2018 Convention legislation: Division II

Division II delegates will decide whether to permit colleges and universities in Mexico to apply for Division II membership and also determine the fate of four other legislative proposals next week at the 2018 NCAA Convention. A representative from every Division II school and conference, as well as the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, will vote on the five proposals at the Division II business session Jan. 20 in Indianapolis.

The first vote of this year's legislative slate could make Division II the first division in the NCAA to accept Mexican schools into its membership. Since 2008, the division has been the only one that accepts applications from Canadian schools, and currently has one Canadian member, Simon Fraser.

Delegates also will decide whether to eliminate the legislated penalty for sports wagering, loosen restrictions on student-athlete awards, move up the start of preseason practice in football and move up the date of first competition in women's volleyball in years in which the Division II Fall National Championships Festival occurs.

Earlier in the week, Division II attendees will have the opportunity to attend educational sessions on the Division II "Culture of Compliance Review"; the Division II Foundation for the Future initiative; the role of the senior woman administrator and the faculty athletics representative; ideas for running a championship with varied resources; and best practices for campus and conference student-athlete advisory committees. The Division II keynote session will occur Jan. 19 and will feature Gail Marquis, a former student-athlete at Queens College (New York), Olympian and current director of community relations for the New Jersey City University School of Business. For more information on Division II events at Convention, click here.