DENVER – The Division II Management Council at its July 20 meeting sent to the Presidents Council a revised organized-competition rule that removes compensation as the trigger for seasons of competition.

The proposal also introduces a year-long grace period between high school graduation and initial full-time collegiate enrollment during which prospects may engage in organized competition without penalty.

The Presidents Council is likely to move the matter as Convention legislation at its August 6 meeting.

The year-long grace period is designed to take some of the guess work out of the system and not disadvantage the more nontraditional students who, for personal or family reasons, do not enroll in college right away. The proposal also more broadly defines activities that constitute organized competition. Management Council members and other governance groups like the proposal because of its flexibility on the front end and the more basic definition of competition (such as whether score is kept and uniforms are used) after the grace period.

“It allows prospects, particularly those domestic and international students who aren’t sure of their college plans, more time to make their college choice without compromising their ability to compete,” said Management Council Chair Tim Selgo, athletics director at Grand Valley State. “But after that – rather than defining organized competition by whether any of the team members are paid – the new definitions are much more black and white.

“So you have a year to test the waters, but after that, participation in organized competition comes with clear consequences.”

The proposal emerged two years ago from presidents who were bothered by defining organized competition by whether players were compensated rather than the advantage gained by participating in the competition at all. The current legislation tends to capture players who aren’t paid but whose teammates are. Additionally, some teams do not receive compensation at all, but are highly organized based on their structure and the level of competition. Those teams are not captured by the current rule, either.

Other legislation

The Management Council also reviewed additional Convention legislation, including a package regarding the Life in the Balance initiative. Council members also referred each of the three proposals submitted by member conferences to the Division II Legislation Committee.

The Council also agreed to sponsor the following proposals from the Legislation Committee:

• To establish a tryout exception that allows an institution’s athletics staff to help administer activities in a member institution’s facilities for groups that include prospects. It also would permit a group that includes prospects to use an institution’s facilities for physical activities without the use being considered a tryout, provided the activities are related to a sport that is not sponsored by the institution on the varsity intercollegiate level. (The Management Council recommends an immediate effective date rather than August 1, 2010.)
• To establish financial aid limits, playing and practice seasons, minimum contests and participant requirements for sand volleyball.

Council members also approved the following noncontroversial legislation, effective immediately:

• Add an exception for track and field that specifies if the number of student-athletes participating in a multi-day meet, on behalf of the institution, over the course of the entire meet equals or exceeds the minimum number of participants for sports sponsorship and the event is conducted on consecutive days, an institution may use the competition as a contest in meeting the minimum-contest requirements.
• Specify that the contemporaneous-medical documentation used in administering a hardship waiver must come from a physician (medical doctor). The documentation from an individual other than a physician (chiropractor, physical therapist) may be used only to support the physician’s documentation.
• Change the Division II membership application deadline from June 1 to December 1.

Championships items

The Council also received several informational items from the Championships Committee:

• The Division II Baseball Committee has been asked to develop a revised finals format that completes the tournament in no more than six days (rather than the current eight), effective with the 2011 championship.
• The Division II Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee has been asked to submit formats for the championships that provide for a bracket of only 48 (a reduction from 64), effective in 2011.
• The softball committee received a waiver to conduct the 2010 championship finals on the fifth Saturday in May (rather than the fourth Saturday) to ensure that the event occurs over the Memorial Day weekend.
• The Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Committee has been asked to consider capping the championship field at 175-180 participants, effective in 2011. The number of participants increased dramatically last year (in part because so many swimmers met the qualifying standards using the new technology suits).
• The following have been approved as future championships sites: (1) Altamonte Springs, Florida, for the 2010 men’s and women’s tennis championships (hosted by Rollins and the Central Florida Sports Commission); (2) Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2010 men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships (hosted by Johnson C. Smith); and (3) Florence, Alabama, for the 2010 and 2011 football championship (hosted by North Alabama).

Other highlights

The Management Council also:

• Supported a Division II Championships Committee recommendation to apply the NCAA sports-wagering policy regarding championships only to predetermined sites.
• Agreed to ask the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport to consider allowing for a two-day notification process for NCAA drug testing for Division II (a 24-hour notice to alert institutions that drug testing is occurring so that administrators can prepare, followed by the 24-hour notice to student-athletes the next day). The CSMAS, which is charged by the Executive Committee with oversight of the NCAA drug-testing program, has directed The National Center for Drug Free Sport (the NCAA’s drug-testing administrator) to gradually increase the number of schools receiving no more than 24-hour notice of pending NCAA drug testing.
• Agreed to sponsor legislation recommended by the Academic Requirements Committee to allow prospects seeking to establish initial eligibility at the three Division II institutions in Puerto Rico to use the Prueba de Aptitud Academica to fulfill test-score requirements.
• Asked the Championships Committee to revisit the Association-wide protocol regulating charter flights for championships travel. The Division II Management Council wants to consider increasing the travel party to allow athletics department staff working the contest to travel on the charter at no cost or at a significantly reduced fare (fans and boosters and other extraneous personnel would still pay their own way).
• Noted that the deadline for institutions to purchase items from the Division II Purchasing Web Site has passed (June 30). However, the Council agreed that conferences can use up to $2,000 of the remaining combined balance from their member schools to make additional purchases through August 7.