The Division III Management Council will consider next steps for dealing with membership growth issues during its April 14-15 meeting in Indianapolis.

It is the first meeting of a Division III governance group since the recent decision to halt consideration of creating a new NCAA division or subdivision to accommodate the growth and diversity of Division III. The Council will review the results of the recent membership survey and the final report from the Division III Working Group on Membership Issues, which had suggested restructuring. It also will discuss specific growth-related problems that should be reviewed by Division III committees.

Council members also will have an opportunity to suggest an agenda for a series of Town Hall Meetings planned in Division III. Those meetings to discuss survey results and related options for addressing growth concerns will be May 8 in Indianapolis, May 19 in Boston and June 2 in San Antonio.

In other actions, the Council will review Division III’s proposed budget for the next two years. The recommendations, which ultimately are subject to approval by the Division III Presidents Council, include funding for championships as well as for strategic initiatives and other nonchampionships programming.

The Council also is expected to review:

• Preliminary recommendations from the Division III Financial Aid Committee to establish a wider range of disciplinary measures for violations of legislation discovered through the financial aid reporting process. Penalties have focused on educational measures during the first three years of the reporting program.
• A recommendation from the Division III Championships Committee to require teams in the individual/team sports of men’s and women’s cross country, golf and tennis to schedule a minimum of 25 percent of regular-season competition against in-region opponents for championships eligibility.
• Recommendations from the Division III Membership Committee to place seven institutions on probation during 2008-09 -- the first step in a graduated penalty structure for failure to comply with various membership requirements. The recommendations are a result of the first round of membership audits conducted under legislation establishing requirements for active membership that was adopted at the 2007 Convention.