Division II took its first official plunge into its review of membership standards when the Division II Management Council approved in concept almost all of the recommendations of the Membership Review Project Team.

However, the Management Council wrestled with an important component of the legislative package during its April 9-10 meeting in Indianapolis, perhaps reflecting a philosophical conflict that exists within the overall membership.

In the end, the Management Council approved all of the project team's recommendations except for one regarding conference membership requirements (see Membership Review Recommendations, below). But even though the package was sent to the Presidents Council almost as recommended, proposals to mandate financial aid requirements for Division II membership were challenged, either for being inconsistent with the current Division II philosophy or -- at the other extreme -- for not being strong enough to make a difference with prospective members.

The proposed financial aid requirement would require Division II members to meet one of three options annually:

Award at least 50 percent of the maximum equivalency limit in at least four separate sports, including at least two separate women's sports.

Award at least 20 total equivalencies, with at least 10 being in women's sports.

Award at least $250,000 in aggregate athletics aid, with at least $125,000 in women's sports.

The project team believes that the effect of the proposals on the current membership would be minimal since any institution fully funding men's and women's basketball would qualify under the second prong. However, a number of Management Council members were concerned about whether the proposed change would conflict with the Division II Philosophy Statement (Bylaw 20.10), which states that Division II "believes in offering opportunity for participation in intercollegiate athletics by permitting athletically related financial aid for its student-athletes." Since the proposed change would require members to provide athletically related aid in almost all cases, some Management Council members thought the division should consider whether it wants to change its philosophy before it changes its policies, rather than the other way around. Other members agreed that the philosophy statement could remain as written, even with the addition of a financial aid requirement for Division II.

Concerns also were expressed about whether the financial aid segment was truly necessary and whether such a policy would infringe upon the institutional autonomy of existing and prospective members.

In fact, the financial aid proposal at first did not gain the two-thirds majority required for it to be recommended to the Division II Presidents Council for legislative sponsorship. After failing, the proposal was reconsidered and passed by a vote of 17-5. The Presidents Council will consider all of the Management Council recommendations during its April 26 meeting.

Other parts of the package -- new requirements for provisional members, new sports-sponsorship requirements and increased standards for conference membership -- passed easily, except for a proposal to increase the minimum number of institutions in a conference from six to eight, which was defeated.

"I'm pleased that the Management Council forwarded these recommendations to the Presidents Council," said Jerry M. Hughes, director of athletics at Central Missouri State University and chair of the Division II Management Council. "If the Presidents Council approves these concepts later this month, we will have another chance to review these proposals when they come before us in legislative form in July. Also, keeping the proposals alive will give the project team an opportunity to consider the thoughts of the Management Council and the Presidents Council and maybe suggest some modifications."

Championships

In particular, the Management Council voted to establish a four-team Division II Women's Rowing Championship, beginning in spring 2002. The implementation of the Division II event is contingent upon Division I approving a division-specific championship (the Division I Board of Directors is expected to give final approval at its April 26 meeting). Division III already has approved a division-specific championship for 2002.

The other championships changes approved by the Division II Management Council included:

Baseball -- Air travel for game officials for regional competition and an increase in officials' fees at the finals site.

Field hockey -- Funding to increase the squad size from 20 to 24 and the travel party from 26 to 30.

Football -- Air travel for officials in preliminary-round competition.

Men's golf -- Increase in number of regions and regional tournaments from three to 10; increasing number of participants at the finals site from 93 to 102; provision of per diem reimbursement for regional competition.

Women's golf -- Funding for four regional tournaments; provision of funding for per diem reimbursement for regional competition; funding for a director of course and rules administration and for per diem and lodging expenses for a maximum of 10 officials.

Men's and women's golf -- Funding for a Mobile Weather Detection System at both finals sites.

Men's soccer -- Funding to increase the squad size from 18 to 22 and the travel party from 24 to 28.

Women's soccer -- Funding to increase the bracket from 16 to 24 teams; funding to increase the squad size from 18 to 22 and the travel party from 24 to 28.

Women's softball -- Funding to increase the bracket from 32 to 48 teams; funding to increase the squad size from 18 to 20 and the travel party from 24 to 26.

Men's and women's tennis -- Funding to increase the number of regions and regional tournaments from four to nine.

The Management Council, after considerable debate, also approved providing automatic qualification to all eligible multisport conferences for all team championships in which the bracket is 48 teams or more. Management Council members discussed how the decision could affect quality of competition and briefly considered whether 64 teams would be a more appropriate threshold. However, it chose to stick with the Championships Committee recommendation of 48 teams, which means that, beginning in 2001-02, automatic qualification will be provided in men's and women's basketball, women's softball and women's volleyball.

In an action regarding playing rules, the Management Council approved a proposal to require Division II institutions to have a shot clock mounted on each basket by the 2003-04 basketball season. It also is highly recommended that Division II institutions have a red indicator light mounted on each basket and a game clock that shows tenths of a second.

Proposed legislation

The Management Council also approved in concept a number of proposals for the 2002 Convention, including several new recommendations to deregulate Bylaw 17 as the third part of the division's legislative deregulation plan.

Three proposals were defeated, however. The first -- part of the Bylaw 17 package -- would have precluded student-athletes in team sports from missing class to participate in contests conducted in the nonchampionship segment. Although some members thought that the legislation would send the right academic message, others thought the proposal would be difficult to enforce on a national basis. The second would have amended Bylaw 13.1.3.1.1 to permit unlimited phone calls to prospects during contact periods; the current rule provides for unlimited calls only in football during contact periods. The third would have amended Bylaw 14.5.4 so that two-year college transfers who were partial qualifiers would be permitted to practice and receive athletically related aid during their initial year in residence at the Division II institution when the individual does not satisfy the two-year college transfer requirements for competition. Those opposing the proposal believed it would perpetuate poor academic preparation.

The Management Council also approved the legislative drafts of six Bylaw 17 deregulation proposals that had previously been approved in concept by the Management and Presidents Council. Those proposals would:

Eliminate the requirement that individual skill instruction be requested by the student-athlete.

Redefine what is considered a countable athletically related activity.

Limit participation by multisport participants to 20 hours per week of countable athletically related activities.

Preclude scrimmages from being counted as three hours of the permissible 20 hours and count instead the actual duration of the activity.

Permit off-campus intrasquad scrimmages during the preseason practice period.

Eliminate the lists of annual exemptions and once-in-four-year exemptions in each section of Bylaw 17 and create two all-inclusive lists that will apply to all sports.

Other highlights

Division II Management Council
April 9-10/Indianapolis

Discussed a concept developed by a group of Division II athletics directors to permit five years of eligibility for Division II student-athletes, with the understanding that redshirts, hardships and waiver opportunities would be eliminated.

Approved the preliminary Division II budget and new initiatives for 2001-02.

Supported the recommendation of the Division II Budget and Finance Committee to leave the distribution date for the Division II Enhancement Fund in May of each year. Division II conference commissioners had asked that the distribution be moved to the beginning of the academic year.

Approved changes proposed by the Division II Membership Committee to provide for more consistent annual review of provisional members.

Denied a proposal by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to require institutions to place prospective student-athletes on their Institutional Request List within 10 days of any of the following events (whichever occurs earliest): official visit, signing of a National Letter of Intent, signing of a financial aid agreement.

Noted a philosophy statement developed by the Division II Amateurism Project Team that individuals who delay enrollment after high-school graduation and engage in some form of competition should be assumed to have triggered the season-of-competition rule, unless the institution and student can demonstrate otherwise.

Discussed the Division II Graduation-Rate Report and whether a supplemental document could be produced that better reflects graduation rates for Division II participants.

Membership review recommendations

Recommendations of the Division II Membership Review Project Team approved by the Division II Management Council at its April 9-10 meeting in Indianapolis:

Provisional Membership Requirements

Add a one-year "exploratory period" to the existing four-year provisional-membership period (with a waiver opportunity for the first post-moratorium class). The exploratory period will be triggered by filing a "notice of intent to affiliate" at least one year before the June 15 provisional member application deadline; a $1,000 nonrefundable exploratory fee should accompany the intent letter. The exploratory period would have to be completed in the year before the four-year provisional membership period. Prospective members would be free to repeat the exploratory period at their discretion.

Increase the current nonrefundable provisional membership application fee from $2,500 to $5,000.

Institutions desiring to apply for Division II provisional membership must at the time of application meet Division II minimum sports-sponsorship requirements and Division II minimum financial aid requirements in order for their application to be accepted.

Active Membership Requirements

(Effective August 1, 2005)

Increase the minimum sports--sponsorship requirement for Division II to 10 sports (five men/five women or four men/six women).

Count indoor and outdoor track for sports-sponsorship purposes as separate sports for both men and women and that minimum contest and participation requirements be established for each sport.

Permit Division II institutions sponsoring sports in Division I to count those sports toward the Division II minimum sports-sponsorship requirement.

Eliminate the 50 percent scheduling requirement for football and basketball. The Management Council agreed that scheduling requirements should be a championship selection issue rather than a membership requirement.

Establish a minimum financial aid requirement with three options and require Division II institutions to satisfy annually one of those three options:

-- Awarding at least 50 percent of the maximum equivalency limit in at least four separate sports, including at least two separate women's sports.

-- Awarding at least 20 total equivalencies, with at least 10 in women's sports.

-- Awarding at least $250,000 in aggregate athletics aid, with at least $125,000 in women's sports.

Include a waiver opportunity as part of the minimum financial aid legislation for institutions to use in circumstances when the minimum requirement is not satisfied because of mitigating circumstances.

Conference Membership Requirements

Increase the minimum sports-sponsorship requirement to five sports in each gender, with a five-sport, three-season requirement.

Require that the conference conduct a championship (round-robin or tournament play) in a sport for it to count for sports-sponsorship purposes.

Require that the conference conduct regular-season competition among members in a team sport to count it for sports-sponsorship purposes.

Require that the conference have at least six active member institutions competing in a sport for that sports to count for sports-sponsorship purposes.

Reclassification Requirements

Require Division III institutions that file an intent to reclassify to Division II to meet Division II minimum sports-sponsorship requirements before the intent letter may be accepted.