1 Strength and conditioning has come a long way Since the first Strength and Conditioning coach was officially hired all the way back in 1969 by the University of Nebraska to help “bulk up” their football team. Boyd Epley was the first official full-time Strength and Conditioning coach at the collegiate level with a starting salary of $2 an hour. Now the starting salary starts at about $35,000. The profession has come a long way at the Division 1 level, but still lacks at the lower levels of competition such as D2 and D3.
At the D1 level, a certified (CSCS, or CSCCa- SCCC), full-time strength coach is required to be on staff, conducting and implementing the training and conditioning of athletes of all varsity sports. At the D1 & D2 level athletes are only aloud to meet in organized team settings for 8 hours a week in off season periods. This 8 hours is split between the sport coach and the strength staff. Often times the teams will see the strength coach more than sport coach, but it is always good practice to leave at least 2 hours a week for meetings, and film review with their respected sport coach. This can prove difficult in some situations all depending on the sport coaches wants and needs. In the end you must come to a compromise that works in both ends. 
The D2 level recently passed rules requiring all universities to have a certified strength coach on staff, but are not required to be full time, or even just a strength coach. A sport coach with a certification will suffice under the new rule. At the D3 level the rule is very broad with many grey areas in between. 2 At the D3 level there are no requirements to have a certified strength coach on staff, and no rules that regulate workouts. 3 There is no 8-hour rule that larger universities must adhere to, but the athletes must be given at least one full day off each week from any team associated activities. If a coach is certified on staff the sport can make the workouts mandatory during the school year, but not during the summer. While without a certified coach all workouts are deemed mandatory. The issue with this is many schools then run into issues with injuries and bad programs that are doing nothing but hurting the athletes.
A standard must be set across all levels of competition to ensure the health and safety for all collegiate athletes. The profession has come a long way from its humble beginnings, but still has some improvements to be made.
References:
1Rovell, D. (2015, December 30). These strength and conditioning coaches carry hefty price tags. Retrieved May 15, 2016, from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14459410/these-highly-paid-strength-conditioning-coaches-carry-plenty-weight-college-football
2SIEVERT, J. P. (2011). NCAA Division III: Athletically Related Activities and Certified Strength and Conditioning Personnel. Retrieved May 15, 2016, from https://bucknersportslaw.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/ncaa-division-iii-athletically-related-activities-and-certified-strength-and-conditioning-personnel/
3Watts, M. (2014, January 06). The Sad State of DIII Strength and Conditioning. Retrieved May 15, 2016, from http://www.elitefts.com/education/the-sad-state-of-diii-strength-and-conditioning/
I didn't know that smaller universities had these issues with strength and conditioning coaches. You would think by this point the NCAA would pass a broad stroke of rules that would encompass all universities of all sizes, because all kids under their authority matter. Good work!
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