Legislative deregulation presents exciting opportunities for Division II, but the Division II Presidents Council wants to make certain that too many changes aren't being made too fast.

Division II is almost exactly in the middle of a five-year plan to deregulate Bylaws 11 through 17. Deregulation for Bylaws 11 and 13 occurred at the 2000 Convention, and Bylaw 15 was deregulated in January 2001. Bylaw 17 is up for consideration at the January Convention in Indianapolis.

Many of the changes made so far have been common-sense modifications of old NCAA legislation. Other changes have involved a reorganization of content to make the Division II Manual more efficient.

But others have been made in the belief that the legislation simply isn't necessary for Division II, either because the frequency of abuse is thought to be low (why burden the vast majority with excessive regulation because a few institutions violate the rules?) or because pressures to win at the Division II level are thought to be lower than for Division I (for example, controls on coaches' outside income were removed at the 2000 Convention because the membership thought the previous legislation was designed with Division I excesses in mind).

Despite overwhelming approval of the legislation at the last two Conventions and despite limited public utterances opposing deregulation, apprehension persists.

"My director of athletics is concerned about deregulation and that oversight is decreasing too much," one president said at the Division II Presidents Council meeting April 26 in Indianapolis.

"I'm excited about deregulation," another president said, "but are we going too far? Do we need something more formalized to review the changes?"

The fears have not been evident on the Convention floor, where the membership has hardly paused in approving all of the 24 deregulation proposals it has considered so far. Even potentially controversial proposals have been approved by lopsided margins. A proposal in January to exempt all on-campus employment from both individual and institutional financial aid limits passed by a vote of 215-28. Another proposal to permit an institution to count financial aid awarded to a multisport student-athlete in either sport in which he or she participates was approved, 198-51. With an 80 percent majority, it was the closest vote of any of the 13 deregulations considered in 2001. The tightest deregulation vote at the 2000 Convention was on Proposal No. 31, but it still passed with 66 percent of the vote. The proposal to eliminate controls on coaches' incomes was approved, 203-3-1.

Paul H. Engelmann, faculty athletics representative at Central Missouri State University and chair of the Division II Legislation Committee, believes deregulation has made the membership's work easier.

The Presidents Council suggested the possibility of a report evaluating the effects of Division II legislative deregulation. "That's not a bad idea," Engelmann said. "We have two more deregulation summits scheduled, then our attempt to deregulate will be complete. That might be a good time to evaluate."

The presidents' concerns about oversight issues did not dampen their enthusiasm for Bylaw 17 deregulation. They endorsed all of the proposals developed by the Legislation Committee for consideration at the 2002 Convention.

Other business

The Presidents Council also approved the Division II preliminary budget, including a number of new strategic initiatives that will begin in 2001-02.

The preliminary budget for Division II is based on total revenue of $14,648,000. After $2,297,238 in new strategic initiatives for 2001-02 are funded, the division actually will operate at a deficit ($777,238) on a one-time basis. Division II has money to cover this deficit as a result of a cumulative reserve fund that totals $5.4 million. In addition, the division has a $4.4 million membership trust to be saved for future contingencies or emergencies.

The new strategic initiatives for 2001-02 include establishment of a Division II Women's Rowing Championship, bracket expansion in several sports, increases in championship squad sizes and traveling parties in several sports, and per diem increases for certain sports. They also include a $600,000 increase in the Division II Enhancement Fund; funds to improve the Division II Web site; and a total of $320,000 to assist conferences with the development of Division II conference student-athlete advisory committees, senior woman administrators and faculty athletics representatives.

The Presidents Council also approved a group of proposals developed by the Division II Membership Review Project Team and recommended by the Division II Management Council.

Those proposals now will be put in legislative form and considered again by the Management and Presidents Councils at their summer meetings. Assuming continued approval by the Presidents Council, the proposals will be considered by the membership at the 2002 Convention.

The legislative package has been developed to assure that growth in Division II takes place in an ordered way so as not to adversely affect provisional member education. The key proposals would:

Establish a cap on the number of new provisional members in any year.

Establish a new sports-sponsorship requirement for Division II active or provisional membership (at least five men's and five women's sports or at least four men's and six women's sports).

Establish a financial aid requirement for active or provisional membership that could be met one of three ways (awarding at least 50 percent of the maximum equivalency limit in at least four separate sports, counting at least two women's sports; awarding at least 20 total equivalencies, with at least 10 in women's sports; or awarding at least $250,000 in aggregate athletics aid, with at least $125,000 in women's sports).

The presidents also received a letter and proposed resolution from Roy H. Saigo, president of St. Cloud State University, asking the Association not to condone the use of American Indian logos and nicknames (see "Honor or Affront?" in the April 23 issue of The NCAA News). The Presidents Council referred the matter to the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and the Executive Committee Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues.

Fire causes extensive damage to Longwood College

Longwood College President Patricia P. Cormier was prevented from chairing her first Division II Presidents Council meeting because of a fire that destroyed several buildings on her campus.

Bernard Franklin, Division II Presidents Council vice-chair and president of Virginia Union University, chaired the April 26 meeting in Cormier's place.

A report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch said the April 23 fire swept through a complex of campus buildings, destroying West Ruffner, the Rotunda, East Ruffner and Grainger. The Ruffner buildings were undergoing renovation.

The Grainger building housed the departments of mathematics and computer science, English, philosophy and modern languages, the newspaper reported.

The Ruffner complex had been undergoing a $12 million renovation.

About 400 students were evacuated, and 30 faculty members were left without offices. Longwood has an enrollment of about 3,300.

"We have learned to deal with tragedy before and we will overcome again," said Cormier, whose term as Division II chair began in January.