That large, new blip on the radar screen of the Division II Presidents Council belongs to academic requirements.

From initial eligibility to continuing eligibility to midyear certification, a variety of elements relating to academic requirements now are on the table for discussion. The examination is only preliminary, but the presidents -- who met April 25 in Indianapolis -- appear interested in putting more teeth in the standards, even if the specifics are far from clear at the moment.

Mary Lisko, faculty athletics representative at Augusta State University and chair of the Division II Academic Requirements Committee, led the presidents through an analysis of current Division II standards, how they compare with Division I regulations and potential challenges that come with change.

Of most interest are Division II continuing-eligibility standards, which require (among other things) that Division II student-athletes have achieved a 1.600 grade-point average after one season of competition, a 1.800 GPA after two seasons and a 2.000 GPA after the third and subsequent seasons. Some presidents believe the 1.600 and 1.800 standards are too low, given the high profile of intercollegiate athletics as an extracurricular activity.

However, other presidents -- while favoring meaningful requirements -- noted that the eligibility standards for student-athletes are similar to academic-progress standards for students in general. In fact, for a number of public institutions with inclusive missions, the Division II standards may be more stringent than for the general student body.

Midyear certification

The presidents also want to make certain that initial-eligibility standards fit into a plan that helps achieve graduation while minimizing or eliminating any disparate impact on various populations. Lisa Roesler, NCAA membership services representative, noted that research has shown that initial-eligibility standards have a limited ability to predict graduation unless they become overly exclusive (for instance, a 3.500 grade-point average in 16 core courses and a 1,300 SAT requirement would ensure a graduation rate of almost 100 percent -- but few people would qualify). In the alternative, she noted that Division I has been examining initial-eligibility models that are designed to predict freshman success; progress toward degree would be achieved through continuing-eligibility requirements.

Initial eligibility for Division II is the old "Prop 48" standard -- at least a 2.000 GPA in 13 core courses with an SAT of at least 820 or an ACT sum score of at least 68. Division II has shown no desire to change the standard, and in fact, no president at the April 25 meeting proposed modifying the test or GPA requirements.

However, the Academic Requirements Committee has recommended increasing the number of core courses from 13 to 14, with the extra course to be earned in English, math, natural or physical science, social science, or additional academic courses (for example, foreign languages).

The Division II Management Council considered that proposal at its April meeting and referred it back to the ARC, asking the committee to apply data from Division II research studies to the proposed change. The results of that study will be shared with the Management Council in July.

At the April 25 Presidents Council meeting, the only strong consensus involved midyear academic certification. At the moment, certification of progress-toward-degree requirements is made only at the beginning of the year. While that approach minimizes administrative burden, Lisko said that midyear certification makes academic sense, especially for freshman student-athletes, because:

The first year at an institution often is the most difficult.

The transition from high school to college is challenging, and academic checks are beneficial.

Such checks would raise the student-athlete's expectation that it is necessary to get off to a good start.

Such checks would raise the awareness of coaches of the necessity to recruit good students.

Establishing midyear certification would eliminate the possibility of student-athletes participating for an entire year without attending class.

The Management Council previously defeated a proposal to establish midyear certification, but the presidents' strong support for the concept makes it likely that the ARC will reintroduce the proposal.

To help control the administrative burden, the committee may look at an approach in which institutions are asked at midyear to examine only whether student-athletes have passed or failed courses (as opposed to assessing grade-point averages).

Other business

The Presidents Council also examined an "Out-of-Season Football Report" endorsed by the Division I Board of Directors to increase awareness of the responsibility institutions have for providing a safe environment for student-athletes participating in out-of-season conditioning activities. The Division I document contained a cover memo from Ohio State University President William E. Kirwan, along with replications of Guidelines 1f, 2c and 2j from the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook. It also included "Division I Football Summer Workouts Guidelines" (a distillation of relevant legislation from the Division I Manual).

The Presidents Council endorsed the need for a similar communication in Division II, but it wants the document to extend beyond football.

The presidents therefore requested the development of a document that will provide guidelines for out-of-season practices and conditioning activities during the summer months for Division II.

The product will be developed quickly and forwarded to the Presidents Council for feedback; if a consensus is not apparent, the Council will conduct a conference call to further discuss the issue. The goal is to have the document to the membership before voluntary summer workouts begin.

The Council also approved the Division II budget for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 academic years.

During 2002-03, additional grant dollars will be made available for conference SAAC programs, conference faculty athletics representative and senior woman administrator programs. New programs will be established for conference technology grants, Division II Web site expenses, Division II graduation-rate report expenses and conference YES clinics.

New initiatives for 2003-04 will include an academic support grant program, a Division II Presidents Council Award of Excellence, Division II health and safety conference grants, a support program for the National Association of Women Athletic Administrators and a degree-completion program.

New initiatives in championships beginning in 2002-03 will total $2.8 million for the two-year period. Another $545,000 in new championships initiatives will start in 2003-04.

Other highlights

Division II Presidents Council
April 25/Indianapolis

Met with the executive search firm of Baker-Parker and Associates and discussed issues involved in the search for a new NCAA president.

Approved a recommendation from the Management Council to discontinue the practice of drug-testing announcements at Division II championships. The new policy will deter the use during championships of performance-enhancing drugs such as ephedrine.

Approved a recommendation from the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to allocate $8,000 for the production of a "Guide for the Enrolled Division II Student-Athlete."