The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet reviewed budget requests totaling more than $3.5 million for the 2006-08 budget cycle at its September 20-21 meeting in Indianapolis. Members approved $1.9 million in preliminary recommendations that will be further discussed in the biennial budget process.

Initiatives receiving the strongest support from the cabinet include reimbursement to institutions participating in the Division I indoor and outdoor track and field championships, seeding the top 16 teams in baseball, increasing officials' fees in numerous championships, hiring outside diving judges for the men's and women's swimming and diving championships, and increasing the travel party size in men's and women's tennis and men's soccer.

Cabinet members made their recommendations considering a maximum $1.285 million allocation in 2006-07 and $1.34 million allocation in 2007-08 for Division I initiatives, but it will not be known until April if any of the championships requests will be approved by the Executive Committee.

The Division I Budget Committee, which consists of members of the Division I Board of Directors and Division I Management Council, will meet in March to finalize recommendations for the biennial budget, which then will be forwarded to the Division I Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

To narrow down the list of initiatives, the cabinet applied the following criteria (not in rank order) to help guide their decision-making:

• Consistency among Division I championships (addressing inconsistencies when possible).

• Conformity with existing cabinet policies.

• Expenditures that directly benefit student-athletes.

• Expenditures that increase participation opportunities.

• Expenditures that maintain and promote gender balance in championships.

• Expenditures that help ensure the integrity or smooth administration of the championship.

The indoor track and field proposal would reimburse the costs of transportation and per diem of participating student-athletes and the appropriate number of nonathletes.

Currently, institutions competing in both the indoor and outdoor championships have to choose the one for which they wish to receive reimbursement. The vast majority choose the outdoor championship, which leaves the indoor event as the only one of the 88 NCAA championships for which participation in the finals is not fully funded.

"Philosophically, the NCAA reimbursement policy is based on the fact that everyone should be able to compete in the national championship on the same terms," said cabinet Chair Chris Dawson, an assistant commissioner with the Pacific-10 Conference. "You shouldn't be penalized based on your institution's budget capabilities. We don't want finances to hinder student-athletes' ability to compete."

During the debate, some cabinet members noted that men's and women's track and field student-athletes already have the opportunity to compete in the cross country and the outdoor championships every academic year. But those concerns were outweighed by the consensus desire of having the indoor track and field championships be treated consistently. Also, of all the budget requests, funding the indoor track championships would affect the greatest number of student-athletes and institutions.

Members also pointed out that Divisions II and III institutions are reimbursed for both the indoor and outdoor championships. Others noted that the cost savings realized by Division I schools under the proposal could be funneled into student-athlete well-being programs as well.

Baseball seeding, officials' fees

The recommendation to seed the top 16 teams in the Division I Baseball Championship would begin in 2007 if approved. Cabinet members noted that the proposal is consistent with the NCAA championship policy of seeding 25 percent of the bracket. Currently, only the top eight teams are seeded in the 64-team bracket.

"It's one of our marquee championships, and there is a fundamental belief that seeding 25 percent of the field is important to ensure the opportunity for the best teams to advance to the College World Series," Dawson said.

Increasing officials' fees also received strong support from the cabinet after it became apparent that fees in several sports had not been increased in many years, and that those sports committees had similar requests. The proposals were packaged together for consideration.

With fairness in competition being an integral part of conducting NCAA championships, the cabinet voted to move the request forward.

"These people are taking time off work in many cases or spending their vacation time to come and work these events," Dawson said. "We need to be sensitive to their needs. In some cases, there hasn't been an increase in officials' fees for seven years. I dare say even for people who rarely get raises, it probably hasn't been seven years. We're trying to be fair to the officials."

The cabinet hopes to develop an inflationary schedule in the future so that there is a built-in cycle for increases in officials' fees.

Other budget requests

Another request the cabinet supported is to hire seven outside judges for the diving competition in the men's and women's swimming and diving championships.

Coaches of participating teams currently judge the diving competition -- the only NCAA championship competition in which coaches do so. Proponents of the proposal believe such a commitment reduces the time coaches can spend with their student-athletes, and they also support the increased objectivity that outside judges would bring to the event.

The cabinet's other budget priority is increasing the travel party size from 11 to 13 in men's and women's tennis, and from 24 to 28 in men's soccer.

The travel party size in men's and women's tennis has been at 11 since 1991. Typically, that includes eight student-athletes and three coaches. The addition of a sports information person and an athletic trainer or team manager would increase the travel party by two.

In men's soccer, the travel party may include student-athletes and nonstudent-athletes, but only 18 student-athletes may be designated as eligible for play in a particular game.

The rationale behind the increase in men's soccer is to more closely reflect the average regular-season squad size of 25 student-athletes. Cabinet members also noted that 28 is the maximum travel party size for the women's championship, though women's teams can designate up to 22 student-athletes as eligible for competition.

Other highlights

Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet

September 21-22/Indianapolis

• Supported the idea of an NCAA staff work group studying corporate recognition at NCAA championship venues.

• Agreed that the cabinet's administrative committee would begin approving all site recommendations for Division I and National Collegiate championships. The committee will develop guidelines and principles to ensure that appropriate site information/documentation is available for the committee's consideration.

• Directed the bracket/format subcommittee to survey the membership regarding the continuation of the regional format for the outdoor track and field championships and report back to the cabinet in February.

• Agreed to sponsor legislation requiring that beginning in 2006-07, all prospects, walk-ons and student-athletes must undergo a medical examination administered or supervised by a physician that before any physical activity (that is, preseason, regular-season, nontraditional season).

• Supported two legislative proposals from the cabinet's postseason football licensing subcommittee. Proposal No. 05-124 specifies that no Division I-A certified postseason bowl game shall be played later than the second Monday in January. Proposal No. 05-144 permits an institution that participates in 12 regular-season games to be selected for participation in a bowl game with a 6-6 record, provided the institution is a member of a conference that has existing contractual affiliation with the sponsoring bowl organization.