NCAA CONVENTION
2. Vote YES on the Constitution
by Brad Bankston, Old Dominion Athletic Conference How was the experience on the Constitution committee?
It was an honor representing Division III on such an important project. The group representing the division was organized, knowledgeable and worked well together. I would like to thank Dr. Fayneese Miller, Megan Koch, Stevie Baker Watson and Darryl Sims for their endless pursuit of a better product. It was fascinating to watch leadership at work. The process re-emphasized the values of setting expectations and maintaining consistent, honest and respectful two-way communication. The committee began its work with a single focus which was to simplify the existing constitution, crafting a document that provided the Association solutions needed to directly address many of its present and future challenges. Behind Robert Gates’ leadership, I believe we produced a document that provides the Association, and its divisions, the tools necessary for a sustainable future.
How does the Constitution revision benefit Division III?
This version allows us to reaffirm the direction of the Association and its members. So much has changed since the original constitution was authored. The new document provides a number of positive benefits for Division III including the preservation of our 3.18% of the Association’s general operating revenue and a reset to 2021-22 for administrative services provided by the Association. The reset secures these important services into the future and provides DIII approximately $1.5 million of previous overhead charges back into its operating budget. The new document provides each divisional governing body the opportunity to propose changes to the constitution, creates a formal student-athlete voice on the Board of Governors (BOG) and the Division III Presidents Council and opens the door for the DIII membership to identify core challenges we must address now (before August 1) and additional priorities we can address over a longer time period. Why should Delegates vote for the revision?
I realize the new constitution does not provide some of what many in the membership desired. We controlled as much as we could as a division. The document provides positive benefits to our membership. With more than 440 member perspectives, it’s impossible to create a document that is “everything for everybody.” The new version is a worthy compromise - one that secures our revenue allocation, provides more accessible monies through the administrative services reset, better balances our representation on the BOG, provides the student-athlete voice in the governance structure and makes all three divisions more autonomous into the future. What's next for DIII?
The next steps for DIII are a valuable opportunity to address items that support our values. It is time for Division III to chart its value-based course. I hope this process has made more people aware of the Association’s governance structure and its core principles. Members need to become engaged in the structure because they can now see it at work. Nothing prevented us from addressing our own DIII internal issues (championship policies, budget allocations, playing and practice seasons, etc.) in the past but this process has provided us with a clean slate on which to work for the future of Division III. I look forward to joining all my DIII colleagues as we embark on the next steps together. |
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