As nationwide institutions adapt to meet new NCAA policies on the provision of food to student-athletes, certifications for strength and conditioning coaches and penalties for street drug use, Dartmouth does not anticipate having to make major changes to ensure compliance. Approved by the NCAA’s legislative council in April, the new policies will take effect Aug. 1.
Among the changes, the NCAA will now allow Division I athletes to receive unlimited free meals and snacks through their athletic involvement, will require strength and conditioning coaches to hold accreditations from nationally recognized organizations and will reduce the penalty for a first positive test for street drugs during championships from a full season to half a season. Street drugs, as defined by the NCAA, are non-performance enhancing substances.
The NCAA will ask schools to have a staff member certified in CPR to be present at all athletic activities and will mandate at least three hours of rest between practices for football players during preseason.
For Dartmouth to comply, assistant athletic director for compliance Jake Munick said, more staff members would need to gain certifications to ensure that they meet the requirements for strength and conditioning coaches. The NCAA has delayed the accreditation requirement by one year to help coaches gain certifications without risking a loss of employment.
Paige Caridi ’16, who plays volleyball, said she thinks the additional certification requirement will be a positive measure, especially since certain injuries are particular to each sport.
Lifting food restrictions, women’s hockey coach Mark Hudak said, will affect athletic performance.
He said that it is crucial to eat within 30 minutes of exercising and Dartmouth athletes need about four meals per day, so being able to provide food for athletes would help College athletic programs. Athletes are likely spending more money on food themselves, and there might be an opportunity to help those students, Hudak said.
Women’s soccer coach Ron Rainey said any necessary adjustments resulting from changed NCAA requirements would be resolved by the Dartmouth athletics staff.
The lift on food restrictions could provide flexibility for players when on the road or in the case of delayed or overtime games, Rainey said.
“It makes sense to allow them to recover better and get the nutrition they need,” Rainey said.
Football coach Buddy Teevens ’79 said that while the ability to offer unlimited meals and snacks to student-athletes would be “wonderful,” Dartmouth does not provide meals because the College has a non-scholarship athletic program, which he does not foresee as likely to change.
Teevens said the athletic department already requires staff and coaches to be CPR certified, and the football team has an athletic trainer at all practices, as well as a level of national certification for strength and conditioning coaches.
The policies on penalties for street drug usage and preseason football, he said, would not pose compliance challenges to the College.
“It’s not earth shattering for Dartmouth, but something we’ll comply with,” he said.
Caridi said that while it makes sense to encourage rehabilitation, she does not agree with the reduced penalty.
“If a student athlete is competing in a national championship and on that high a level, they should definitely be held accountable for their actions,” she said. “If you’re competing in a national championship, you should be able to control your drug use.”
Allowing athletes who have failed a drug test to play after half a season does not reflect positively on the athlete or program they play in, she said.
Olivia Samson ’16, a swimmer, said that while it could be good for an athlete to not be out an entire season for a first positive on a street drug test, the change might lead some athletes to think using these drugs could bring fewer consequences if caught.
“I just would hope that it doesn’t make more people think that it’s okay because it’s less of a penalty,” she said.
The Dartmouth compliance office is not currently fully staffed. Munick said the office is in the process of interviewing for a new compliance official and hopes to have two full-time compliance officials by September.
Macy Ferguson contributed reporting.
