The Division III Presidents Council tabled a recommendation to implement a pilot drug-testing program throughout the academic year, giving itself more time to fully understand potential costs of testing and to comprehensively explore options for combating substance abuse and alcohol use through educational programs.

The tabled recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports sought implementation this fall of a two-year voluntary program to collect data for determining whether Division III should expand testing beyond championships.

The proposal sought random testing of up to 2,000 student-athletes during each of the two years � 10 student-athletes at each of 200 institutions � at an annual cost of $400,000. However, Presidents Council members debated whether testing to collect data about use of performance-enhancing substances by student-athletes is the most appropriate application of resources, or whether Division III should place a higher priority on educational programming aimed at discouraging use of alcohol and street drugs.

The Presidents Council decided it needs more information to make that decision, including:

n More details about how testing will be funded if the two-year pilot�s results indicate a need to expand testing beyond championships.

n Comprehensive descriptions of currently existing educational options or programs � such as the CHOICES grant program and APPLE conferences � and recommendations on how those options  or programs might be made more widely available to Division III institutions.

n Details about a proposed drug-use survey � modeled after a periodically administered Association-wide survey but aimed specifically at Division III student-athletes and institutions � designed to obtain more division-specific data about use by student-athletes of performance-enhancing and other substances.

The Division III Management Council, which forwarded the competitive-safeguards committee�s proposal to the presidents after its own discussion addressed similar concerns, likely will consider a revised recommendation in July that might include educational components.

The Presidents Council will receive the information it requested, along with any new recommendation from the Management Council, at its August 3 meeting in Indianapolis.

Membership cap alternatives

The August meeting also is shaping up as a potentially important moment in ongoing discussions about ways to respond to rapid membership growth in Division III.

The Presidents Council reviewed the status of recent developments touching on that topic, including the formation of an NCAA Executive Committee working group reviewing Association-wide membership issues and efforts earlier this year by the Division III Membership Committee to list options for addressing division growth.

Council members joined the Management Council in endorsing those options as alternatives to implementing a cap on the size of Division III. The North Coast Athletic Conference proposed a cap at the 2006 Convention, but the membership voted to refer the proposal to the Executive Committee working group.

The options, which were described in detail in the April 24 issue of The NCAA News, offer a mix of alternatives to implementing a cap � including tougher standards for achieving exploratory and provisional membership, more stringent ongoing review of active members� commitment to obligations of membership, and consideration of longer-term trends and options for managing the division�s size.

The Management Council endorsed the list of options during its recent meeting, saying it wished to demonstrate its commitment to moving quickly toward addressing concerns about growth. The Presidents Council�s endorsement also supports that objective.

The Presidents Council will consider in August whether to sponsor proposed legislation for the 2007 Convention or otherwise act to implement some combination of the options.

Budget

Council members also finalized the Division III budget for the next two years, as well as policies recommended by the Division III Budget Committee for determining how funds will be allocated in the future.

They approved funding for new championships initiatives totaling $593,000 during 2006-07 and $208,000 during 2007-08 � a total of about $801,000.

The initiatives include $158,000 annually (plus $30,000 for a one-time set-up fee) for awards to participants in all Division III championships; $174,000 to increase the field size at the men�s and women�s cross country championships; and $30,000 for Webcasting of Division III championship finals that are not otherwise broadcast nationally.

Also included is funding for increases in travel parties for baseball, men�s and women�s basketball, and women�s rowing, and for expansion of predetermined sites for softball and baseball championships, and about $61,000 to expand opportunities to host women�s ice hockey championship competition.

The Council also approved new funding totaling nearly $1 million for nonchampionships initiatives during the biennial budget period, including $400,000 in additional funding during 2007-08 for the Tier Two component of the recently revamped Strategic Initiatives Grant Program. That component of the program supports programs emphasizing social responsibility and integration.

The new nonchampionships resources also include funding in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for whatever approach to drug testing and/or education that the Council chooses to support later this year.

Council members also approved recommendations to annually place 10 percent of Division III allocations in reserve � instead of the current $1.5 million reserved annually � and to establish targets for how funds will be allocated to championships and nonchampionships uses.

The Council approved target allocations for the next four years of 75 percent of the annual budget for championships expenditures and 25 percent for nonchampionships expenditures � which is consistent with historic allocation ratios in the division.

Other highlights

Division III Presidents Council 

April 27/Indianapolis

• Approved guidelines for use in selectively considering waivers for student-athletes who graduate and transfer from their undergraduate institution and seek to compete as a graduate student at another institution. Such students must demonstrate, at a minimum, compelling and exemplary academic success by graduating ahead of schedule without any �breaks� in full-time enrollment, and an excellent collegiate academic record.
• Approved a draft of the new Conference Self-Study Guide, which will be used by conferences between August 1, 2006, and August 1, 2008, to review institutional missions and league philosophy, as well as such aspects of conference operations as governance structures and compliance activities.
• Approved appointments to � and reviewed plans for the Council�s first meeting in August with � the new Division III Chancellors/Presidents Advisory Group, which is being formed to meet at least annually with the Presidents Council to discuss philosophical direction, pending legislation and other issues of importance at the conference and national level. The advisory group will include representation of conferences that are not already represented by Council members, as well as from independent institutions that are not already represented on the Presidents or Division III Management Councils. The idea to form the group resulted from a discussion last fall by Council members of ways to encourage involvement in Division III activities by institutional presidents and chancellors.
• Selected Marcia Keizs, president of York College (New York), and Vicky Carwein, president of Westfield State College, to fill two immediate Presidents Council vacancies.