Division II Prospects Unfounded

The ever-present “rumor mill” has been busy on the Frostburg State campus recently. The latest “news on the street” suggests that Frostburg State University is considering a change from Division III to Division II designation.

Athletics Director Troy Dell confirmed in an interview with The Bottom Line that Frostburg State University is not becoming a Division II school, at least for the foreseeable future. In fact, the process for applying has not even been considered by the athletics department.

In terms of the future, the possibility of seeking Division II status remains, but the current plan is to remain in Division III.

Although many students and athletes may welcome the possibility of a “promotion” to NCAA Division II status, Dell explains that the transition is easier said than done. “There’s a process that you would have to go through with the NCAA where you put in the requirements to become a division 2 school. After you make the application, you play as a provisional member for a couple years and then you become a Division II school,” said Dell. Moving up from DIII and becoming DII isn’t something that happens overnight. Not only does the application process take considerable time, but the provisional membership takes years.

Along with this being an extended process, the revenue needed to uphold the standards of a DII school would require some significant changes to be made on campus. “In order to generate the revenue we would need to support a program of that level, we would really have to increase the fee on our students. Another option would be to double or triple our student size in order to generate that fee” says Dell. With the latter option practically impossible, the only feasible option would be the former.

Considering the recent tuition hikes as a result of the state budget debacle, financial increases on campus are not likely to be warmly received. With a standing annual athletic fee of $862 (the largest of any fees), FSU students unaffiliated with athletics programs would likely resent the imposition of further inflated athletics fees.

Additional difficulties lie in the geography of FSU. The rather remote nature of the FSU campus would lead to what Dell describes as, “our location not lending well to corporate partners; so receiving sponsorships gets much harder to find.” Furthermore, the campus location doesn’t allow for the university to have adequate communication and interaction with other DII schools.

Without imposing significant additional student fees or increasing the student body exponentially, the prospects of Frostburg State University advancing to DII status are null. In the meantime, the school will continue to rise within the ranks of DIII status and the rumor-mill will spout unfounded claims.