The Division II Academic Requirements Committee recently discussed permissible uses of funding from the division's new academic enhancement initiatives program, which will take effect in 2003-04.

In 2003-04, the NCAA will provide $750,000 to Division II conferences to help meet the academic needs of their student-athletes.

At its February 8-9 meeting, the committee endorsed the following as acceptable uses for the funding:

Tutorial services for student-athletes.

Development of a CHAMPS/
Life Skills program or similar programs for student-athletes.

Mentoring programs for student-athletes.

Conference degree-completion programs.

Laptop computers for student-athletes who are traveling.

Development of means to screen incoming student-athletes to identify at-risk students and students needing additional training in study skills.

Summer school financial aid for student-athletes.

The committee also recommended that Division II conduct an educational session about the academic enhancement initiative program at the 2003 Convention to advise the membership about appropriate uses of the funding, along with ways to assess the results.

In addition, the committee recommended that the Division II Legislation Committee consider the deregulation of Bylaw 16.3.2 to allow institutions to provide student-athletes with benefits that would enhance academic success, such as the purchase of books and study aids or the provision of computers.

Other business

In other business, the committee reviewed a request from the Division II Presidents Council to study whether to increase the minimum grade-point average requirements contained in Division II continuing-eligibility legislation. The committee noted that research data are available for Division I student-athletes on the effect of freshman-year outcomes on graduation rates. If Division II conclusions can be extrapolated from the Division I research data, the committee recommended that the data be used to review the current minimum GPA requirements for Division II student-athletes and to determine if legislation should be proposed to increase those requirements.

The committee also recommended that Division II join Division I in replacing the terms "continuing-eligibility" and "satisfactory-progress requirements" with "progress-toward-degree requirements." The committee believes that "progress-toward-degree" more accurately reflects the Division II philosophy of establishing academic standards that move student-athletes toward graduation, rather than simply maintaining eligibility.

In another recommendation that would parallel a Division I proposal, the committee recommended that Division II amend Bylaw 14.3.1.1(a) to increase the minimum number of core-course units from 13 to 14 and that the additional unit be earned in any core-course area.

Other highlights

Division II Academic Requirements Committee
February 8-9/Indianapolis

Concluded that it would not be permissible for the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse to accept a test score that was printed directly from the testing agency's Internet Web site as an official SAT or ACT score.

The committee adopted the Division I obvious qualifier initial-eligibility waiver scale for student-athletes who are deficient one or fewer core units in areas other than English. The committee will permit no obvious-qualifier waivers for students who are deficient in English units.

Reviewed Bylaw 14 deregulation proposals under consideration for the 2003 Convention.