DIVISION I

Board of Directors accepts adjustment in APR calculation

The Division I Board of Directors has agreed to a key adjustment in the Academic Progress Rate (APR) that eases how student-athletes who leave early for the pros while in good academic standing are counted in their team's APR.

The presidents at their August 4 meeting in Indianapolis adopted a recommendation from the Division I Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) that adjusts student-athletes' APR calculations in such cases as 1-for-1 instead of 1-for-2.

The adjustment, included in a directive the CAP will use in determining legitimate reasons why student-athletes are not retained, not only captures student-athletes who leave early for the professional ranks, but also situations considered to be beyond the control of either the student-athlete and/or the team/institution.

DIVISION II

Presidents Council follows up on recent summit's themes

The Division II Presidents Council discussed how to follow up on themes identified at this summer's Division II Chancellors and Presidents Summit during its August 4 meeting in Indianapolis.

The presidents identified a four-part plan:

• The division will seek to more effectively publicize its attributes through means that include expanded use of television.

• More efforts will be made to develop pride and self-respect among Division II members.

• More research will be conducted to guide the staff and other interested parties on how to build a stronger Division II image among the membership and public.

• The division will commit to strengthening the link between the athletics programs of its member institutions and their communities.

A second follow-up discussion resulting from the summit involved consideration of whether additional financial research might be necessary.

DIVISION III

Future of Division III proposals forwarded to membership

The Division III Presidents Council moved forward an assortment of proposals addressing Future of Division III--Phase II issues during its August 4 meeting in Indianapolis.

They include proposals to increase the number of sports that schools are required to sponsor and to ensure that a school plays a minimum number of contests in each sport it sponsors to meet membership requirements.

The Council also agreed to sponsor proposals to create a Conference Self-Study Guide (CSSG) and to amend the Division III philosophy statement to explicitly support efforts to ensure that student-athletes are admitted to institutions under the same policies used for other students, that they perform at least as well academically as other students once enrolled, and that they are involved in athletics programs that are integrated into the campus culture and educational mission.