DALLAS — Division II stayed on schedule to implement changes to its strategic position in college athletics during a series of discussions associated with the Division II Management Council summer meetings.

The issue was examined during the July 15-16 Management Council-Student Advisory Committee Summit, again during the July 16 meeting of the Division II Community Advisory Group and one more time during the Management Council’s July 17-18 meeting.

The two-part task involves distinguishing Division II from other segments of college sports and implementing a coordinated engagement with communities throughout the membership.

In the end, most of the heavy lifting was accomplished with the community activation element. The key action was the Management Council’s acceptance in principle of a series of legislative changes designed to facilitate relations between schools and their communities.

Most importantly, the Management Council directed that a definition of a "community-outreach initiative" be established so that Division II legislation does not prohibit an institution’s personnel or student-athletes from participating in legitimate community-based efforts.

"This is an important step because a number of our recruiting and extra-benefit provisions could conflict with the community-oriented changes that are being contemplated," said Division II Vice President Mike Racy. "I believe everybody understands that we need to be careful with these changes, but the fact is that it’s hard to interact with young people and community leaders if you keep running into recruiting and booster-control legislation at every turn."

Among other things, the proposed changes would modify the definition of a contact, permit contact between prospects and boosters under certain conditions as long as it is part of a community-outreach activity, and permit athletics programs to donate equipment to high schools (under specified conditions).

The Division II Presidents Council will consider the recommended changes at its August 3 meeting in Indianapolis. If the Presidents Council chooses to sponsor new legislation, it would be considered at the January Convention in Orlando.

The Community Advisory Group — composed of Division II presidents, athletics administrators and faculty athletics representatives — also adapted its rollout strategy. The group is sensitive to questions about how the program will be accepted at campuses throughout Division II and how athletics directors will accept the responsibility for implementation. Rather than implementing a complete program on a division-wide basis at one time, the Community Advisory Group agreed:

Consultant Rich Luker re-emphasized that the community-engagement approach flips the standard paradigm by seeking to have Division II athletics programs (and their schools in general) help in building their communities rather than merely asking the communities to support their athletics programs. In the end, he said communities will willingly support institutional programs where effective outreach has occurred because they will feel greater ownership.

"They will attend because it’s their community and they believe in it," Luker said. "I would rather have five of those people attend my games than 50 who came because you were giving away bubblegum or a hat."

Luker also said that the benefits could extend beyond attendance.

"We’re saying, ‘Come and join our community,’ " he said. "Tell me you don’t have a recruiting advantage when you do that."

The concept continued to resonate with the membership. "We need to go across the street before we go across the state," said one athletics director.

As for the strategic-positioning segment, the Presidents Council will see samples of a new Division II "look and feel" at its August meeting. Those concepts will be fully implemented at the Division II Fall National Championships Festival in Pensacola, Florida, in November and carried through at subsequent events, including the Convention in January.

The Community Advisory Group will meet again in October and December and will demonstrate the new Internet tool at the Convention. Also, in April 2007, Division II will sponsor a community-outreach training segment that will include two representatives from every Division II conference (either conference office or institutional representatives).