The Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee recently completed its first year and celebrated with a birthday gift to the membership.

This month, each member institution and conference will receive eight decals of the Division II logo that can be applied to hard surfaces such as basketball and volleyball floors.

They also will receive Division II vests that can be used for first-down sideline personnel in football, ball retrievers in soccer or other such purposes.

Finally, each conference will receive a 12.5-foot x 28-foot field stencil and paint package to place the Division II logo on outdoor playing surfaces. Conferences will be able to use the stencils for their postseason tournaments or for regular-season events for their member institutions. The Division II marks also will be incorporated into field and court markings for 2005-06 Division II championships.

The total cost -- paid through 2004-05 surpluses -- will be about $100,000. In the mind of David R. Brunk, subcommittee chair and commissioner of the Northeast-10 Conference, it will be money well spent.

"I consider this an investment in our future," Brunk said.

The premise is that most Division II members want to call attention not only to their NCAA membership but also specifically to their Division II affiliation. Bill Lide, commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, said the timing could not be better.

"Our members feel comfortable in Division II," he said. "It's not like a few years ago when we felt inferior. Most schools now have no desire to move to Division I because of the financial demands that go along with that. More and more, we're comfortable in our own skin."

Of course, no one can disregard the institutions that are reclassifying to Division I (eight) or that are contemplating reclassification (three exploratory members plus several others that have expressed an interest in changing divisions). But Lide and others believe that the reclassification frenzy may have peaked and that there is little point in fighting to retain institutions that are determined to move to Division I. Instead, the growing sentiment is to build Division II on the strong foundation of institutions that value that level of competition.

"I believe we were right to be concerned about a rapid loss of members to Division I because some of those reclassification decisions have not been made in the best interests of the student-athletes," said Sue Willey, athletics director at the University of Indianapolis and a member of the identity subcommittee. "Still, we've done what we can do. We have provided these schools with data that show how reclassification to Division I poses very serious financial questions. There's really not much more point in trying to persuade them to stay. We need to focus our attention on those who choose to remain."

So, with all of that in mind, the Management Council's Identity Subcommittee at its July meeting took the big step to make "Division II" much more visible through field and court markings for fans who follow the contests in person or on television.

The idea was born out of a much smaller 2004 initiative that provided a single 66-inch x 26-inch Division II banner to each Division II institution and conference. Though the banners often appeared a bit dwarfed on large gymnasium walls, Division II members used them.

"I can think of five or six cases last year when, without anybody knowing I was coming, I saw the banners prominently displayed in Division II arenas," said Division II Vice-President Mike Racy. "Many of our commissioners and athletics directors saw the same thing, which got us all to thinking how the membership might be receptive to a unified look that promoted Division II."

The removable 16-inch x 36-inch decals that will be provided in September may be used as any institution or conference desires, although the recommended placement is toward two opposite corners of the court.

Commissioners also will receive recommended placement information for the stencils and will be asked to use special NCAA blue paint that will be made available by the vendor.

This effort to highlight division affiliation is thought to be an NCAA first. "I cannot think of any instance where either Division I or Division III has undertaken these kinds of initiatives," Brunk said. "I think it's another feather in the cap for our division that we're doing these things. It's necessary that we do it, but it also shows the progressive thinking of our division."

Division II also will take the unique approach of placing its logo (which is the NCAA logo with the words "Division II" placed to the right) on NCAA championship playing surfaces.

"Not only does this reinforce the Division II experience for the fans who are attending in person," Racy said, "but it also helps television viewers who are channel-surfing to understand at a glance what is on their screen."

Sports that do not lend themselves to decals or stencils will not necessarily be left out. This year, Division II flags will be purchased for the golf championships. In the future, Division II nets are possible for the tennis championships. Racy said that the division also will explore the possibility of making Division II merchandise available for online purchase so that it can be co-branded with institutional marks.

Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Chair John Semeraro said this is all as it should be since it fortifies Division II's growing self-esteem.

"It's important for the membership to understand that we are a great division and that we do have a lot to offer," he said. "Once we all are on the same page with that, then we can go forward and establish that in the eyes of the media. But it's like the old saying: You have to like yourself before anybody else can like you.' "

Indeed, student-athletes may have been Division II's biggest supporter in recent years. When the sentiment at the June Chancellors and Presidents Summit appeared to be to change the name of the division to something less secondary, the SAAC's Semeraro and Vice-Chair Marian Broderick strongly advised otherwise.

They argued that a name change would be viewed as little more than window-dressing and that it also would compromise the history of Division II. Besides, Semeraro said, the student-athletes with whom he has spoken are proud of their level and the way they are described.

"Based on my campus and being around leadership conferences," Semeraro said, "I have a great sense that Division II student-athletes are proud to be where they are. They understand what Division II offers, what its intent is. Obviously, who wouldn't like to see their name on SportsCenter every night, but they understand what Division II is and they appreciate what it is."

Lide expresses the same appreciation from a commissioner's perspective, saying that the strength of the division comes from its increasing viability in meeting the needs of the members.

"We're doing a better job of promoting Division II and creating new television opportunities that we can use to tell our story," he said. "Our conference offices are stronger than before. I imagine that a dozen or so are now full-service conferences that offer sports information, compliance and many other services.

"We're putting money into our conference grant program to the point that we can determine what we want to do first and then figure out where the money will come from later."

In short, Lide believes that the time has come for Division II to grow out of its self-doubt, much the way an awkward adolescent grows into a confident adult.

"I don't know that the feeling of inferiority is gone yet," he said, "but it is leaving us. The fact is we're not inferior; we're just a little different."

And there's nothing wrong in calling attention to that.

Division II's 'balance' campaign brings thematic context to NCAA affiliation

In the wake of June's Division II Chancellors and Presidents Summit, much talk focused on how that event's "balance" theme could be applied in the future.

The overall theme, including the stylized "A" that emphasized the twin pillars of academics and athletics, seemed to those present to embody what the division considers itself to represent.

However, the look has its limits.

"We have to walk a fine line on this," said Mike Racy, Division II vice-president. "On one side of the line, we want to create a unique identity for Division II, but on the other, we don't want to minimize Division II's NCAA affiliation."

In addition, there is a practical question in that the balance package is not as effective when it is out of context. Racy said that was illustrated with the first design draft of the sideline vests that will be provided to the Division II membership (see accompanying story).

Specifically, the components of the package do not work as independent units. For the balance package to have any value for Division II, it must be accompanied by the Division II logo (or be presented in a setting that is uniquely about Division II). Also, the balance theme relies on the "A" in the middle of "Balance," and the "A" in turn relies upon being accompanied by the words "academics" and "athletics." In other words, all of the elements need to be included for the package to make sense. If it is out of context to an audience that is not familiar with Division II, it is more than can be digested in a glance.

In short, the balance package is more of a theme than a brand. Even so, it will have ongoing value.

"We certainly can use this to reinforce what Division II is about whenever large Division II audiences get together," Racy said. "The most obvious application is the NCAA Convention, but we also will be able to use it at Leadership Conferences and other large gatherings. And I'm sure there are ways that it can be used effectively within the membership."

Those ways may be made more apparent through research that will be undertaken within the next several months. Based on direction from the Division II Presidents Council, the Association's branding and communications staff is developing plans to conduct research, probably both qualitative and quantitative, that will guide future Division II promotional efforts.

The Presidents Council has identified a four-pronged approach to promotion that will be built around data collection and brand strategy, recognition (especially through greater use of technology and television), celebration (that is, an enhancement of pride and self-respect within the division) and community outreach.

A research plan will be available for discussion at the January Convention.