National Collegiate Athletic Association

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The NCAA News -- July 19, 1999

Management Council set to scrutinize eligibility standards

The Division II Management Council will begin its review of Division II initial-eligibility standards when it meets July 26-27 in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The Council will hear a report from the Division II Academic Requirements Committee, which has developed a set of options in the wake of the Cureton v. NCAA decision that struck down Division I initial-eligibility standards.

Although Division II appears generally satisfied with its initial-eligibility requirements, the committee believes that a reassess-ment of the standards is necessary because of the potential for litigation.

The committee has developed four options for the Management Council (and the Presidents Council, which will meet August 5) to consider.

It also has developed a list of pros and cons for each option to aid the Management and Presidents Councils in their discussions. Those options are:

  • Implementation of a full sliding scale using grade-point averages and test scores similar to new sliding scales being considered in Division I.

  • Elimination of test scores as any part of the Division II initial-eligibility standards.

  • Setting the sliding scale so that test scores and grade-point averages are both adjusted two standard deviations (a 2.000 grade-point average would match with a 725 SAT score rather than an 820, as is currently the case).

  • Leave the standards as they are.

    It is anticipated that this issue will be discussed again during the October and January Management Council and Presidents Council meetings.

    Convention

    The Management Council also will review proposed legislation that the Presidents Council has agreed to sponsor for the 2000 NCAA Convention.

    To date, the Presidents Council has agreed to sponsor 33 proposals, most of which relate to the deregulation of Bylaws 11 and 13. Another dozen or so proposals probably will develop through the committee system, and more will come from the membership, which had until July 15 to propose legislation. The result is that Division II delegates likely will face a legislative agenda of more than 50 proposals when they meet in San Diego in January. This will be the largest legislative agenda for Division II since the Association restructured at the 1997 Convention, more than doubling what was considered in either 1998 or 1999.

    The Management Council also will hear from the Convention Planning Project Team, which has developed a tentative schedule and agenda for the 2000 Convention. The proposed agenda for the chief executive officers' luncheon includes a discussion of Division II financial affairs, an update on Division II diversity issues and a discussion of the Division II strategic plan, which is expected to be made available to the membership this fall.

    The project team also is proposing that the Convention's Division II Issues Forum include presentations and discussions on two timely topics: (1) the health and safety of Division II athletes and (2) amateurism issues in Division II.

    Committee reports

    The Management Council will receive reports from Division II general committees and project teams, along with reports from certain Association-wide committees. Of particular interest will be the following reports:

  • The Membership Committee will present a new class of provisional members. In addition, the committee also will review the annual reports of current provisional members to determine how they are progressing in their four-year provisional membership process.

  • The Division II Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee will ask the Management Council to reconsider its position on providing a season-of-competition waiver for student-athletes who stand to lose a season of competition because of a substitution error made by a coach at the beginning of a season. Divisions I and III previously approved the waiver opportunity, but the Division II Management Council defeated the proposal last summer, believing that it had too much potential for abuse.

  • The Project Team to Review Issues Related to Diversity will report on plans to implement and promote a matching-grant pilot program designed to enhance employment opportunities for ethnic minorities in Division II athletics administration. The pilot program is expected to be introduced in August.

  • The Strategic Planning Project Team will provide the third draft of the Division II strategic plan.

  • The Budget and Finance Committee will submit the preliminary 1999-00 Division II budget for approval.

    Student-athlete summit

    The Management Council meeting will be preceded July 24-25 by the third Division II Management Council/Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Summit.

    The annual summit is designed to give administrators and student-athletes a chance for face-to-face interaction on topics relevant to Division II.

    This year's forum will focus on diversity issues, a review of proposed Division II legislation to deregulate Bylaws 11 and 13 (along with other proposed legislation), and a discussion of other issues of interest to Management Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives.