The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association will conduct its 123rd Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point Wednesday, April 25.

The membership will consider four amendments, two for the Constitution and two for the Rules of Eligibility at the Association’s business meeting. Changes to the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules of Eligibility require a majority vote in favor of the amendment by the member schools’ delegates in attendance at the Annual Meeting.

An amendment that would amend language in the membership’s Residence and Transfer section of the Rules of Eligibility was advanced to the Annual Meeting by the Board of Control at its meeting in March. 

The proposal simply aligns the language of the residency rule with the language stated in the transfer rule. At the 2016 Annual Meeting, the membership voted to provide non-varsity eligibility to students transferring before or during their fifth or sixth semesters following entry into ninth grade. 

Currently, 11th and 12th graders who do not meet the residency requirements are ineligible for interscholastic competition. If approved, students in the 11th grade will be granted non-varsity eligibility if they fail to meet the membership’s residency requirements, which will parallel the eligibility provided for transfers occurring prior to the end of their sixth semester. 

Unanimous support for the amendment’s passage was demonstrated by each level of the representative committee structure. The Sports Advisory Committee voted 12-0 in favor of the amendment. The Advisory Council voted 17-0 in support and the Board of Control supported adoption of the amendment with a 10-0 recommendation.

According to the Constitution, the Board of Control has the authority following each Annual Meeting to incorporate related changes in the Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules of Eligibility with the action taken by the membership at the Annual Meeting. Any changes the Board may make shall not alter the meaning or intent of any provision. All approved amendments will become effective upon the next publishing of the Bulletin, the official publication of the WIAA, on May 25, 2018.