Page 10-The Michigan Daily-Thursday, January 10, 1991 NCAA Continued from page 1 ovich said. "We'll all survive. There will be greater parity." The increase of the minimum number of varsity intercollegiate sports from six to seven for both men and women for a total of 14 for a university to remain in Division I. Proposal 38 passed. The amendment, along with seven provisions, would reduce ath- letic-related activities to 20 hours per week. In addition, for at least one day each week, athletes must remain idle. The amendment also shortened the number of days of the year an athlete can participate in a sport by setting the starting and ending dates of each sport. The maximum num- ber of days now totals 144.. There was little opposition to this amendment, which received support from the Student-Athlete Commission as well as the Presi- dents' Commission. Michigan Ath- letic Director Jack Weidenbach strongly supported the proposal, but felt it still needed some work. "I think there will be some fine- tuning, but you've got time to work on that," Weidenbach said. "The biggest one I worry about at Michi- gan is hockey. The reduction of those four games bothers me because they are a revenue sport. You don't get much sympathy in a group of people like this about hockey." The only representatives that raised opposition to the proposal were those from track and field. The sport would suffer up to 25 percent cuts in athletic time. "We've bitten the bullet many times. If we do it once more we might die of lead poisoning," said Clyde Hart, President of the Divi- sion I Track Coaches' Association. What surprisingly didn't pass were several eligibility requirements that force athletes to maintain certain academic standards. Many universi- ties have already established their own policies in this area. "It was a start or continuing ef- fort to bring the academic require- ments more in line nationally than they have been," Mackovich said. "The council and the Presidents' Commission have said that they're going to look into next year any- way. So at least it was on the table this year." ONH -VE by Theodore Cox Daily Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Maybe everyone received a train set for Christ- mas because the railroad business has become somewhat of a catch phrase among the 2,000-plus University delegates at the 1991 NCAA convention. "The train is rolling." "So far, it's a fast-moving locomotive." "The athletic directors better climb aboard or they'll be left standing on the tracks." The symbolism is precise as most of the proposed amendments have had results overwhelmingly in the presidents' favor. But to continue the compar- ison, I wondered three things: 1. Where's this train headed? 2. Will it crush some innocent people stuck on the track? 3. Could the train be replaced by something more efficient, such as the automobile? Of course, the overall purpose of the presidents is to mainstream a stu- dent-athlete with the rest of the student body. But in the State of the Associ- ation address on Monday night, NCAA Executive Director Richard D. Schultz stressed two points that make sense: "To convincingly emphasize who's in charge" and "to reduce and simplify the rules." The problem is that the presidents' current way to show who's boss is to add over 100 amendments to the bylaws, a majority of which are new rules. One of the biggest problems the NCAA faces is coaches who don't take the time to learn and understand the bylaws, and frankly, I don't blame the coaches. When I first entered the media room on Monday, I almost collapsed Presidents continue to railroad NCAA policy under a ton of paperwork. Another problem is enforcement. The most complex amendment pas yesterday is the limit of 20 hours per week of athletic-related activities per athlete with a coaching staff. Of course, this amendment is 12 pages long and has more exceptions than a calculus problem. Now, who's going to monitor this? Are coaches going to have players punch in time clocks? "It's going to be a problem to keep track of it," Michigan Athletic Direc- tor Jack Weidenbach. "A lot of it is going to depend upon the coaches doing a good job of monitoring themselves." This doesn't mean the athlete can't practice on their own. Certain sports can have coaches supervise workouts for safety reasons. So how will people be able to differentiate between supervision and organized instruction? Perhaps everyone is hopping on the train because this could be the last ride. The public is fed up with the NCAA's apparent lack of control over rule violators; congressmen are talking about legislation over schools; and some speculate that superconferences will form and break from the NCAA. Right now someone has to take charge, and many athletic directors are turning to the presidents. "They're responsible for the schools, God bless them," Michigan State Athletic Director and coach George Perles said. "That's who we work for and that's who the schools are run by. That's fine as long as they're putting the time in like they are here." I am just as confused as anybody as to what needs to be done. I thin there needs to be an overall governing board - and the NCAA is best suited for this role. But at the same time, more amendments, especially unenforca- ble rules, only run the train right off the track. r Il Get Ready, Get Set, Book Rush! We're ready whenever you are at the corner of North University and State Street ! I r- I WE CARRYALL BOOKS ON THE OFFICIA LUNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TEXTBOOK LISTS 1 __ January 1991 Book Rush S M T w TH F S January January January January 9 10 11 12 Hours: Hours: Hours: Hours: a " New and Used Textbooks " Medical Books and Equipment * Law Books * School Supplies - Art and Engineering Supplies Al " t o A 1