Division II delegates to the NCAA's 98th annual Convention will consider what has become standard fare in recent years: a number of proposals from the Presidents Council grouping, spiced with several proposed amendments generated through the ongoing legislative deregulation effort.

What will make the 2004 Convention different, however, is that the issue generating the most interest will fall in neither of those categories. Instead, the most anticipation for the January 12 business session involves a pair of membership-generated proposals, both of which relate to championships-eligibility issues.

Proposal No. 37, sponsored by the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conferences, would alter factors that may be considered in selecting teams to participate in Division II championships. Specifically, it would:

* Eliminate unavailability due to injury as a consideration for championships selection;

* Require governing sports committees to recognize official action taken by NCAA conferences or members institutions in cases involving ineligible student-athletes; and

* Require that governing sports committees consider contests involving ineligible student-athletes as losses for the involved student-athletes' institutions and as wins for the opposing institutions.

Proposal No. 38, sponsored by the Peach Belt and Sunshine State Conferences, would require that any contest or date of competition that is forfeited by the conference, an independent institution or the NCAA be counted as a loss for the offending team and as a win for the opponent.

The Division II Presidents Council, Management Council and Championships Committees oppose both proposals, claiming that they would damage the championships-selection process and cause harm to the membership because of possible unintended consequences. In the alternative, the Presidents Council has sponsored Proposal No. 54, a resolution that would form a high-profile project team to address the issues targeted in Proposal Nos. 37 and 38. The project team would include members of the Presidents Council, Management Council, Championship Committee and the Division II Committee on Infractions, along with conference commissioners, coaches and student-athletes. If approved, Proposal No. 54 would mandate that the findings of the group be shared with the membership at the 2005 Convention.

A proposal that would significantly alter progress-toward-degree requirements highlights the 16-proposal Presidents Council grouping. Proposal No. 23, developed by the Division II Academic Requirements Committee, would require student-athletes to have earned six semester or quarter hours of academic credit during the preceding regular academic term in which the student-athlete has been enrolled at any collegiate institution. The proposal also would specify that, for transfer student-athletes, the six hours must be transferrable degree credits.

The legislative deregulation package will focus on Bylaws 12 and 16. The Bylaw 12 review will address amateurism elements not taken up in Division II's historic amateurism deregulation of 2001. Several proposals in this year's deregulation package are considered sufficiently noncontroversial that they will be considered in a consent package (taken with the regular consent package, that means that 18 of the 54 proposals on the agenda most likely will be considered in two votes).

Outside of the business session, Division II delegates will have several opportunities to become more familiar with important issues through division-specific educational sessions and forums.

On January 10, the Championships Committee will conduct an educational session focusing on championships selection issues. On January 11, other educational sessions will examine Division II financial aid equivalencies; Division II strategic priorities; the proposed Division II Academic Success Rate; the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program; increasing the efficiency of athletics departments; an overview of 2004 Convention proposals; coaches' searches; student-athlete involvement; and scholarships, sponsorships and sportsmanship.

This year's Division II issues forum will be conducted from 9 to 10 a.m. January 11 and will examine Title IX compliance in Division II.

Kay Schallenkamp, president of Emporia State University, will preside over the business session. Schallenkamp's term on the Presidents Council will expire upon adjournment of the Convention. Her replacement will be George Hagerty, president of Franklin Pierce College.

In addition, the Convention will mark the end of Tony Capon's term as chair of the Management Council. Capon, faculty athletics representative at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, will continue as a member of the Management Council. Capon successor as chair will be Sue Willey, athletics director at the University of Indianapolis.