00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5                                                                     
01 Relating to opposition to National Collegiate Athletic Association legislative proposal                                 
02 2000-106.                                                                                                               
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the State of Alaska and many of its institutions participate in interstate                              
05 organizations and enter into many interstate agreements for the benefit of Alaska residents                             
06 and the residents of other states; and                                                                                  
07       WHEREAS one of these interstate organizations, the National Collegiate Athletic                                 
08 Association (NCAA), was founded to address fair play and create a level playing field; and                              
09       WHEREAS the NCAA has allowed limited exemptions to help provide home                                            
10 competitions for geographically disadvantaged NCAA institutions in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and                             
11 Hawaii; and                                                                                                             
12       WHEREAS the two NCAA basketball tournaments with Division I schools held in                                     
13 Alaska provide unique educational, cultural, and competitive experiences for men and women                              
14 athletes and the viewing public; and                                                                                    
15       WHEREAS the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage and the Top of the World                                         
16 Classic in Fairbanks are held during and around the Thanksgiving holidays to minimize                                   

01 missed classroom time for participating student athletes; and                                                           
02       WHEREAS thousands of athletes have participated in these tournaments, providing                                 
03 Alaskans with high-caliber entertainment and education opportunities; and                                               
04       WHEREAS these tournaments have become a substantial source of revenue for the                                   
05 University of Alaska athletic programs, and their success is a significant factor in the                                
06 University's ability to maintain viable Division II athletic programs for men and women; and                            
07       WHEREAS travel costs for Alaska teams, as well as travel subsidies often required                               
08 for visiting teams, increase the cost of maintaining viable athletic programs in Alaska;                                
09       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly opposes legislative                                   
10 proposal 2000-106 or any proposal to eliminate the longstanding limited exemption that                                  
11 enables preseason tournaments such as the Great Alaska Shootout and the Top of the World                                
12 Classic to succeed.                                                                                                     
13       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to all Division I Board of Directors; all                               
14 members of the Division I Management Council; to Mr. David Berst, Chief of Staff for                                    
15 Division I, NCAA; and to the Honorable Mark Hamilton, President of the University of                                    
16 Alaska.