Scheduling and Related Issues

University Guidelines for Scheduling Practice, Competition, and Travel

General

Each head coach prepares the team’s schedule for competition in conjunction with the departmental administrator responsible for that program and with the department’s facilities manager. No such schedule becomes final until both the director of athletics and the Faculty Board on Athletics have approved it. The board has authorized its chair to approve on its behalf any schedule falling clearly within board guidelines. The chair shall report the disposition of any scheduling request, including how any approved schedule complies with the requirements and limitations below, to the board for inclusion in the board’s official minutes.

The playing schedules for all varsity sports must be constructed so that student-athletes do not miss more than three classes in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday sequence or three classes in the Tuesday-Thursday sequence in a single semester. This prescription applies to regular-season play, not to post-season conference or NCAA tournaments. Given special circumstances consistent with the board’s desire to enable coaches to build competitive schedules, the board gives its chair the discretion to approve up to two additional class misses for a given semester before having to bring a specific request before the board. The board has given its chair the discretion to authorize additional class-miss excuses when reasonable due to weather, transportation, or other complications unanticipated when the team’s travel schedule was originally approved.

A head coach or sport administrator, in consultation with the Director of Athletics and the Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes (or their designees), may seek additional excused absences on behalf of individual student-athletes. Covered events include events in which student-athletes represent Notre Dame at invitational events or continued individual play at a competition; events in which student-athletes represent Notre Dame other than in competition (e.g., media days); or events in which student-athletes engage in high-level competition with a significant potential impact on the student-athlete’s personal, athletic, and/or professional development (e.g., national team tryouts or competition or professional opportunities). Head coaches and student-athletes will identify potential covered events as soon as possible to enable the student-athlete, ASSA personnel, and/or the chair of the board to consult as appropriate with the student’s dean (or dean’s designee) or instructors to ensure that the projected additional absences are not inconsistent with the learning objectives of particular courses.

In weighing whether to authorize the event for an excused absence, the board will consider:

• the potential academic impact of the event, including the student’s past performance, the overall number of absences already anticipated in the student’s schedule, the anticipated length of the absence, and any academic risk factors;
• the nature of the event, including the likelihood that the student’s participation will lead to qualification for future elite competition, and whether the student can achieve that qualification through alternative events presenting fewer academic conflicts.

The chair of the board is authorized to approve requests for additional excused absences that clearly fall within existing precedents and shall report the disposition of all such requests to the board.

The Statement of Principles for Intercollegiate Athletics specifies that, in the design of playing schedules, “the rhythm of the academic year and the particular importance of final examinations warrant special attention.” Moreover, Notre Dame’s status as a Roman Catholic institution mandates restrictions with regard to competition on days carrying special religious significance. To those ends, the following limitations apply:

First-Year Welcome Weekend

The University recognizes the importance of the first-year Welcome Weekend, which begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and ends at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. During this period, the University will not schedule any competition on campus or any away competition in football. First-year student-athletes may not participate in any away competition or travel related to competition during this weekend. First-year student-athletes may participate in practice on campus after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.

In considering a request for a waiver of the above scheduling restrictions, the board will weigh such factors as: the ability of the coaching staff to build a competitive schedule without scheduling a contest during Welcome Weekend; the impact of the scheduling decision on student-athlete welfare (including the academic impact of scheduling the contest at a later date); the extent to which the coaching staff has exhausted all efforts to schedule the contest outside of Welcome Weekend; and the extent to which the competition can be integrated into the Welcome Weekend schedule. The chair of the board is authorized to approve scheduling requests that clearly fall within existing precedents and shall report the disposition of all such requests to the board.

Last Week of Classes Each Semester

Competition necessary due to conference schedules or NCAA championships is permitted. Limited non-conference competition is also permitted; every effort must be made, however, to play at home, and overnight travel is discouraged. Proposals for non-conference competition must be discussed, prior to scheduling, with the departmental administrator responsible for that sport. [The “last week of class” means the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday immediately preceding the study-day period of each semester. (See board minutes for the meeting of September 2, 2004.)]

Study Days

Given the proximity of the study days to final examinations, competition on a study day should be avoided to the extent possible. (A “study day” is a University reading day that falls between the last day of class and the start of final examinations.) While every effort should be made to avoid competition on a study day, limited competition may be permitted under the following circumstances:

(1) Scheduling of Conference Competition or NCAA Championships on Study Days. Competition necessary due to conference schedules or NCAA championships is permitted on a study day if scheduling such competition on a study day is unavoidable. (Such competition is subject to the board’s normal process for approving a schedule.)

(2) Proposals for Non-Conference Competition on Study Days. Non-conference competition generally should not be scheduled on a study day. The coaching staff and departmental administrator shall present any proposal for non-conference competition to the chair of the board prior to scheduling. A proposal for non-conference competition shall demonstrate that (i) every effort has been made to arrive at a competitive schedule outside of the study days; (ii) the coaching staff has made all adjustments possible to minimize the time commitment for student-athletes and maximize the time available for academic work during the study days; and (iii) every effort has been made to play at home, to avoid overnight travel, and to minimize any travel time, including by using a charter flight for air travel whenever possible. At his or her discretion, the chair may decide on the request for non-conference competition or bring the request to the full board. The chair shall report to the full board on all such requests and their disposition.

Protections for Student-Athletes for Any Study-Day Competition. For any competition that is scheduled for a study day, the following protections for student-athletes shall apply:

• Student-athletes will not be required to take part in any ancillary activities in conjunction with such a competition (e.g., autograph session, reception, certain media requests, community visits), unless mandated by the NCAA or conference in conjunction with championship participation.
• When competition times are not dictated by TV, every attempt will be made to schedule the game early in the day, in an effort to maximize available time for student-athletes to focus on academic work.
• If travel is necessary for competition on a study day, every effort will be made to minimize travel time, including by using a charter flight for air travel whenever possible, and to provide the following structured study opportunities/amenities:
  • Teams will travel with an assigned academic counselor whenever possible as dictated by the Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes.
  • Internet access, individual charging outlets, and other helpful study amenities will be made available to all student-athletes for academic purposes.
  • Mandatory study hours will be observed for student-athletes as directed by the academic counselor and supported by the coaching staff.
  • A room (separate from individual player rooms) will be made available for quiet study hours.
  • Upon request, the academic counselor will make appropriate technology available to capture review sessions that are missed due to the competition.
• Coaching staff will make every effort to provide student-athletes with a full day off countable athletically related activities* on the day immediately following a study day competition, regardless of whether the competition is at home or away.

When submitting for approval a schedule that includes a study-day competition, the coaching staff and departmental administrator shall commit to adhering to these protections. In addition, in advance of the competition (typically, one week in advance whenever possible), the departmental administrator shall advise the chair as to how these protections will be met.

Following any study day competition, the departmental administrator and assigned academic counselor shall discuss with the chair any problems with implementing these protections as well as any adverse impact of the competition on the student-athletes and their performance on final examinations. The chair shall report to the board concerning how the protections for student-athletes were implemented and any difficulties that arose.

Exam Days

All regular-season competition is prohibited. Should conference tournaments or NCAA championships be scheduled for this period, the coach must request permission to participate. Requests will be forwarded to the Faculty Board for approval to implement the Procedure for the Resolution of Conflicts Between Final Examination and Post-Season Championship Tournaments.

Christmas Day

All competition is prohibited. Practice is not recommended.

Triduum

In the Catholic tradition, the Triduum—the period from Holy Thursday evening until Easter Sunday evening—stands as one continuous celebration that marks the “high holy days” of the Church’s year. In recognition of the Triduum’s importance, the University discourages competition, practice, and travel related to competition during this period.

Subject to the following guidelines, teams in winter and spring sports may compete, practice or travel during the Triduum, provided that the team’s schedule allows the opportunity for all student-athletes, coaches, and administrators, and other staff to attend services or otherwise to participate in the prayer of the Church during this period. Traveling teams can satisfy this requirement by inviting a chaplain to accompany the team, attending liturgies sponsored by local alumni clubs, or making other arrangements for all interested student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and other staff members to attend services or otherwise worship at a church. [Note: Each year, on or about Ash Wednesday, the chair of the board requests information from all head coaches who have scheduled competition during the coming Triduum information on how they plan to comply with this provision. See board minutes for the meeting of May 9, 2002.]

In addition, the following restrictions apply:

Good Friday: No competition is permitted at home. Practice at home may occur before noon or after 6:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday: No competition is permitted at home. Competition at away sites may begin after noon. Practice at home may occur after 1:00 p.m.

Procedure for the Resolution of Conflicts Between Final Examinations and Post-Season Championship Tournaments

A situation in which a conflict or potential conflict exists between a student-athlete’s final examination as stipulated in the official examination schedule, and a championship athletic tournament that has been sanctioned by the Faculty Board on Athletics, is to be subject to the following procedure:

(1) The Faculty Board on Athletics will send a letter at least one week before the first day of final examination week to the deans (or deans’ designees) of the School of Architecture, the College of Arts and Letters, the Mendoza College of Business, the College of Engineering, First Year of Studies, and the College of Science. This letter is to list all the athletic teams for which there is a conflict or a potential conflict. The determination whether a conflict or potential conflict exists shall be within the discretion of the chair of the Faculty Board on Athletics, based on the travel schedule approved under Faculty Board on Athletics policies for post-season practice, travel, and competition. The determination that a conflict or potential conflict exists will take into account the need for reasonable preparation for and recovery from the competition in question. The letter is to contain the following information for all such teams: A complete listing of all the traveling student-athletes on the team, including their college, major, and level, the specific dates of the championship tournament, and the dates of the conflict or potential conflict.

NOTE: A student-athlete on a team who does not travel to the tournament in question will take his or her final examination as scheduled. Likewise, if a team does not participate in the championship tournament as anticipated, the student-athletes will take their final examinations as scheduled. The chair of the Faculty Board on Athletics or the Director of the Office Academic Services for Student-Athletes will inform the deans (or deans’ designees) of changes in the dates of conflict or potential conflict.

(2) The dean (or dean’s designee) will send the following to each faculty member in his/her college who teaches a course for which there is a conflict or potential conflict: a copy of the letter from the board along with the Procedure for the Resolution of Conflicts Between Final Examinations and Post-Season Championship Tournaments. This letter is to be sent at least one week in advance of the date of the final examination in question.

(3) On or before the last day of classes, a student-athlete on a participating team will contact by email each faculty member teaching a course for which there is a conflict or a potential conflict. The student will forward a communication from the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes which confirms that he/she is a member of participating team and provides the precise dates and, if available, times of the conflict or potential conflict (recognizing that the chair of the Faculty Board on Athletics has discretion do determine whether a conflict or potential conflict exists). At each faculty member’s option, the student will meet with the faculty member or otherwise provide information on the student’s availability to take the exam remotely or at an alternative time.

An absence from a final examination for which one or more of these three provisions are not met will be considered an unexcused absence from a final examination as described in the Undergraduate Academic Code of the University. If the three conditions are met, the faculty member in charge of the course has the following options:

A) Arrange with each student-athlete an alternative examination date and time to occur before the conclusion of final examination week.

B) Assign an X grade[1] with the approval of the student-athlete’s dean (or the dean’s designee). At this time the faculty member should inform the student-athlete of the date by which the final examination must be completed, and make suitable parallel arrangements for the administration of the final examination.[2]

Special note: Periodically, individual student-athletes qualify or seek to qualify for national teams whose competitions may conflict with the Notre Dame final exam schedule. When this occurs, the chair of the Faculty Board on Athletics polls the board for its views on the merits of asking for special consideration for the student-athlete. In presenting a request for special consideration, the chair will consult with the Director of the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes, who in turn will consult with the student-athlete’s dean (or the dean’s designee). Among the factors the board will consider are (1) the student-athlete’s academic performance to date and any academic risks the student-athlete’s participation in the event presents; and (2) the assessment of the student-athlete’s Notre Dame head coach of the importance of the competition or qualifying event for the student-athlete’s personal and athletic development. If the board agrees to seek special consideration, the chair writes to the student-athlete’s dean (or the dean’s designee), referencing the procedures for resolving exam conflicts as a possible model. However, in asking that consideration be given for this opportunity, the board acknowledges that the final authority belongs to the dean (or the dean’s designee).

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