Student-Athletes to See Benefits from Flex 21 Legislation
Jan 20, 2017 | General
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State student-athletes will soon see changes to their schedule, providing, in most cases, a mandated 21 days away from athletics to study, pursue an internship, or get additional rest and recovery, following a vote of student representatives and administrators of the Autonomy Five conferences at the annual NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
These “Flex 21” enhancements were created to improve the student-athlete experience allowing student-athletes to spend more time engaging in non-athletic activities on campus. Flex 21 strengthens current rules related to time off and creates consistency across the NCAA in ensuring that student-athletes have appropriate time away from athletics activity as part of their overall college experience.
“Our goal of providing a World-Class Student-Athlete Experience includes providing the resources for all of our student-athletes to be successful not only in college but more importantly in life,” said Athletics Director John Currie. “By supporting these further enhancements, we are helping our student-athletes not only compete for championships and participate in the sport that they love but also providing them more dedicated time to pursue other endeavors to enhance their well-rounded experience here in America’s No. 1 College Town. I know how hard our students work to achieve excellence in both academics and athletics, and Flex 21 further enhances their ability in this regard.”
Recognizing that every sport has different needs, the proposal includes flexibility so coaches, student-athletes 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 student-athletes, head coaches, faculty and athletics administrators.
"We are fortunate at K-State to have Lindsey Babcock, Jill Shields and Dr. Be Stoney as nationally-recognized and engaged leaders in continuing to ensure the special opportunities afforded student-athletes are protected," said Currie.
The changes apply to four time periods:
Postseason: Under the plan, all student-athletes 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 those 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 student-athletes to engage in other collegiate activities, each 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-athlete 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 student-athletes more time away from athletic activities (e.g., travel delays, etc.).
Overnight: In addition, student-athletes would have a consecutive eight-hour block of free time overnight, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
“I am pleased with the critical decisions the A-5 conferences made regarding the Flex 21 legislation,” added Stoney, K-State’s Faculty Athletics Representative. “For our student-athletes to have a world-class experience, the new legislation offers them tremendous opportunities. Student-athletes will perform at an elite level in their sport with rested bodies and minds, have stronger academic attainment and become a bigger part of the campus environment, which in most cases occurs after their eligibility is exhausted. The monumental outcome of today's meeting was a two-year collaborative process between athletic directors, faculty athletics representatives, compliance directors, and student-athletes regarding student-athlete welfare and improving their experiences on university and college campuses.”
To implement the proposed changes and to assist these student-athletes 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 student-athletes 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.
