CU Athletes to Benefit from Changes Made Today Concerning How Much Time Students Dedicate to Sports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - University of Colorado students who play sports will soon see changes to their schedule, giving them, in most cases, at least an additional 21 days away from athletics so they can study, pursue an internship, or get additional rest and recovery.

The changes result from a vote taken today at the annual NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tenn., by a group of fellow student representatives and administrators of the Autonomy Five conferences. The purpose of these reforms is to enhance the student experience so these individuals can spend more time engaging in non-athletic activities on campus.

"We are here to help students be successful in college and in life," the five commissioners said in a statement. "In three years, we have taken many steps to further improve the experience of some 36,500 students in our five conferences. These students are great representatives of our schools and our goal is to help them earn their degree while playing the sport they love and, in many instances, graduate debt free thanks to the scholarships we provide."

The changes, known as "Flex 21" will give these students, in most cases, at least an additional 21 days in which they are free from required athletic activities during the academic year. Flex 21 days are in addition to current rules related to time off.

Recognizing that every sport has different needs, the proposal includes flexibility so coaches, students and athletic directors can develop an appropriate student-athlete time management plan that best suits each sport. The changes are the result of in-person meetings and survey feedback from students, head coaches, faculty and athletics administrators.

Statement from Commissioner Scott:

On behalf of the Pac-12, our 7,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators, I am very pleased with today's actions to improve the experience of our student-athletes. This issue of time balance has been a big focus for us as we have? ?worked with our campus leadership, including administrators, faculty, and coaches, in order to ?successfully reform the rules governing college athletics. College represents a period of major personal growth and opportunity for our students and as athletic administrators, it is incumbent on us that they have the necessary time and the flexibility to take full advantage of everything our universities have to offer.

We are in a great position in the Pac-12. Our student-athletes come to our schools because they want to win championships and get the best education in the country - we want that too. Today's action puts us in a much better position to deliver on ?our promise? to them??,? and I applaud the hard work of our athletics leadership and student-athletes who have made these reforms a reality.

The reforms enacted today, through the proposals we co-sponsored with our peer conferences as well as the proposals sponsored solely by the Pac-12,? ?will give student-athletes more time ?to ?pursue academics and better transparency into their schedules, ??and will prohibit and limit athletics activity during ?the ?preseason and offseason?. These? ?reforms ?are major steps forward towards managing the competing demands of athletics and academics on student-athletes' lives.
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The changes apply to four time periods:

Post Season: Under the plan, all students would be free of required athletic activities for at least one week (seven consecutive days) at the conclusion of their season in order to provide additional rest and recovery. Exceptions would exist for students participating in elite national/international events. For spring teams that end their season in summer break, the seven-day period is not necessary as the summer break would accomplish the goal of this requirement – recovery directly after the season.

Academic Year: To allow students to engage in other collegiate activities, each student would be provided at least 14 additional days during the academic year during which there would be no required athletic activity. These days-off may take place either during the playing season, or outside the playing season when classes are in session.

In Season: Beyond Flex 21, every student playing a sport will have at least one day a week free from sports, including travel, during the season. While current rules require one day off per week, teams may currently use travel days to meet that requirement. The new proposal would recognize that individual circumstances may require a flexible approach in the application of this proposal, but is intended to provide these students with more time away from athletic activities (e.g., travel delays, etc.).

Overnight: In addition, students would have a consecutive eight-hour block of free time overnight, between the hours of 9:00pm and 6:00am.

To implement the proposed changes and to assist these students in managing their time, head coaches and athletic directors will be required to develop a time management plan that would provide adequate notice of all scheduled athletic activities as well as any subsequent changes to that schedule. Further, the plan must also provide an opportunity for these students to collaborate with their coaches in scheduling such required athletic activities. The definition of "required athletic activities" is intended to be broader than the current definition of countable hours which includes activities such as practice, games, and conditioning. For example, this expanded definition would include, but not be limited to activities such as media requirements and mandatory community service.

The five autonomy conferences that voted to change the time balance requirements are the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12 and SEC.

CU Athletes to Benefit from Changes Made Today Concerning How Much Time Students Dedicate to Sports

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