The last of a four-part series on Phase II of the Division II Life in the Balance initiative.

Among the areas of review in Phase II of the Life in the Balance initiative is the nebulous "20/8-hour rule," which regulates athletically related activities in and out of season.

Given that it's difficult to understand and even harder to track (the rule trips up Division I institutions, too), it's probably going to be tough for the Division II Legislation Committee to develop recommendations for modifying it.

"I could definitely see this as the most challenging of all the Phase II areas," said committee chair Ann Martin.

While student-athletes are allowed four hours per day and 20 hours per week in the championship segment, it's possible that the Legislation Committee will focus on the eight hours permitted per week in the off-season, of which not more than two may be spent on individual skill instruction. 

"Coaches and student-athletes have seen some improvement based on the changes the division made to skill instruction a couple of years ago, but almost every group I've spoken with has brought up the need to revisit skill instruction and how we are using those eight hours," said Martin, an associate athletics director at Regis (Colorado).

The committee may tread into frontiers few faculty members will want to travel, which is the idea of turning a portion of those skill-instruction hours into full team practices.

Division II has gone from no skill instruction to two student-athletes who could be involved at one time and then four to today's version of permitting more than one group of student-athletes from the same team to participate in skill instruction in different facilities at the same time. The number of student-athletes allowed to participate varies according to the starting squad size – a maximum of four for teams with six or fewer, and no more than six for larger starting squad sizes.

All along the way, faculty members typically have opposed any expansion of skill-instruction hours that smacks of a team practice. That sentiment probably will not change this year, either.

"In Phase II, anything that would look like an expansion to full team practice would be met with a great deal of opposition from FARs," said Mount Olive faculty representative  Brenda Cates, who serves on the Division II Management Council. "We need to find a creative way to maintain the Life in the Balance philosophy and give the student-athlete more legitimate one-on-one skill instruction that they desire but that is in no way moving toward full-team practice."

At the same time, student-athletes have indicated how much they value the skill instruction, especially in the nonchampionship segment, since they tend not to get as much of it during the championship portion.

"We heard from the student-athletes that skill instruction in the nonchampionship segment is important," said Michigan Tech Athletics Director Suzanne Sanregret, another Management Council member who also serves on the Championships Committee. "SAAC had its voice heard through Phase I about what they want next, and that is being taken seriously."

Others, though, find value in the nonchampionship segment for entire teams, particularly in fall sports that rely on it as a springboard for the summer and subsequent championship segment.

"We're going to need to strike a balance, so to speak, between maintaining that skill instruction – because that's such an important characteristic of Division II – and allowing teams to get together as a group," Martin said. "Having a chance to get teams together as a group may allow them to use that time more efficiently."

Martin also cited discussion about opening up the nonchampionship segment by removing the 45-day window and allowing teams to get together the eight hours a week all semester long. Other ideas include delaying the start of the season for winter-sport athletes to relieve the year-round aspect of training for those participants.

While talks are active regarding hourly limits in the nonchampionship segment, there isn't as much discussion about restructuring the 20 hours allowed in season. The primary concern there is whether the three-hour allotment for contests is accurate. Currently, all competition (except for exempted scrimmages) and any associated athletically related activities on the day of competition count as three hours, regardless of how long they actually last. 

"Part of this is determining the right numbers and what all gets counted," said Peach Belt Conference Associate Commissioner Diana Kling, who serves on the Legislation Committee. "Right now, you count a contest as three hours. Is that right? We'll want to consult student-athletes directly on this one."

Cates also noted the need to protect academic performance during the nonchampionship segment, a time that data are more frequently suggesting that student-athletes perform better in the classroom.

"Student-athletes may say they want more skill instruction and to spend more time on athletics than we already do (as data from the GOALS study reveal), but at the same time the numbers show their GPAs are higher in the nonchampionship segment – so you certainly don't want to do something that will have a negative impact on the academic side," Cates said.

Whatever ultimately is decided will begin being proposed in a couple of weeks when the Legislation Committee meets in Indianapolis (March 18-19) to start formulating concepts. Those ideas will be vetted through governance committees, the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the Division II Athletics Directors Association, among other groups, before the Legislation and Championships Committees meet jointly in June to develop more concrete proposals.

Presidents and chancellors will chime in during their third summit this June. It's unlikely that any constituency would not get a chance to provide input.

"The governance staff and Management and Presidents Councils did a great job in Phase I of engaging the membership and dialoging not only through institutions but also coaches associations and other governing bodies," Sanregret said. "That will happen again in Phase II.

"Keep in mind that this is about uniquely positioning Division II within the Association – if we stay with those guiding principles, we will do very well with Phase II."

Share your feedback, ideas and thoughts for Life in the Balance Phase II by sending an e-mail to lifeinthebalance@ncaa.org. That e-mail address is monitored for feedback and ideas only and is not intended for questions requesting a response.