts as proposals on Nov. 15. 

The proposals will be voted on at the 2016 Autonomy Session scheduled for Jan. 15 in San Antonio, Texas at the NCAA Convention. The session will feature one voting representative from each of the 65 member schools of the five conferences and 15 student-athlete representatives (three from each conference) who will deliberate and vote on a series of proposals designed to improve the student-athlete experience on campus.