Delegates attending the Division II business session of the 2005 NCAA Convention may have the opportunity to experience something that has been in short supply in recent years: a difference of opinion.

Not only will those attending the 99th annual Convention have the chance to engage different points of view on several important legislative proposals, they also will be able to provide input on sensitive membership issues still in the development stage.

At the Division II business session January 10, delegates will consider 38 legislative proposals. The number is down about 30 percent from last year when Division II voted on 54 proposals, but the intensity level may be higher, mostly as the result of Proposal Nos. 27 and 28.

No. 28, sponsored by the Pennsylvania State and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferences, has prompted the most pre-Convention discussion. The proposal would reduce the number of permissible football grants in Division II from 36 to 24. Those who support the proposal say that 24 grants is more in line with what most programs offer and that it is a more fiscally responsible option in the face of funding issues in higher education. Institutions that favor the retention of 36 scholarships say that their emphasis on football should not be reduced based on what the average financial aid allocation might be and also that financial aid for student-athletes should be among the last options to be cut because of fiscal considerations. The Division II Management and Presidents Council oppose the proposal.

While Proposal No. 28 may generate the most debate, at least one other proposal may prompt a notable exchange of viewpoints. No. 27, sponsored by the Great Lakes Valley and Northeast-10 Conferences, would prevent transfer student-athletes from Division I institutions with only one year of eligibility remaining from being immediately eligible for competition in Division II. The sponsors say that the proposal would enhance Division II graduation rates and lessen the perception that such student-athletes are simply being "rented" to compete. Those who oppose Proposal No. 27 say that its premise is laudable but that it fails to protect academically sound student-athletes who are transferring for legitimate reasons. The Management and Presidents Councils both oppose the proposal and instead recommend the development of a 2006 Convention proposal that features additional academic requirements for such student-athletes.

Other notable proposals include No. 10, which would establish a Division II Academic Success Rate, and No. 38, which would appoint all members of Division II sports committees to four-year terms, regardless of the number of years remaining on an unexpired term.

This will be the first year since 1999 that Division II has not considered a legislative deregulation package. While there is no grouping of deregulation legislation this time, several proposals that appear on the agenda are based on follow-up work done by the Legislation Committee in the wake of the deregulation effort.

In addition to the voting, Division II will provide the membership the opportunity to discuss issues that are especially important to the division. In particular, a Division II issues forum that begins at noon Sunday, January 9, will feature an update on the work of the Division II Championships Eligibility Project Team. At the same time, Division II chief executive officers will meet with NCAA President Myles Brand to discuss fiscal responsibility and Division II membership issues.

In addition, Division II will conduct a series of educational sessions the morning of Sunday, January 9. They will focus on the role of the faculty athletics representative; the new NCAA secondary violations reporting system; a model of success for Division II athletics departments; sponsorships and television opportunities for Division II; "4-4 transfer" discussions; administrative responsibilities for drugs, supplements and medications; the model Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; and how to recruit a diverse coaching staff.

George Hagerty, president of Franklin Pierce College, and Art Kirk, president of Saint Leo University, will preside over the Monday Division II business session. Hagerty's term as chair of the Presidents Council will expire upon adjournment of the Convention. He will be replaced in 2005 by Kathryn Martin, chancellor of the University of Minnesota Duluth. Kirk will continue to serve as Presidents Council vice-chair through September 1.

Also, the end of the Convention will mark the end of Sue Willey's term as chair of the Division II Management Council. Willey, director of athletics at the University of Indianapolis, will be replaced by Paul Engelmann, faculty athletics representative at Central Missouri State University.