The ongoing review of playing and practice seasons in Division III has taken a significant step forward. The Division III Management Council, in a meeting this week in Indianapolis, reviewed data from a recent membership survey and recommended areas of focus for the Division III Issues Forum at the 2016 Convention.

The Women’s Basketball Rules Committee supported a request from the University of Connecticut to use several international rules in their exhibition game against Vanguard University on Nov. 8.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel referred an experimental rule proposal for use of a 20-second pitch clock with runners on base back to the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee on Wednesday.

The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee reviewed all aspects of the sport and set its agenda for future discussion items at its annual meeting held Tuesday and Wednesday in Indianapolis. Most notably, the committee’s annual rules survey indicated wide support for the changes made in the previous cycle to encourage a faster pace of play.

This year, members of the Division II national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee are embracing opportunities to participate in the Division II governance process in unprecedented ways. But the committee’s work to enhance the student-athlete voice is far from over.

At every level of the Division II governance process this year, robust discussions have centered around the rules related to “unattached” competition in individual sports. That trend continued last week at the Presidents Council meeting in Indianapolis.

Division III members will vote on a membership dues increase at the 2016 NCAA Convention. In a meeting Thursday in Indianapolis, the Division III Presidents Council approved a proposal from the Division III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee that would push annual dues for Division III schools from $900 to $2,000 and from $450 to $1,000 for conferences.

The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee weighed in on a pair of topics that will be a major focus for Division III through the next two years. When it convened July 18-19 in Indianapolis, Division III SAAC discussed ways to improve game environments and potential changes to playing and practice seasons at length, including roundtable discussions with the Division III Management Council.

The NCAA has awarded more than $4 million in grants to nine Division I schools to support academic programs that help student-athletes earn their degrees.

The Division III legislative slate for the 2016 NCAA Convention has begun to take shape. The Division III Management Council voted to support several pieces of legislation and held preliminary discussions on proposals from the membership when the Management Council convened on July 20-21 in Indianapolis.