Peace is a proud member of the National Collegiate Athletic
Association Division III and of the USA South Athletic Conference.
As a member of NCAA DIII, Peace promotes a spirit of participation
and a love for sports as the primary motivators for intercollegiate
competition. Peace fields teams in basketball, cross country,
soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.
Student athletes must be in good standing with the institution, be
full-time students, and abide by the rules of the NCAA. The primary
importance of the intercollegiate athletic program is the welfare
of the student athletes. The Athletic Department maintains the same
standards required of all college departments, with the same
commitment to the education and personal development of student
athletes.
If you are interested in becoming a Pacer, please fill out the sport specific
questionnaire and a member of the Peace College coaching staff
will contact you.
NCAA DIVISION III PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT
Colleges and universities in Division III place highest priority
on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the
successful completion of all students’ academic programs.
They seek to establish and maintain an environment in which a
student-athlete’s athletics activities are conducted as an
integral part of the student-athlete’s educational
experience, and in which coaches play a significant role as
educators. They also seek to establish and maintain an environment
that values cultural diversity and gender equity among their
student-athletes and athletics staff. (Revised: 1/10/95, 1/9/06
effective 8/1/06)
To achieve this end, Division III institutions:
a. Place special importance on the impact of athletics on the
participants rather than on the spectators and place greater
emphasis on the internal constituency (e.g., students, alumni,
institutional personnel) than on the general public and its
entertainment needs;
b) Award no athletically related financial aid to any student;
c) Encourage the development of sportsmanship and positive
societal attitudes in all constituents, including student-athletes,
coaches, administrative personnel and spectators;
d) Encourage participation by maximizing the number and variety of
athletics opportunities for their students;
e) Assure that the actions of coaches and administrators exhibit
fairness, openness and honesty in their relationships with
student-athletes;
f) Assure that athletics participants are not treated differently
from other members of the student body;
g) Assure that athletics programs support the institution’s
educational mission by financing, staffing and controlling the
programs through the same general procedures as other departments
of the institution. Further, the administration of an
institution’s athletics program (e.g., hiring, compensation,
professional development, certification of coaches) should be
integrated into the campus culture and educational mission(Revised:
1/9/06 effective 8/1/06);
h) Assure that athletics recruitment complies with established
institutional policies and procedures applicable to the admission
process (Adopted: 1/12/04 effective 8/1/04);
i) Assure that academic performance of student-athletes is, at a
minimum, consistent with that of the general student body (Adopted:
1/9/06 effective 8/1/06);
j) Assure that admission policies for student-athletes comply with
policies and procedures applicable to the general student body
(Adopted: 1/9/06 effective 8/1/06);
k) Provide equitable athletics opportunities for males and females
and give equal emphasis to men’s and women’s
sports;
l) Support ethnic and gender diversity for all constituents
(Adopted: 1/12/99);
m) Give primary emphasis to regional in-season competition and
conference championships; and
n) Support student-athletes in their efforts to reach high levels
of athletics performance, which may include opportunities for
participation in national championships, by providing all teams
with adequate facilities, competent coaching and appropriate
competitive opportunities. The purpose of the NCAA is to assist its
members in developing the basis for consistent, equitable
competition while minimizing infringement on the freedom of
individual institutions to determine their own special objectives
and programs. The above statement articulates principles that
represent a commitment to Division III membership and shall serve
as a guide for the preparation of legislation by the division and
for planning and implementation of programs by institutions and
conferences.
(Reference: 2007-08 NCAA Division III Manual)