The NCAA News - News & Features

Team proposes compliance 'assessment' for new II members

The Management Council, reacting July 31 to a proposal by Division II members of the NCAA Presidents Commission that provisional members be required to complete a compliance review before earning active Division II membership, advised the presidents that such a review should occur in the second year of an institution's provisional-membership period.

The Management Council noted that even though this is being labeled a compliance review for Division II provisional members, it actually will be formatted as an assessment in which education is the focus. Thus, the assessment could be accomplished on the campus or in a group setting at a symposium or seminar.

Under the Management Council's recommendation, the assessment would precede provisional members' use of the Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) -- an existing rules-compliance tool that the presidents have said should be strengthened and made the focus of Division II's compliance-enhancement efforts. The NCAA Council was scheduled August 12-14 to consider a proposal to strengthen the ISSG in lieu of continuing to seek implementation of a Division II certification plan.

Division II, like the other two divisions, is considering extending the provisional-membership period from its current three years to four years. If the membership approves that extension and the Management Council's recommendations are adopted, a Division II provisional member would complete the ISSG during the third year of the period, then use the fourth year to address any problems revealed by use of the ISSG.

It is anticipated that, if the assessment requirement is adopted, it would apply only to institutions that receive provisional membership after the current moratorium on new members is lifted. It would not apply to the 43 institutions that currently are Division II provisional members.

Those 43 institutions, however, would be encouraged to complete a compliance review.

Because increased use of assessments and compliance reviews could require additional national office staffing
travel, the Division II Management Council is attempting to determine what those requirements may be. It asked the NCAA compliance staff to review the plan and address those requirements, and also sought reactions from the Division II Steering Committee during the August Council meeting.

Because of these unanswered questions, it is possible that legislative action to require assessments for provisional members will be delayed until after the new governance structure is implemented.

Division II members of the Presidents Commission have recommended funding the division's rules-compliance enhancement efforts with financial resources that previously were earmarked for certification. It is anticipated that even if additional staffing and travel are required, the compliance-enhancement initiative will cost substantially less than a certification program.

Philosophy statement

In another action during its recent meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, the Management Council forwarded a revised Division II philosophy statement to the Division II Steering Committee for possible sponsorship as a proposal at the 1997 Convention in Nashville.

Revision of the philosophy statement was initiated by the Division II Task Force to Review the NCAA Membership Structure. Recently, the Division II Presidents Council Transition Team reviewed revisions that were recommended by the task force and made minor changes of its own.

The Management Council endorsed those changes and fowarded the statement to the steering committee.

Some of the changes are editorial in nature. Among substantive changes are statements of belief in "equitable" (rather than "broad") participation and competitive excellence and in "ethical conduct," recognition of Division II's regionalization policy in championships competition, and elimination of language referring to institutions "aspiring to membership in some other division or those unable to subscribe to all of the aspects of the Division II philosophy."