Larger brackets and field sizes for several Division II championships are one step closer to reality.

At its April 10-11 meeting in Indianapolis, the Division II Management Council approved bracket and field-size expansions in 11 championships. The expansions will take effect in the 2000-01 academic year if approved by the Division II Presidents Council at its April 27 meeting in Indianapolis.

The Management Council also voted to establish a membership moratorium, agreed to draft proposed legislation that would change amateurism legislation for pre-enrolled student-athletes and recommended that the Presidents Council sponsor 13 proposals for the 2001 Convention to deregulate Division II financial aid legislation.

The recommended changes for championships were based on a recommendation from the Division II Championships Committee (see the January 31 issue of The NCAA News) and involve the following sports:

* Men's and women's cross country.

* Field hockey.

* Men's and women's lacrosse.

* Men's and women's indoor track and field.

* Men's and women's outdoor track and field.

* Women's volleyball.

* Wrestling.

The Management Council recommended the expansions after hearing a report from the January meeting of the Committee on Women's Athletics that recommended that no expansion should take place in any men's championship in any division until male/female championships participation rates are equal.

Rather than suspending the expansion of any men's championship, the Management Council instead decided to move forward with the expansions the Championships Committee has been studying for the past two years. The Management Council, however, does agree with the goal of the women's athletics committee and in that regard, the Management Council is committed to equalizing male/female championships participation in Division II within three years.

Division II championships participation currently favors males by 57-43 percent. If the Presidents Council approves the changes endorsed by the Management Council, the gap will close to 54-46 percent for the 2000-01 academic year.

The Management Council also approved several other proposals recommended by the Championships Committee, many of which are designed to enhance the championships experience for Division II student-athletes. The Management Council voted to extend championships awards to the top eight place finishers in individual championships (up from six); provide per diem two days before the start of competition at the finals site for all team championships; increase squad and travel party sizes in selected championships; and call for the provision of $50 mementos to each championship participant. All of the changes would take effect upon approval by the Presidents Council.

Moratorium

After a discussion with NCAA legal counsel, the Management Council also voted to establish a two-year moratorium on new Division II membership. Similar proposals are in progress in the other two divisions. The issue ultimately will be reviewed by the NCAA Executive Committee before any action is taken. The Division II Presidents Council will consider the matter at its April 27 meeting; the Executive Committee meets the next day.

The noncontroversial legislation would establish a moratorium on provisional membership and change-of-division membership for any institution that would begin the provisional membership process or change-of-division compliance period September 1, 2000. The purpose of the proposed moratorium is to give the division time to manage issues relating to rapid growth.

Applications for Division II provisional membership could not be accepted before April 15. Institutions may now apply for Division II provisional membership, but they would be affected by the moratorium if it is approved in its current form since they would be in the provisional member class that starts September 1, 2000.

The Management Council approved creation of a project team to study Division II membership growth issues. If approved by the Presidents Council, it will be responsible for reviewing and evaluating growth in Division II, reviewing current membership requirements and developing a plan to prepare for future growth.

Amateurism

In another major action, the Management Council gave approval to nine recommendations from the Division II Amateurism Project Team that would significantly change the division's approach to amateurism for pre-enrolled student-athletes.

In general, the proposals would have the effect of basing eligibility on the degree to which an individual has been involved in organized competition before enrolling at a Division II institution. A prospective student-athlete would be charged with the loss of a season of competition for every year of participation in organized competition. Such prospects also would be required to establish an academic year in residence upon initial, full-time college enrollment.

Prospects could be paid during such organized competition, provided they did not retain an agent in the process. That provision is based on the project team's belief that the focus should be on the competitive advantage gained through organized competition. Since money itself produces no competitive advantage, the project team recommended that it should not be a factor in determining eligibility.

Some Management Council members challenged whether athletically related payment before enrollment should in fact affect eligibility, but the Management Council eventually agreed that the project team's recommendation has enough merit that proposed legislation should be drafted for consideration at the group's next meeting in July.

Deregulation

The Management Council also took another step in the Division II legislative deregulation process by forwarding 13 proposals involving financial aid to the Presidents Council.

Bylaw 15 is the second phase of a five-year plan to deregulate the Division II Manual. This summer, the Division II Legislation Committee will host its third deregulation summit, at which time it will address issues involving Bylaw 17 (playing and practice seasons). Also, the work of the Amateurism Project Team is considered a deregulation of Bylaw 12.

The financial aid deregulation proposals would:

* Permit an institution to grant athletically related financial aid for a maximum of 10 semesters/15 quarters and to provide institutional financial aid after that time period at the discretion of the institution, consistent with institutional financial aid policies.

* Eliminate the requirement that an institution must count "employee dependent tuition benefits" against individual and institutional limits.

* Clarify the application of "academic honor awards" and "honorary academic awards" and to exempt "academic honor awards" from counting in individual financial aid limits.

* Exempt all on-campus employment earnings from both individual and institutional financial aid limits.

* Add the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunities Grant to the list of government grants that may be exempted from institutional and individual limits.

* Exempt from institutional and individual financial aid limits earnings from off-campus employment that occur during any institutional vacation period.

* Permit Division II institution to provide summer financial aid to student-athletes in accordance with institutional policy applicable to the general student body.

* Permit a student-athlete who is eligible for competition in a sport to receive athletically related financial aid, even if the student-athlete is a professional in another sport and is under contract or receiving compensation from a professional organization.

* Specify that a student-athlete is not considered a counter due solely to receipt of earnings from employment in the athletics department or athletics facilities.

* Specify that a student-athlete sustaining an incapacitating injury or illness during or after the first practice will count during the current academic term but may be exempted in subsequent academic terms.

* Revise the definition of a "counter" to simplify the application of financial aid legislation.

* Create an exception regarding tuition waivers as countable aid in specific situations.

* Revise the counter status of multi-sport participants.

Appropriate medical coverage document

In other business, the Management Council reviewed a document prepared by the National Athletic Trainers' Association relating to appropriate medical coverage for college athletics programs.

Some members of the Management Council expressed concerns with conclusions contained in the report, especially those that would establish a formula to be used in determining how many certified athletic trainers an athletics program must have to meet an appropriate standard of care.

The matter appears to have the most significance for smaller-budgeted programs in all divisions. A number of Division II administrators are concerned that NATA is sending the information to NCAA schools before the NCAA and the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports have had a chance to review the NATA conclusions.

The Executive Committee is expected to address the issue at its April 28 meeting.

Other highlights

Division II Management Council
April 10-11/Indianapolis

* Reviewed recommendations from the Budget Subcommittee of the NCAA Executive Committee regarding allocation of Association-wide dollars next year and noted concerns about the lack of money being used on Association-wide diversity initiatives.

* Voted to recommend the allocation of Association resources to provide necessary technical upgrades to the NCAA Injury Surveillance System over the next two years.*

* Expressed concern to adding marijuana to the year-round drug-testing program in Division II.

* Asked the NCAA Research Committee to conduct a study comparing unofficial test scores reported on transcripts to the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse and official test scores on record with the respective testing agencies.*

* Approved placing a cap on the Division II membership trust equal to 30 percent of Division II operating revenues in any given year.*

* Asked conferences to provide the Management Council with suggestions on the best use of Division II's share of the CBS bonus payment (approximately $1.8 million).

* Approved a recommendation that all officials for team championship finals sites be permitted to travel via air transportation, if necessary.*

* Approved the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase as an event at the outdoor track and field championships beginning in 2001.*

* Approved a revision in softball rule 3-1, effective January 1, 2001, to include a compression standard for softballs.*

* Approved a revision of the formula for determining Division II championship bracket size so that it is based on a ratio of the actual number of institutions that sponsor a sport, rather than a sponsorship percentage.*

* Supported the development of an interactive Web-based page to provide membership information and support the committee nominations process.*

* Postponed the election of a Management Council vice-chair until the July meeting.

* Discussed ways in which participation opportunities might be enhanced for minority women.

* Noted a resistance among some Division II institutions to participating in an academic performance census studying transfer student-athletes and noted that a 60-day extension has been recommended.

* Recognized the service of outgoing Management Council member Lawrence E. Fitzgerald of Southern Connecticut State University.