The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is asking the division’s institutions and conferences to become involved in community service projects benefiting Habitat for Humanity International between now and December 2007.

To assist in the initiative, the SAAC has created a tool kit that can be accessed through NCAA Online. The tool kit suggests building, fund-raising, education and advocacy projects to benefit Habitat for Humanity, and also features checklists for use in determining levels of involvement at each participating institution.

The Division III SAAC decided in July to support the current partnership between the NCAA and Habitat for Humanity by establishing a division-wide community service initiative benefiting the organization.

SAAC set a goal of involving at least 60 percent of the Division III membership in at least one Habitat-focused project during the fall 2006, spring 2007 and fall 2007 semesters.

The purposes of the program are to provide life skills education, enhance institutional and community relations, and create positive change on a national scale.

The tool kit can be accessed by clicking on "Leadership" under the "Academics and Athletes" tab at NCAA Online. From the "Leadership" page, click on "Student-Athlete Advisory Committees," then click on the "Division III Home" link in the menu on the right side of the page, then look for "New Projects" on the Division III page.

The NCAA Executive Committee has authorized further efforts to study ways to deal with divisional growth and inter-division migration within the Association, as well as to consider the possibility of permitting universities outside the United States to become NCAA members.

The Executive Committee agreed to:

Form an Association-wide committee with broader representation from all three divisions to pick up the work of the Executive Committee’s Working Group on Membership Issues — and specifically to study the possibility of establishing either a fourth membership division or a Division III subdivision. The committee will be instructed to present concepts at the 2008 Convention

Permit its Working Group on Membership Eligibility for International Institutions to study the possibility of accepting universities outside the United States for membership on a case-by-case basis, as part of a pilot program.

Anne Bersagel, a cross country and track and field standout at Wake Forest University, was named the 2006 Woman of the Year October 28 in Indianapolis.

The award — one of the most prestigious that the NCAA bestows — honors female student-athletes who have completed their eligibility and demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

Bersagel was selected from among 121 names submitted by NCAA conferences. From that group, 30 conference honorees — 10 from each NCAA division — were selected. Bersagel was one of nine finalists — three from each division — considered by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics for the national award. She represented the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bersagel currently is pursuing a graduate degree in peace and conflict studies at the University of Oslo in Norway, and also hopes to compete in the next Olympic Games.