Division II student-athletes and Management Council members will talk about proposed changes to playing-and-practice-season legislation at the 13th annual Management Council/Student-Athlete Advisory Committee summit this weekend in Denver.

The annual summer gathering convenes student-athlete leaders and key administrators to discuss timely topics. Of note this year is the “Life in the Balance” initiative in which contest reductions are being proposed in eight sports.

The Division II Legislation and Championships Committees have led the discussions so far and are responsible for developing the legislative concepts that the Council and SAAC members will review. Management Council members will discuss the concepts further at their meetings next Monday and Tuesday.

The summit also features a breakout session on alcohol use surrounding athletics events, an issue that relates to the division’s game-environment initiative. SAAC members are expected to advise the Council on developing policies and procedures to manage the issue, including educational tools or resources that schools and conferences currently use to help defray the use of alcohol on their campuses.

Other breakout sessions feature discussion about how partnering with student affairs can help facilitate life-skills efforts on campus, and about careers in athletics for students and student-athletes.

The summit begins Saturday morning and runs through noon Sunday.

In addition to Life in the Balance items, the Management Council at its July 20-21 meeting will begin discussing other legislative proposals – both from within the governance structure and from the membership – that are on track for the 2010 Convention. Today is the deadline for the membership to submit proposals.

Council members also will begin reviewing the Convention schedule, including the lineup of educational sessions and a gathering (outside of the business session) at which the entire Division II membership will have a chance to participate and hear from a keynote speaker.

The NCAA News will provide coverage of both the Council/SAAC summit and the Council meetings next week.