DIII Management Council supports recommendation for alternative voting method

The Division III Management Council reviewed proposed legislation for the 2023 NCAA Convention during Monday and Tuesday's meeting at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis.

The council's recommendations head to the Presidents Council, which is meeting next week.

"The Management Council held two very productive days of discussions preparing for Presidents Council and the NCAA Convention," said Michelle Morgan, chair of the Management Council and senior director of athletics at John Carroll. "Our work was focused on strengthening Division III with an agenda consisting of complex legislative matters. Unlike recent conventions, this year's legislative slate has multiple proposals on the same issues, so not only did this council thoroughly debate the merits of each proposal, but we also spent considerable effort on voting procedures to ensure that each proposal is afforded appropriate consideration by the membership."

Alternative voting method at convention

The council recommended a one-time alternative method for voting on the proposals that amend the playing and practice seasons and the structure of the councils. Specifically, the intent of the alternative method is to minimize procedural issues during the Division III business session, allow open discussion regarding the generally similar proposals and ensure the opportunity for delegates to vote on their preferred proposal voting order. 

If the Presidents Council endorses the concept, the membership will have to approve the alternative method, via resolution, at the Convention. The Management Council further emphasized the importance of providing clear education regarding the process if it is endorsed by the Presidents Council.

Additionally, the Management Council recommended to the Presidents Council an amendment to the governance-sponsored proposal that would amend the composition of the councils to not have the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative fulfill the conference representation requirements.

2023 Convention proposals

The Management Council took or is recommending official positions on membership-sponsored proposals that will be up for vote at the Convention. Since the governance structure also has a committee and council composition proposal that was developed based on feedback from the 2022 Division III Membership Survey, the Division III Commissioners Association and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators, the positions include:

• Recommending that the Presidents Council oppose a proposal that each Division III multisport conference will have one representative on either the Presidents Council or Management Council and that the conference's slot on either will alternate accordingly. 
• Recommending that the Presidents Council oppose amending the composition of the Nominating Committee to include at least one member from each of the 10 championships regions to cultivate more committee nominations and appointments representative of the membership.

The council also recommended opposing a proposal that would amend the preseason playing and practice seasons legislation for fall sports, except football, by creating an acclimatization period. The council noted feedback from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports that indicated existing guidelines provide schools with a flexible framework to plan appropriate transition periods that can accommodate local decision-making and needs within the existing legislation. 

The council took no position on the playing and practice seasons proposal that would allow 114 days of athletically related contact between student-athletes and their coaching staff (144 days for combined indoor and outdoor track seasons). The council affirmed its support of a playing season proposal sponsored by the council that eliminates the weeks structure but also noted that the proposal for 114/144 days was preferable to the status quo.

Philosophy Statement Review Working Group

At the direction of the Division III Presidents Council, members of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee were asked to create a Philosophy Statement Review Working Group to examine whether the current Division III philosophy statement still reflects today's Division III higher education and athletics landscape.

The council generally supported the initial groupings identified by the working group for reviewing and potentially reorganizing the individual philosophy statements: 

1. Division III institutional responsibility and oversight.
2. Division III diversity, equity and inclusion.
3. The Division III student-athlete collegiate experience.
4. The Division III student-athlete athletics experience.
5. Division III student-athlete financial aid.

The council noted that a clear distinction should be made concerning what is appropriate for a philosophy statement (e.g., guiding principles that highlight the distinctive characteristics of the division) and what should be articulated in legislation. 

Before determining whether any changes should be proposed, several steps still need to occur. Immediate steps will include soliciting feedback from the membership via a survey, discussing the matter at the Division III Issues Forum during the 2023 Convention and seeking feedback regarding potential concepts from the councils.

Developing Inclusive Leaders program

The council approved a request of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group to work with an outside party to create an inclusive learning path for athletics professionals to improve the recruitment and retention of student-athletes who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color while leveraging the power of athletics for positive growth