CHICAGO – Standing together with the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), James Madison Athletics, Stony Brook Athletics, and UIC Athletics, call for all athletic conferences to immediately eliminate any membership transition provisions that directly impact student-athletes and immediately reverse any prior decisions that have restricted or removed student-athlete participation opportunities.
 
Among the 32 Division I basketball conferences nationally, 18 have pending membership changes. Only two conferences -- the America East Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association -- are presently restricting student-athlete participation opportunities. The overwhelming majority of conferences have appropriately prioritized student-athletes and supported their full participation while their schools remain active members of their respective leagues.
 
Jeff Bourne, Director of Athletics, James Madison
"In the modern construct of NCAA athletics, student-athlete welfare should be the focus of every action, and there must be collegial decisions for the betterment of student-athletes everywhere, not just on our own campuses. JMU appreciates the efforts of the Division I SAAC and stands by its call for a uniform, national approach on the issue of championship participation."
 
Shawn Heilbron, Director of Athletics, Stony Brook
"This is a time for all conferences to stand up and heed the call from Division I SAAC to take immediate action and eliminate any bylaw that unjustly punishes student-athletes. We should all be united in our support of preserving opportunities for student-athletes rather than taking them away."
 
Michael Lipitz, Director of Athletics, UIC
"No student-athlete should lose participation opportunities or otherwise be penalized due to conference membership transitions. We join the DI SAAC in its call to action for athletic conferences nationwide."
 
Student-athletes around the country have admirably navigated the physical and mental toll of the past two, pandemic-impacted years. No conferences should impose participation penalties that inflict additional, unnecessary harm.