Policy Statement: With regard to the rule precluding Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament (NCT) team members from participating in intercollegiate academic competitions other than those licensed by and/or run by the College Bowl Company, Inc., the company (CBCI) issues the following statement for the College Bowl/academic quiz community: Effective with the 1999-2000 season, each Historically Black College and University (HBCU) participating in the HCASC program is permitted to make its own decision as to its HCASC varsity team members participation in non-CBCI licensed invitational tournaments. Background and Participant Surveys: Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is a program exclusively for Americas four year, degree-granting HBCUs. HCASC is distinct from College Bowl, with its own official competition structure, culminating in its own terminal National Championship Tournament (NCT). Every year, the President or Chancellor at each HBCU makes the determination whether to enroll his or her institution in College Bowl or Honda Campus All-Star Challenge. During the first 10 years of the HCASC program, HBCU varsity team members (the four NCT players plus one alternate) have been bound by a rule which stipulates that they may play only in HCASC and other CBCI-licensed tournaments. This has precluded ONLY those 5 players from participating in non CBCI-licensed intercollegiate tournaments. Anyone else at participating HBCUs has been eligible to participate in any tournaments whatsoever. In 1996, CBCI surveyed all participating HCASC coaches about whether HCASC NCT team members should be allowed to participate in non-CBCI licensed tournaments. The pool of respondents was 53 of the 64 eligible institutions: At that time, 42 of 53 (79%) recommended that the HCASC NCT team members NOT be permitted to participate in other competitions, 4 of 53 (8%) recommended that they BE permitted to participate in other competitions and 7 of 53 (13%) had no opinion. Based upon the majority choice of the official representatives at the responding HBCUs, the decision was made to continue the policy. Between the 1996 survey and 1999, a number of HBCU-sponsored/CBCI-licensed invitational tournaments have taken place. In 1999, CBCI again surveyed all participating HCASC coaches. The pool of respondents was smaller, 42 of the 64 eligible institutions, but the results were similar: 34 of 42 (81%) recommended that the HCASC NCT team members NOT be permitted to participate in other competitions, 7 of 42 (17%) recommended that they BE permitted to participate in other competitions and 1 of 64 (2%) had no opinion. Impact of Policy Statement and Surveys: Though it is clear from the surveys that the majority of the institutions may choose not to send their players to invitational tournaments, CBCI feels participation is a decision best left to each HBCU. Therefore, effective immediately, it is up to each institution whether its NCT team members may participate in invitational tournaments other than those licensed by CBCI. Participation outside of CBCI-licensed invitational tournaments has no impact on institutional or individual eligibility in the HCASC program or NCT. Each HBCU must still elect to participate in either the College Bowl or Honda Campus All-Star Challenge program. As in the past, the composition of the HCASC NCT team is at the discretion of the official institutional representative at each HBCU. This policy change does not alter any guidelines which each institution may place on its players. Please feel free to contact me for further clarification if needed. Mary Oberembt -------------------------- College Bowl Company, Inc. 6324 Variel Ave., Suite 313 Woodland Hills, CA 91367-7773 mary_at_... www.collegebowl.com voice: 800-234-2695 x 107 or, in California, 818-610-8225 fax: 818
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