The Division III Management Council unanimously supported a proposal relocating the federated provisions of the existing constitution to operating bylaws during its virtual meeting Wednesday.
This administrative move was necessary after the Association adopted a new constitution at the NCAA Convention in January. The new constitution, effective Aug. 1., only includes provisions that apply to the entire Association. Consequently, the existing divisional provisions needed to be relocated.
"Taking this action will put Division III in a position to strategically prioritize support for our student-athletes in the future," said Michelle Morgan, chair of the Management Council and senior director of athletics at John Carroll.
The Management Council also identified several key issues of focus for 2022-23. Those areas include:
Campus sexual assault policies
Per the Management Council's direction, a subcommittee has been formed to look more closely at the campus sexual violence policy and, in particular, the additional requirements effective in 2022-23. The subcommittee will focus on the study of the campus-level legal implications, the penalty for noncompliance and the administrative burden relating to the additional requirements.
Issues Forum and membership survey results
The Management Council reviewed an executive summary of the Division III Issues Forum, which took place during the 2022 NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. Feedback from the Division III membership survey, which is due Feb. 28, will be discussed at the Management Council's April meeting.
Student-athlete voice
The Management Council noted that the national Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will take the lead on developing new processes and policies, per the new constitution, to have a student-athlete representative on the Board of Governors and the Division III Presidents Council.
Transgender student-athlete participation
The Management Council discussed concerns received in formal letters by the Division III Commissioners Association and the LGBTQ Working Group regarding the recently updated transgender participation policy.
Other areas of focus for 2022-23 will include COVID-19 resocialization guidance and name, image and likeness policies.
Future meeting schedule
- April 11-12.
- July 17-19.
- Oct. 17-18.