The Division I Board of Directors adopted a proposal Thursday, Jan. 15, that amends the required voting threshold for rules changes involving membership requirements for Division I schools. Effective immediately, any changes to rules governing the Division I membership must be adopted by a majority that is greater than the number of votes that could be cast by representatives from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference, including student-athlete representatives.
In August, the Board of Directors approved changes to the governance structure, shifting to a more sport-focused governance model, adding weighted voting for autonomy conferences for all Division I committees and more than doubling student-athlete representation throughout the division. At that time, the board adopted a resolution that no changes would be made to membership requirements to Division I for a period of five years.
The new voting requirements are a direct response to feedback and concerns from member schools since August. They guarantee that at the conclusion of that five-year period, membership requirements still cannot be changed without the support of at least one nonautonomy conference or voting representative.
