ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC Institutions and Student-Athlete Representatives to Discuss Proposals that will Enhance the Student-Athlete Experience
Fifth Year of the Autonomy Process for the Five Conferences
Eighty voting members of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC will meet in Orlando, Thursday, January 24 to consider a series of proposals as part of the Autonomy governance process that gives the five conferences the ability to enact NCAA rule changes in specific legislative areas.
Many of the 11 proposals under consideration were submitted this past fall, including mental health services and resources, and the role of agents in assisting student-athletes with career planning and decision making.
The meeting will include representatives from each of the 65 member schools of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC conferences and 15 student-athlete representatives, each of whom will have a full vote and has been included in the ongoing discussions at the conference level.
In the previous four autonomy sessions, representatives have enacted significant reforms to help student-athletes succeed in college and in life, in areas including time balance, scholarship protections, cost of attendance, concussion protocol and student-athlete welfare.
About the Autonomy Session
The autonomy proposals will be reviewed and voting on the proposals will occur during the Autonomy Discussion Forum and Business Session on Thursday, January 24, beginning at noon (ET).
Proposals can be approved by one of the following methods:
·      60 percent of all votes (48 votes) and a simple majority support from schools in three of the five conferences, or;
·      A majority of all votes (at least 41) and simple majority support from the schools in four of the five conferences.
In addition to representatives from the 65 universities, 15 student-athletes will give a voice for the tens of thousands of current student-athletes in the five conferences. The student-athletes participating in the autonomy process this year are:
Name                              Institution                      Sport
Travis Bruffy                    Texas Tech                     Football
Christian Blough              Ohio State                      Men’s Volleyball
Khristian Carr                  Mississippi State             Women’s Volleyball
Kayla Ellis                       Oregon State                  Women’s Volleyball
Blake Ferguson               LSU                                Football
Kelsey Grambeau           Wisconsin                       Women’s Tennis
Krista Haddock                Kansas State                 Women’s Soccer
Malcolm Holland              Arizona                          Football
Harli Hubbard                  NC State                        Softball
Khadejah Jackson           Oregon                          Women’s Track & Field
Taylor Koenen                 North Carolina                Women’s Basketball
Haley Lorenzen               Florida                            Women’s Basketball
Megan McCloskey           Penn State                    Women’s Track & Field
Amy Okonkwo                 TCU                               Women’s Basketball
Chris Taylor                     Duke                               Football