Metro State President Stephen Jordan, in his role as president of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council, navigated the passing of legislation at this weekend’s 2010 NCAA national convention that will bring more balance to the lives of student-athletes.

Delegates to the Division II business session, which Jordan chaired, shortened the playing seasons for many sports and created a “dead period” from Dec. 20-26 during which winter sports teams cannot practice or play.

“This is good news for our athletes,” Jordan says. “We were pulling athletes away from other activities of the college experience.”

Elements to the package of legislation that affect Metro State are as follows:

Provide a one-week-later date for the first permissible contest in all fall sports (to the Thursday preceding Sept. 6) and a later reporting date for fall-sports student-athletes (17 days before the first permissible contest in soccer, volleyball and cross country). Reduce the number of contests in soccer from 20 to 18 and the number of matches in volleyball from 28 to 26, effective August 2010.

Reduce the number of contests in baseball from 56 to 50. The proposal also eliminates the tournament exception in softball.

Reduce the maximum number of contests in basketball from 27 to 26.

Establish December 20-26 as a seven-day dead period during which no athletically related activities can be conducted in winter sports. The proposal also restricts voluntary activities for all sports during that time unless the facilities are open to all students.

Metro State Athletics Director Joan McDermott praises Jordan for his leadership on these changes. “He took some heat along the way, but once people understood the importance of these changes toward meaningful reform in intercollegiate athletics, the majority were on board,” she adds.

The Presidents Council strongly supported the shortening of playing seasons after studying the situation.