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Returning to Campus in 2020-21

Dear Student-Athletes,

During the constantly evolving process of returning to in-person learning on campus and returning to play for the 2020-21 academic year, we wanted to provide a single resource that contains the most updated information, and where the state, Gannon University, the NCAA and PSAC currently stands. This page will be updated as quickly as new information is available and decisions are made on any of the following action items. If anyone on the athletics department staff can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out.

You can also submit a question or comment for the athletics department by using this form: Click Here

Previous Athletics COVID-19 Resource Page: Click Here

2020-21 Gannon Athletic Health and Safety Plan: Click Here

Gannon University Updates:
  • Gannon University COVID-19 Update Page: Click Here
Returning to Campus:
  • Gannon University will begin the Fall 2020 semester on Monday, August 10. There will be no fall break, and semester will end prior to the Thanksgiving holiday: MORE INFORMATION
  • Campus Safety and Cleaning Protocols: Masks will be required, social distancing will be enforced, and all students, faculty and staff will complete a wellness check questionnaire and temperature check each day. MORE INFORMATION
  • LiveSafe App for daily symptom screening: MORE INFORMATION
  • Report Dates (Fall Sports): Student-athletes will return to campus in phases in an attempt to best follow suggested guidelines while social distancing and integrating students into the campus population. Fall sports student-athletes will return by sport in small groups of no more than 25 at a time over the span of 13 days. Your individual coaching staff will reach out to you in the near future to inform you of your return date if they haven’t done so already. The composition of these small groups is determined by several factors such as first permissible practice date, contact versus non-contact sports, housing and athletic facility. Please understand it is extremely important to adhere to your individual report date to help maintain social distancing and low density groups.
  • Report Dates (Winter/Spring Sports): All winter and spring sports student-athletes are expected to return with the general student population August 4-9. Specific dates and information regarding normal move-in week will be released by the University in the near future. Please understand it is extremely important to adhere to your individual report date to help maintain social distancing and low density groups.
  • Move-In Process: For those student-athletes with on-campus housing, those arrangements will be ready upon your arrival. There is no need to request an early move-in date due to the recent changes to the academic calendar. Please understand that report dates, which will be given to you by your individual coaching staff, were in part determined by your assigned housing arrangement. Each fall sport coaching staff will provide its student-athletes with housing keys and additional information regarding check-in and housing to help following necessary guidelines. Your coaching staff will reach out to you with complete information. All winter and spring sports student-athletes are asked to follow move-in instructions that will be provided by the University at a later date. Student-athletes are asked to communicate any questions or concerns to their head coach, who will then relay that information to the appropriate athletics administration and residence life staff to assist with any issues.
  • Resources for International Students Returning to Campus: Information To Come
  • Class Schedules: Class schedules and delivery will be arranged to ensure social distancing, including adjusting locations on campus to rooms with larger capacity, limiting section sizes and use of alternative delivery formats: More Information To Come
  • New Student Orientation: MORE INFORMATION
  • Returning Student Orientation: Information To Come
Returning to Athletics:
  • The PSAC announced that it will suspend all conference athletic events and championships through the fall semester, with the intention of shifting all PSAC fall sport seasons and championships to the spring semester. MORE INFORMATION
  • Athletic Training Room/Sports Medicine Policies: Access to the training room will be by appointment only. Student-athletes will schedule these appointments through the ARMS software. MORE INFORMATION
  • Practice and Competition Safety Protocols: Information To Come
  • Athletic Facility Protocols: Prior to the return of student-athletes, all facilities will be cleaned and disinfected. All staff, coaches and student-athletes will be diligent and accountable for the cleanliness of the facilities throughout the academic year. MORE INFORMATION
  • The NCAA has reduced the maximum and minimum number of contests for Division II teams for the 2020-21 athletic year. Gannon competition schedules will be released as they are finalized.
  • Daily Symptom Check Form: All student-athletes will be required to submit a COVID-19 Student-Athlete Daily Symptom Check Form through the ARMS software every day. You will receive a reminder through ARMS each day to complete this task.
    • Fall Sport Student-Athletes are required to complete the form beginning Monday, June 29.
    • Winter and Spring Student-Athletes are required to complete the form beginning Monday, July 20.
    • The daily symptom checks completed through the ARMS software will be done in addition to the university’s daily screening process. You should have received communication through the university detailing the process for completing the daily survey through the LiveSafe app.
  • Athletics Forms:
 Virtual Athletics Town Hall Meetings:
  • A series of Athletics Town Hall Meetings are scheduled to help relay current information to our student-athletes. These are expected to be available once a week, beginning Monday, June 22. Please check your Gannon email for information on these meetings over Zoom.
  • Replay of the Monday, June 22 Athletics Town Hall Meeting: Click Here
  • Replay of the Monday, June 29 Athletics Town Hall Meeting: Click Here

Eligibility/NCAA Rules and Regulations (Last Updated July 17, 2020)
 
This area has been extremely fluid and will continue to be as committees meet on a regular basis to determine the effects of what has happened, possible waivers and any detail pertaining to this situation. Please continue to check this page as more updates become available. Here is what we know so far:
 
  • The NCAA has issued a waiver that will allow all spring sports student-athletes to regain the 2020 year as a season of competition. This pertains to only spring sports student-athletes and will not apply to winter sports student-athletes. All spring student-athletes, regardless of class, will not be charged a year of competition for the 2020 season if the following two criteria are met:
    • The student-athlete must have been eligible.
    • The program's season had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
      • This waiver can be taken with the student-athlete to another school. However, all normal NCAA transfer rules remain in place. Please contact your compliance coordinator for an overview of your situation in regards to normal NCAA transfer rules.
  • The NCAA has issued a waiver that will grant an extension to the 10-semester rule for those spring sports student-athletes who met the following criteria:
    • The student-athlete must have been eligible.
    • The program’s season had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
    • Please note this only pertains to those who exhausted their 10 semesters of eligibility in the spring of 2020. All other student-athletes must complete their eligibility within 10 full-time semesters.
  • The NCAA has issued a blanket waiver of the following progress-toward-degree requirements for the 2019-20 academic year:
    • Term-by-term (Bylaw 14.4.3.2), academic year (Bylaw 14.4.3.3) and annual credit hour requirements (Bylaw 14.4.3.4);
    • Grade-point average requirement (Bylaw 14.4.3.5);
    • Transferrable nine-semester/eight-quarter hours for student-athletes whose last full-time term of attendance was spring 2020 (Bylaw 14.4.3.2.1); and
    • Average of 12-transferrable credit hour requirement for transfers with one season or two-semester/three-quarters remaining, provided the student-athlete was on track to meet that requirement entering the spring 2020 term [Bylaw 14.5.5.3.9-(d)].
    • Student-athletes must be in good academic standing (Bylaw 14.4.3.1) to be eligible for competition in the fall 2020 term.
    • Student-athletes must meet all applicable progress-toward-degree requirements during the 2020-21 academic year.
  • Summer Rules and Regulations
    • Voluntary physical activities are permitted. All coaches, including strength and conditioning coaches, are permitted to send workouts if requested by student-athletes. However, student-athletes are not permitted to report back on times, weights, etc.
      • Strength and conditioning coaches are able to give student-athletes normal summer workout plans, and access to the workout plans does not need to be initiated by the student-athlete. Please remember that these must still be voluntary workouts, and coaches cannot track summer workouts.
      • Revised COVID-19 legislation allows a coach to work out with CURRENT student-athletes only at the student-athlete’s request until the start of the fall semester. This will not constitute CARA hours. Health and safety guidelines must be followed. It remains impermissible for incoming student-athletes to work out with a coach regardless of who initiates the request.
    • No CARA hours are allowed during the summer.
    • For more information on what qualifies as CARA: Click Here
  • The entire NCAA and all of its members are in a recruiting quiet period through August 31 (Updated July 15).
    • During the quiet period, it will be permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period
      • Any number of uncommitted prospective student-athletes and their family members can participate on a telephone/video call with coaching staff members and current student-athletes through the 2020-21 academic year (Updated July 15).
  • NCAA Eligibility Center for Incoming PSAs
    • Due to changing difficulties regarding high school education and SAT/ACT cancelations, the NCAA has instituted a COVID-19 Automatic Waiver. If a PSA meets the following criteria, the will be eligible for athletic aid and competition as a freshman. If they do not meet the following criteria, they must meet the normal NCAA initial-eligibility criteria. This applies to all students — domestic and international.
      • Complete 10 NCAA-approved core course units before start of seventh semester; And
      • Present a 2.200 or higher core-course GPA in such courses
      • Will graduate after the 2020 spring or 2020 summer sessions
    • Institutions may self-apply a two-year college transfer waiver for prospective student-athletes transferring for the 2020-21 academic year provided all of the following criteria are met and the student-athlete was enrolled in the courses necessary entering the spring 2020 term:
      • The student-athlete was on track to complete at least two full-time semesters or three quarters at the two-year college;
      • The student-athlete was on track to satisfactorily complete an average of 12-semester or 12-quarter hours of transferable credit for each full-time term of attendance at the two-year college;
      • The student-athlete was on track to satisfactorily complete the following transferable credit-hour requirements: a) six semester or eight quarter hours of English; b) three semester or four quarter hours of Math; and c) three semester of four quarter hours of natural or physical science; and
      • The student-athlete has presented a minimum transferable GPA of 2.2.
  • How to stay up to date on Twitter with the latest developments regarding compliance rules.

If you have any questions regarding eligibility, financial aid, rules or anything associated with compliance … please don’t hesitate to contact Gannon Associate Director of Athletics Dan Teliski at teliski002@gannon.edu. Please don’t be left wondering. Ask every question you have.
 

 
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