Division II has introduced a video to help explain its “Life in the Balance” initiative that proposes reductions in the length of playing and practice seasons and number of contests in various sports.

Presidents Council Chair Stephen Jordan joins Management Council Chair Tim Selgo in laying out the principles behind the review and the desired outcomes. Both emphasize the need to align Division II’s playing and practice season and championships policies with the athletics/academic balance that anchors the division’s strategic-positioning platform. They also echo the need for better business practices that will help Division II institutions alleviate the fiscal pressure facing all of higher education.

In addition to Jordan and Selgo, the video features comments from presidents Dianne Harrison of Cal State Monterey Bay, Norval Kneten of Barton, David Rankin of Southern Arkansas and Carolyn Mahoney of Lincoln (Missouri).

The “Life in the Balance” initiative emerged from a Division II Presidents Council charge to examine whether Division II student-athletes spend too much time on athletics pursuits. While the Council doesn’t want to diminish the high level of Division II athletics competition, the presidents want to ensure that student-athletes are living the balanced experience stated in the platform.

“Athletics administrators have said how important it is to maintain high levels of competition in Division II athletics,” said Jordan, the president at Metropolitan State. “But there is a real fear that if we don’t take appropriate steps to put in the kinds of controls that will not only slow down the rate of growth in our intercollegiate athletics programs but in some cases pull some of that cost back, we could be in jeopardy in the near term of losing a number of our programs, not just individual programs, but I would suggest being in jeopardy of even losing some entire departments if we don’t do this the right way.”

Preliminary concepts making their way through the governance structure so far are later reporting dates for fall-sport athletes, a seven-day inactive period for games and practice during the winter break and possible contest reductions in baseball and softball. While those items seem to be on a path toward a membership vote at the 2010 Convention, the Presidents Council has made it clear that it wants a more comprehensive review of all sports over the next two or three years.

The video helps explain why some concepts are on a faster track than others, and why the more comprehensive review is necessary and appropriate for Division II.

Important next steps for the “Life in the Balance” project include a meeting of the Division II Championships and Legislation Committees – two groups the Presidents Council charged with heading the review – in late June, followed by the Management Council and Presidents Council meetings in July and August, respectively.