National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Moratorium no longer necessary for growth assessment
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By Jack Copeland
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Division III Management Council recommended during its July 23-24 meeting that the division let a moratorium on membership applications expire at the end of this year.
Council members agreed with the Division III Membership Committee (see the July 16 issue of The NCAA News) that the moratorium, enacted two years ago to allow Division III time to consider ways of slowing its continuing growth, may now be preventing the division from assessing future growth as part of the current Association-wide study of the NCAA membership structure.
The Council recommended that the Division III Presidents Council allow the moratorium to expire, and also recommended that the presidents direct the national office staff to communicate that decision before the moratorium ends.
During the moratorium, Division III has enacted legislation to slow the growth rate, including 2007 Convention Proposal No. 9, which tightened requirements for achieving Division III provisional or reclassifying membership and further restricted to four annually the number of institutions that may be accepted into those membership classes.
The Council agreed that the moratorium now may only be masking institutions’ interest in seeking Division III membership and making it difficult for an NCAA Executive Committee working group on membership issues to evaluate future growth.
The Management Council also reviewed the ongoing implementation of Proposal No. 9, and approved Membership Committee recommendations relating to that process.
Council members supported a modification of legislation based on intent to implement a waiver process permitting an annual class to exceed four members. The waiver could be applied in cases such as when multiple institutions already belonging to the same conference apply together for Division III membership.
The Council also agreed that the Membership Committee should be empowered to reject a membership application from an institution that meets standards for applying for Division III membership but is not well-prepared for membership. The Membership Committee argued that institutions should not be given an impression that acceptance for provisional or reclassifying membership is “automatic.”
Council members also reviewed recent work by the Division III Working Group on Membership Issues (see the June 18 issue of The NCAA News), including that group’s suggested models for a possible restructuring of the Association, but took no actions.
The next discussion relating to restructuring of the Association will occur August 8, when the Executive Committee’s Association-wide working group meets in Indianapolis.
Council members agreed with the Division III Membership Committee (see the July 16 issue of The NCAA News) that the moratorium, enacted two years ago to allow Division III time to consider ways of slowing its continuing growth, may now be preventing the division from assessing future growth as part of the current Association-wide study of the NCAA membership structure.
The Council recommended that the Division III Presidents Council allow the moratorium to expire, and also recommended that the presidents direct the national office staff to communicate that decision before the moratorium ends.
During the moratorium, Division III has enacted legislation to slow the growth rate, including 2007 Convention Proposal No. 9, which tightened requirements for achieving Division III provisional or reclassifying membership and further restricted to four annually the number of institutions that may be accepted into those membership classes.
The Council agreed that the moratorium now may only be masking institutions’ interest in seeking Division III membership and making it difficult for an NCAA Executive Committee working group on membership issues to evaluate future growth.
The Management Council also reviewed the ongoing implementation of Proposal No. 9, and approved Membership Committee recommendations relating to that process.
Council members supported a modification of legislation based on intent to implement a waiver process permitting an annual class to exceed four members. The waiver could be applied in cases such as when multiple institutions already belonging to the same conference apply together for Division III membership.
The Council also agreed that the Membership Committee should be empowered to reject a membership application from an institution that meets standards for applying for Division III membership but is not well-prepared for membership. The Membership Committee argued that institutions should not be given an impression that acceptance for provisional or reclassifying membership is “automatic.”
Council members also reviewed recent work by the Division III Working Group on Membership Issues (see the June 18 issue of The NCAA News), including that group’s suggested models for a possible restructuring of the Association, but took no actions.
The next discussion relating to restructuring of the Association will occur August 8, when the Executive Committee’s Association-wide working group meets in Indianapolis.
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