The Division III Presidents Council endorsed plans to implement a financial aid electronic reporting process during its January 8 meeting at the NCAA Convention in Dallas.

The reporting process, which was approved at the 2004 Convention as part of the Future of Division III reform package, requires that schools submit data to the NCAA for use in analyzing whether student-athletes and nonathletes are receiving comparable financial aid, as required by legislation.

Among the steps approved by the Council is implementation of a model proposed by the Division III Financial Aid and Awards Committee that establishes a maximum permissible "variance" between aid for student-athletes and nonathletes. Instances where aid awarded by an institution to student-athletes exceeds aid for the broader student body by 4 percent or more will be subject to a financial aid committee review, which may include a subsequent request for the institution to justify that variance.

The primary purpose of the process is to ensure that institutions monitor their own compliance with Division III financial aid rules; however, institutions that are unable to satisfactorily justify exceeding the permissible variance ultimately could be subject to NCAA enforcement proceedings.

More than half of Division III's 421 members participated in pilot testing of the reporting process, and results from that testing were used to establish the variance figure. All Division III institutions will be required to report data beginning this year, during a reporting period beginning July 1 and ending September 30.

Results of the pilot testing and rationale for the 4 percent variance were described during a presentation about financial aid reporting during Division III's January 10 business session.

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The Presidents Council also authorized the Division III Budget Committee to investigate obtaining insurance coverage that would enable the division to replace a portion of any revenue that might be lost as the result of a catastrophic event, such as cancellation of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

During 2004, the Council approved an annual "loss of revenue recovery plan" designed to maintain a viable championships program and core Division III initiatives if revenues are reduced. Under that plan, Division III would apply its share of any payout from an existing Association insurance policy toward those purposes, along with any existing reserves.

The Council's action at the Dallas Convention authorizes the Budget Committee to investigate obtaining additional insurance that specifically would be purchased by Division III to further help close any funding gap resulting from a catastrophic event. A preliminary inquiry by the committee indicated that the division might be able to obtain between $8 million and $10 million in coverage at an annual cost ranging from $112,500 to $225,000.

The Budget Committee will present results of its inquiry at the April Division III Management Council meeting.

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The Division III Management Council briefly discussed Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) issues -- specifically, NCAA reporting requirements -- during its January 10 post-Convention meeting

The Council noted continuing concerns expressed by the membership that numerous questions on the form are not relevant to circumstances at Division III institutions, as well as the NCAA requirement that single-sex institutions submit the form, even though such reporting is not required by the federal act.

The Council noted that an overview session about EADA requirements that was presented during the Convention was helpful in responding to those concerns. However, the Council agreed to forward issues that have been raised to the Association's research staff and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics -- the two entities involved in developing and using results -- for review of the relevancy concerns.

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When Melissa Kelly, the recently appointed director of athletics at Wesleyan College (Georgia), cast the institution's first vote during the January 10 business session, she quietly made history.

Kelly, a former basketball student-athlete at Hood College, is believed to be the first alumnus of the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to participate in the Convention as a voting delegate representing an institution.

Kelly's SAAC service ended in January 2003.

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Michael Miranda, faculty athletics representative at Plattsburgh State University of New York, became chair of the Division III Management Council during its post-Convention meeting. He succeeds Suzanne Coffey, director of athletics at Bates College, whose term on the Council ended at the conclusion of the Convention.

Miranda, who served during the past year as the Council's vice-chair, was succeeded in that position by Sandra Slabik, faculty athletics representative at Neumann College -- marking the first time that FARs have held both of the Council's leadership positions.

The end of the Convention also marked the end of terms for six other Management Council members: Steve Argo, commissioner of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference; Sarah Forbus, a Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative from Denison University; John Harper, director of athletics at Bridgewater State College; Karen Johnson, director of institutional research at Alfred University; Leon Lunder, director of athletics at Carleton College; and Connee Zotos, director of athletics at Drew University.

The Division III membership elected six successors during its business session to join new SAAC representative Heather Mathis of Maryville College (Tennessee) on the Council. The elected members are Patricia Epps, senior associate director of athletics at Franklin & Marshall College; Tim Gleason, commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference; Kevin McHugh, director of athletics at The College of New Jersey; Rosalie Resch, associate director of athletics at the University of Chicago; Kay Whitley, director of athletics at Sul Ross State University; and Charles Wilson, faculty athletics representative at Olivet College.