The NCAA News - News & Features

Division II presidents take more compliance actions

The Division II subcommittee of the Commission asked the Division II Steering Committee to set a date after which all Division II institutions will be required to use the recently enhanced Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG).

The subcommittee asked the steering committee to require all Division II institutions that currently have an ISSG deadline after January 1, 1998, to use the enhanced guide. Division II institutions scheduled to complete the ISSG before January 1998 would be given the option of using either the current or enhanced version of the guide.

Questions regarding diversity and sportsmanship and ethical conduct now are included in the revised ISSG, which the NCAA Council approved in August after Division II presidents endorsed enhancing the study guide in lieu of establishing an athletics certification program.

The Council also approved a requirement that institutions attach to the ISSG a written plan for addressing compliance problems identified in the study. The written plan will stay on file with the completed ISSG at the institution.

The enhanced ISSG probably will be mailed later this month to all Division II institutions, in keeping with Division II Commission members' desire to make the membership aware of the division's commitment to compliance and to chief executive officers' participation in the process.

The mailing also will remind each Division II school when its next ISSG is due for completion.

'Assessment' recommendations

The Commission's Division II subcommittee also asked the Division II Management Council Transition Team to forward a plan for an "educational assessment" program for provisional members to the Division II Presidents Council Transition Team by the end of the year.

Division II members will be asked at the 1997 Convention to consider proposed legislation (Proposal No. 2-5 in the Second Publication of Proposed Legislation) requiring provisional members to complete such an assessment before achieving active membership. Division II presidents asked the Management Council to present its plan in time for Division II members to discuss it at the Convention.

Division II Commission members received a report from the NCAA staff suggesting six concepts for incorporation into such an assessment:

* Use of the "CODE" concept -- featuring an examination of compliance efforts from the standpoints of communication, organization, documentation and evaluation -- that currently is a feature of institutional compliance reviews for active member institutions.

* Completion of an "assessment checklist" intended to provide a relatively simple means of determining whether well-accepted compliance strategies are engaged and functioning in such key areas as eligibility, financial aid and recruiting.

* Review of required NCAA documents.

* Review of specific membership requirements in areas such as scheduling and sports sponsorship.

* Review and discussion of NCAA rules.

* Learn strategies employed by various active Division II members to help ensure that their athletics programs are operating in compliance with NCAA rules and that alleged rules violations are treated seriously, promptly and with full campus cooperation.

The Division II presidents asked the Management Council Transition Team to review those concepts in formulating its plan for an educational assessment program. The Management Council also is being asked to focus on ways to assure greater CEO involvement in the assessment program and to consider requiring provisional members to file all documents they may be required to complete during an assessment -- including a completed ISSG -- with the NCAA office.

Options for conducting an educational assessment program include scheduling educational sessions at annual Conventions and/or scheduling NCAA compliance staff visits to provisional members' campuses. Any additional costs resulting from an educational assessment program for provisional members would be covered by Association funds that previously were set aside for a certification program.

If Proposal No. 2-5 is adopted, educational assessments will be required only for institutions that petition for Division II provisional membership on or after August 1, 1997.

Enhancement for active members

Although Division II presidents are pushing ahead with plans for compliance efforts for provisional members, they remain interested in enhancement of compliance services for active Division II members.

The Commission's Division II subcommittee previously has recommended that expanded opportunities for use of the Association's existing compliance-review program should be provided to Division II institutions. The Division II presidents also have recommended that expanded consultative services, technical assistance and compliance workshops should be made available to Division II presidents and athletics department staff.

The presidents hope to develop additional information regarding these efforts for discussion at the 1997 Convention.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Presidents Commission
Division II subcommittee
September 24-25/Kansas City, Missouri

* Agreed to oppose membership proposals for the 1997 Convention to delay the effective date of the new governance structure (Proposal No. 2-1 in the Second Publication of Proposed Legislation) and permit the membership to establish the program for the business session of an annual or special Convention (Proposal No. 2-36).

* Agreed to ask the Division II Steering Committee to withdraw its sponsorship of a 1997 Convention proposal (2-90) to require that an athlete who participates in organized competition after turning 21 but before enrolling in college for the first time be charged with a season of competition for any such competition during each 12-month period following that birthday (see September 2 issue of The NCAA News). Division II presidents expressed doubts about whether such a rule is needed and noted philosophical concerns about legislation that could reduce what was termed a traditional Division II commitment to providing student-athletes with access to opportunities for competition. The subcommittee recommended that the Division II Management Council and Presidents Council further review the issue and possibly develop legislation for sponsorship at the 1998 Convention.

* Agreed to oppose a membership proposal (2-113) for the 1997 Convention that would permit Division II coaches to be involved in skill-related instruction outside the playing season in sports other than football. Division II presidents opposed a similar proposal at the 1995 Convention.

* The Division II Presidents Council Transition Team met in conjunction with the Division II subcommittee's meeting. The Presidents Council agreed to retain Adam W. Herbert of the University of North Florida as chair and Anthony F. Ceddia of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania as vice-chair of the Presidents Council in order to ensure continuity and retain experience in the new governance structure. The Presidents Council also endorsed the retention of Lynn L. Dorn of North Dakota State University as chair of the Division II Management Council, citing the same reasons. The presidents asked the Management Council to select its vice-chair before the 1997 Convention.