Wednesday, April 16, 2008

DIVISION IV TOLD TO TAKE A HIKE

USCHO.com reports that the concept of DIV (created by a split of DIII) was turned away by the DIII schools. Thank God! It would have been a real mess. Here's what they say:

The NCAA has announced that a possible split of Division III into two levels, or the creation of a “Division IV” does not find favor among member institutions.

Nearly 82 percent of NCAA Division III member schools support or strongly support the current Division III structure instead of the creation of a new division or subdivision, results of the Division III Membership Survey show. Of the 442 active or provisional D-III programs, 96 percent responded to the mandatory survey.

In light of the survey results, the Division III Working Group on Membership Issues and the Executive Committee Working Group on Membership have concluded their work to address the membership growth and diversity in Division III.

The Division III Working Group on Membership Issues, which last fall proposed creating a new division or subdividing Division III in anticipation of divisional growth to 480 members by 2020, made the decision after reviewing results from a membership survey that asked for opinions about restructuring, among other questions.

“While Division III still has its differences and issues it will have to face if it continues to grow as expected, we see the survey results as very significant news,” said Rudy Keeling, chair of the DIII group and commissioner of the ECAC. “Our members are saying that despite their differences, they like being a part of Division III.”


To read the article in its entirety, go here:

http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,15670/ProposedSplitOfDIIIShelvedByNCAA.html