Charlotte Westerhaus, NCAA vice president for diversity and inclusion, moderated a session titled "Diversity and Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics: Strategies for Success."

NCAA President Myles Brand, a participant in the discussion, said the issue doesn’t involve just one group or organization. Instead, diversity and inclusion are a shared responsibility.

"The NCAA’s role is to provide planning, to bring people to the table, to set the agenda and within the framework, wherever legislation is possible — and most of time it isn’t a legislative issue, but when it is — we can do that," Brand said. "It is also the job of the NCAA to provide the learning and skills necessary for success; for example, the coaching academies. We need to provide opportunities for people to move forward."

Brand said athletics directors are key players in this initiative. He said he knows NACDA members have difficult jobs, but he is also confident they can be part of the solution.

"The athletics director is a significant influence in the hiring and promotion that is included in the diversity in intercollegiate athletics," Brand said. "It is a tough job. The good news is we have terrific people in athletics department positions. I have a lot of confidence in their understanding and their strength."

Division II football proposals also generated plenty of dialogue in New Orleans.

NCAA Division II Football Task Force members Roger Thomas of the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Bob Boerigter of Northwest Missouri State University discussed the proposals during a session for Division II athletics directors.

The task force is recommending to the Division II Management Council that it support a proposal at the 2007 Convention to create two Division II national championships in football.

The proposal includes a 16-team bracket — which the task force representatives suggested would be called the Freedom Playoff and Championship, for programs offering up to the maximum 36 financial aid equivalencies — and an eight-team bracket (the Liberty Playoff and Championship) for programs offering 18 or fewer equivalencies.

Most of the opposition voiced in the room came from those who offer more than 18 equivalencies and would have to cut back to be able to compete for the Liberty championship.

The equivalency cap for the Liberty bracket remains subject to change, as do the names of the two classifications should Division II members approve the proposal. Also, the size of each championship bracket could change through the years to make sure equity is being achieved.

If the recommendation moves forward, it would be implemented in the 2009 season. Conferences would need to declare their level of playoff competition by September 1, 2008. That commitment will be for three years, after which there will be an opportunity for modification.

Institutions would be allowed to declare for a different classification than other schools in their conference, provided that is permitted by a league’s regulations.

The task force is also recommending proposed legislation to require a two-thirds majority to modify financial aid equivalencies in any Division II sport.

If passed, this would begin August 1, 2007. Currently, such changes require only a simple majority.

An NCAA Sportsmanship Summit moderated by Ron Stratten, NCAA vice president for education services, featured keynote address by Vince Dooley, former University of Georgia athletics director and football coach, and Yale University graduate and former NFL player Calvin Hill.

Dooley, a former president of NACDA, said sportsmanship is "not a sometimes thing, but an all-times thing."

He said, "There is a saying that sportsmanship is a never-ending class. You register for it every year. In this generation, there has been a constant to restore and maintain the tradition that ethical conduct and playing by the rules is a vital part of education."

Stratten shared some results from the 2006 NCAA Sportsmanship Survey.

In 1,599 valid surveys, 40 percent of respondents said fans pose the greatest sportsmanship concerns.

One area that has drawn attention recently is fans rushing the field or court. Forty-four percent of the respondents said fans shouldn’t be allowed to rush the playing surface, but 27 percent said that fans should be allowed to do so.