Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Hill has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions based upon his various qualifications as a former student athlete, assistant athletic director and his current position.

Hill said his unique background made him more marketable to the NCAA when deciding to elect new members to the Committee on Infractions.

“Given my career, given the things I have done [and] having a student-athlete perspective and having the overall student perspective in higher education, I can come into this committee and bring that perspective as an administrator,” Hill said.

The Committees on Infractions are a series of independent bodies that are composed of individuals from NCAA institutions, according to the NCAA.

Each division of sports (Division I, II and III) has its own committee.

According to a news release from Oct. 30, 2012, by the Division I Board of Directors, the newly adopted plan for the Division I Committee on Infractions will be formally established on Aug. 1.

“Once we’re on board, trained and up and going, we’ll have responsibility for hearing cases and making findings and recommendations,” Hill said. “The obligation in this process is to participate in meetings, a training and [be] an active member of the committee.”

Hill said Iowa State is also making a contribution to this project by letting him take the time to be a part of the revised Committee on Infractions. 

“President [Steven] Leath didn’t have to say ‘I will make it possible for [Hill] to participate and do the kind of things’ this will require,” Hill said. “There [is] going to be some time involved with this thing.”

Members of the committee will be required to meet at least twice a year to review cases across the members and check the consistency, according to a news release from Oct. 30, 2012.

The revised formation of the Division I committee will be more organized and will be a better overall representation of action taken against infractions.

“The new multi-level violation structure allows infractions to be more appropriately categorized,” said Oregon State President Ed Ray in the previously mentioned news release. “In turn, penalties may be prescribed that better reflect the severity of the infraction.”

The NCAA’s effort to expand the Committee on Infractions includes the expansion of members from 18 members to 24.

When an NCAA infraction is brought to the committee, Hill said, from the “pool” of members, some will be selected to hear the case and their obligations will begin then. 

“That means you could have two or three hearings going on at one time, which will help expedite those cases that will come before the Committee on Infractions,” Hill said. 

Something others within the committee might not have that Hill does is a unique perspective of a student-oriented background.

“A lot of the people on the committee are athletic administrators, private citizens who, not all, but a significant amount of them are city attorneys,” Hill said. “So they’re looking at things from a legal perspective [and] a administrative perspective.”

Being someone who has been focused solely on student advancement and student living all of his life, Hill said his perspective will only enhance the skill set of the Committee on Infractions.