2008 Woodie Awards
Drew sees DIV future as fitting domain
Sterling Reese
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sports
Unfortunately, Drew University is not yet a proud member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in Division IV athletics.
That may be true, but only for the time being. Recently, a survey was sent out to all of the schools in Division III which will determine the fate of Drew athletics. In 1990, Division III contained about 300 schools.
The NCAA reports that today, the division boasts approximately 420 schools and continues to grow as schools from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics are being shifted into Division III. And with each new member of the division costing nearly $40,000 annually, the financial burden will not be any easier. Membership dues for the schools have not been changed for 25 years.
But what does this mean for Drew?
"If Drew were to be placed in Division IV, then it would affect a lot of things in Drew athletics," Andrew Cronholm ('08) said. "There's a lot to consider-recruitment, off-season training, division championships, the balance between academics and athletics and so on." These same issues were also brought up by other members present at the NCAA meeting in Washington D.C. three weeks ago, in which Division III Chief of Staff Dan Dutcher made a presentation about the reorganization of Division III. At this meeting, seven members of each Landmark institution were present-the president, chief academic officers, athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives, student-athlete advisory committee advisors and two student-athlete representatives from each school.
At schools where athletics are paramount, the creation of a new group where athletics are less emphasized could negatively affect the retention and recruitment rate.
The general opinion on the creation of a new division-Division IV, Division III-A or any other alternative, as a name hasn't been decided on-ranges from outright opposition to skepticism.
"With the limited information that was presented at the NCAA convention, I'm not convinced that Division III should split up," Director of Athletics Constance Zotos said. "The results of the survey will provide more information about what each member institution thinks about the issue. It is clearly the number one concern of all Division III members right now."
That may be true, but only for the time being. Recently, a survey was sent out to all of the schools in Division III which will determine the fate of Drew athletics. In 1990, Division III contained about 300 schools.
The NCAA reports that today, the division boasts approximately 420 schools and continues to grow as schools from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics are being shifted into Division III. And with each new member of the division costing nearly $40,000 annually, the financial burden will not be any easier. Membership dues for the schools have not been changed for 25 years.
But what does this mean for Drew?
"If Drew were to be placed in Division IV, then it would affect a lot of things in Drew athletics," Andrew Cronholm ('08) said. "There's a lot to consider-recruitment, off-season training, division championships, the balance between academics and athletics and so on." These same issues were also brought up by other members present at the NCAA meeting in Washington D.C. three weeks ago, in which Division III Chief of Staff Dan Dutcher made a presentation about the reorganization of Division III. At this meeting, seven members of each Landmark institution were present-the president, chief academic officers, athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives, student-athlete advisory committee advisors and two student-athlete representatives from each school.
At schools where athletics are paramount, the creation of a new group where athletics are less emphasized could negatively affect the retention and recruitment rate.
The general opinion on the creation of a new division-Division IV, Division III-A or any other alternative, as a name hasn't been decided on-ranges from outright opposition to skepticism.
"With the limited information that was presented at the NCAA convention, I'm not convinced that Division III should split up," Director of Athletics Constance Zotos said. "The results of the survey will provide more information about what each member institution thinks about the issue. It is clearly the number one concern of all Division III members right now."
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