DENVER, Colorado -- The Division II Management Council has endorsed the model for the Division II Student-Athlete Leadership Conferences, a major new initiative that will begin with a pilot conference early in 2003.

In January, the Division II Presidents Council approved $275,000 in annual funding for the conferences, which are designed to complement the national student-athlete leadership conference that occurs each spring. However, only institutions with CHAMPS/Life Skills programs are eligible to nominate student-athletes to participate in the national conference, which eliminates the opportunity for many Division II student-athletes.

The plan for the regional conferences, which the Management Council reviewed at its April 8-9 meeting, will permit Division II to conduct two conferences annually, each with 150 participants. The nation will be divided into six regions for this purpose, with each region containing about 50 institutions. Each institution will be able to send three participants to a conference once every three years.

The pilot conference will be conducted in January or February 2003. The programs will begin in earnest in fall 2003.

The conferences will be designed to enhance various student-athlete skills, including basic leadership, critical thinking, communications, insight into significant campus issues, knowledge about the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an understanding of the student-athlete role in the NCAA structure.

Championships

The Management Council also approved funding for a number of Division II championship enhancements, including bracket expansions in several sports. The Division II Presidents Council is expected to provide final approval at its April 25 meeting.

Most notably, the Division II men's and women's basketball championships will increase from 48 to 64 teams, effective with the 2003 championships. Other bracket expansions will take place in men's soccer (16 to 24 teams, effective in fall 2003) and women's soccer (24 to 32 teams, effective in fall 2003). The additional expense of those bracket expansions is estimated at $748,000.

Two other championship enhancements also are notable.

First, the Management Council approved a recommendation to reimburse per diem for the official travel party in men's and women's regional tennis competition. The additional annual expense is estimated at $191,000. Second, the Council voted to reimburse travel and per diem for the official travel party for both indoor and outdoor track and field at an annual cost of $300,000.

Other changes involved committee expansions in field hockey, men's golf, women's lacrosse and wrestling; funding to enhance officiating in men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, and softball; funding to purchase a software package to compile strength-of-schedule data for men's basketball; and an increase in the reimbursement rate to transport boats for women's rowing.

The total cost of the championship enhancements for next year is about $1.275 million.

The Management Council also approved a Championships Committee recommendation to discontinue the current practice of drug-testing announcements at NCAA championships. The proposal originally was recommended by the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports in the belief that some athletes might abuse drugs with immediate performance-enhancing qualities (for example, ephedrine) once they became aware that drug testing would not be administered at their championship. The Division II Management Council approved the recommendation last year, but its Division I and III counterparts did not. With Division II in a different place than the other divisions on the proposal, the Division II Presidents Council referred the recommendation to the Championships Committee, which supported the Management Council's previous action. In Denver, the Divisions I and III Management Councils approved the recommendation not to announce drug testing at championships.

Academic requirements

The Management Council also considered two proposals recommended by the Division II Academic Requirements Committee. The Council approved a recommendation to rename "continuing-eligibility" and "satisfactory-progress" requirements as "progress-toward-degree" requirements. However, it deferred until July action on a recommendation to increase the number of core courses required for Division II initial eligibility from 13 to 14. At that time, it will hear a more detailed report from the national office research staff on what effects such an action could have on various groups of prospective student-athletes.

The Management Council also noted that the new Division II Degree-Completion Program requires that recipients give up any athletically related financial aid they may be receiving after the expiration of their eligibility. Some fifth-year seniors who were still on aid went through the demanding application process only to learn that they could not benefit if they are still receiving athletically related aid. The Council was advised that the form will be revised in future years to make that provision more visible.

Other business

The Management Council did not approve a recommendation from the Legislation Committee to amend the women's basketball recruiting calendar to extend the quiet period from May 18 through June 14 and eliminate the permissible-exception provision. The proposed change had been recommended by the Northeast-10 Conference to make the women's basketball calendar identical to the men's calendar and thus ease rules administration.

However, a survey of women's basketball coaches reportedly revealed that women's coaches did not want to surrender the evaluation opportunities provided at AAU tournaments in May and June. The proposed change did not gain the two-thirds majority required for approval.

The Management Council also discussed the issue of whether an institution can receive membership-sponsorship credit for conducting an "indoor track meet" while competing at an outdoor venue. Several members were concerned by the practice, which is occurring in warm-weather locales where outdoor competition is possible during the winter. The Management Council has referred the issue to the Championships and Membership Committees for further study.

In another action, the Management Council recommended that the Presidents Council approve noncontroversial legislation to clarify 2002 Convention Proposal No. 26, which related to practice and competition in the nonchampionship season. Those actions would:

* Add specific dates for the first permissible date of practice, first permissible date of competition and the end of the season for the exception that permits any spring sport championship season to be conducted in the fall. The Council also will forward the Legislation Committee recommendation that the first day of practice be August 10 or the first day of classes, whichever is earlier; the first day of competition would be September 1 or the Thursday preceding Labor Day and the last date of competition or practice would be November 15.

* Clarify the window of opportunity for practice and competition in the nonchampionship segment by specifying that such activity would be restricted to a maximum of 24 days that occur within a period of 45 consecutive calendar days, omitting vacation and examination days officially announced on the institution's calendar and days during which the institution is closed due to inclement weather, as long as no practice or competition occurs on such days.

Other highlights

Division II Management Council
April 8-9/Denver

Approved the proposed Division II budget and new initiatives for the 2003-04 academic year.

Reviewed the Bylaw 14 deregulation proposals that will be considered at the 2003 Convention. The Council noted that several minor modifications recommended by the Academic Requirements Committee had been included in the most recent drafts developed by the Legislation Committee.

Agreed to recommend adoption of noncontroversial legislation to establish an effective date of August 1, 2002, for parts B, C and D of 2002 Convention Proposal No. 17.

Elected a Management Council vice-chair to replace Lisa Colvin, who is resigning her position at Southern Arkansas University. The new vice-chair will be ratified by the Presidents Council at its April 25 meeting.

Elected a replacement from the Sunshine State Conference to replace Phil Roach of Rollins College. The new representative will be ratified April 25 by the Presidents Council.

Approved $8,000 in funding requested by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to develop a Guide for the Enrolled Division II Student-Athlete.

Reviewed plans developed by the Division II Project Team to Review Issues Related to Diversity to enhance the role of the Division II senior woman administrator.