Participants at the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association Fall Forum spent much of their time developing future empowerment strategies for individual FARs and for the organization itself.

The Forum came on the heels of an NCAA Presidential Task Force report that encourages faculty to be more involved in decisions that help integrate athletics within institutions’ educational missions. FARA used its annual forum to amplify on that charge.

Most of the programming at the November 16-18 meeting in New Orleans stressed the role faculty representatives within a diverse membership play in achieving such a collective goal.

Part of the solution, according to forum attendees, is to publicize the FAR presence more.

"We haven’t had an opportunity for the general public to really know who we are," said FARA President Lorrie Clemo, the FAR at the State University of New York at Oswego. "We want to get beyond the campus so that the public and the people who are critical of intercollegiate athletics know we are here to support the student-athlete and ensure academic integrity."

FARA also presented its David Knight Award to former NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey during the Fall Forum.

Dempsey was honored for contributions to FARA and intercollegiate athletics.

A Division III member conference is seeking to amend a proposal for the 2007 Convention that would limit the use of male practice players.

Proposal No. 6, sponsored by the Division III Presidents Council and initially proposed by the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, would specify that male practice players may be used only during the traditional season and may participate in only one practice per week. It also would limit the number of male practice players in team sports to no more than half of the number required to field a starting women’s team.

The Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference is proposing to alter Proposal No. 6, to permit use of male practice players in up to three practices per week and to permit the number of male practice players to be equal to the number of student-athletes needed to field a starting unit in a team sport.

Division III delegates are expected to vote on a total of 14 proposals at the January 8 business session in Orlando, Florida.

Division II crowned a record six team champions in one day as it concluded its second National Championships Festival in Pensacola, Florida.

A total of 760 student-athletes participated in the Festival, more than 400 of whom partook in building six Habitat for Humanity homes.

Division II held its first Festival in 2004 in Orlando, Florida. A third Festival is scheduled for spring 2008 in Houston, and events also are being considered for winter 2009 and fall 2010.

NCAA President Myles Brand applauded Division II’s leadership for staging an event he called "second to none."

"Division II is not only a great sports division, but they also know how to bring it on the academic side of the house," he said. "Through the festival, Division II is building memories for life for student-athletes — it has become a destination of choice. The Festival is not only special for the student-athletes, but also for the institutions. It gives the schools a chance to shine."