PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Ivy League has adopted legislation that will further limit time demands on its student-athletes with a pair of proposals that will go into effect this fall, as announced June 9 by Executive Director Robin Harris. This initiative demonstrates The Ivy League's continuing commitment to the collegiate model of Division I athletics and to finding a healthy balance between the pursuit of athletic excellence and the academic mission of The Ivy League institutions.  

The Ivy League adopted two legislative proposals that the Athletics Directors developed and approved during their spring meetings. The first gives student-athletes a 10-hour window of no athletic activity following their return from a road trip, while the second requires a two-week recovery period with no allowable team athletic activity upon the completion of the team’s final contest of the season.

"We are always attentive to the health and welfare of our student-athletes," said Harris. "The Ivy League already has time demands limits in place that are more protective of our student-athletes than current NCAA rules, and our Athletics Directors felt it was important to take further steps to enhance the balance between being a student and an athlete."

Both proposals were discussed, vetted and unanimously approved by The Ivy League Athletics Directors during their meetings May 9-12 and then endorsed by the Ivy League Policy Committee and Presidents.

"Bearing in mind that an intercollegiate athletics program is an important part of each Ivy League institution’s educational mission, our conference has taken steps to ensure that we promote a balance between academic integration and competitive excellence in Division I athletics," said Harvard Director of Athletics Bob Scalise, the incoming Chair of the Ivy League Athletics Directors and chair of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Experience Committee. "Student-athlete time demands is an issue that has been discussed on the national level for some time, and we felt it was important to adopt Ivy League legislation that will benefit our student-athletes immediately."

The eight Ivy League schools -- Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale -- share a rich history of success and influence in college athletics, dating back to the origins of intercollegiate competition. Ivy League institutions have won 287 team national championships and 520 individual national championships since intercollegiate competition began. The Ivy League conference was formally established in 1954, based on the mutual agreement that intercollegiate athletics competition should be "kept in harmony with the essential educational purposes of the institution." Continuing that legacy, the new time demands legislation will go into effect with the 2016-17 season.