Some change would come with UC Davis' proposed move to Division I athletics, but a lot would remain the same - namely the university's commitment to academic excellence in its athletes and the equal support of all athletic teams.
That was the message delivered by administrators and faculty members last Friday at a forum on the possible jump from Division II.
"The key thing to understand is that (the move) is not a choice to alter the status quo," said law professor John Oakley, a member of the Athletic Administrative Advisory Commit-tee. "It's a choice to keep the status quo in our changing environment."
With an annual athletic budget of more than $6.2 million and a student enrollment dwarfing other institutions it plays, UC Davis "has no place to go in Division II," he said. The football team needs to find squads willing to play them; other teams could also benefit from increased competition, Oakley said.
He understood that faculty members might worry about a Division I UC Davis becoming a place where coaches wield great academic as well as athletic power. But there is little risk of that, said Oakley and the athletic administrators present.
Not only does the National Collegiate Athletic Association have stricter student academic requirements for Division I athletes than Division II, UC Davis has always had its own high standards.
"We have athletes who look very similar to the rest of the students on campus," said Associate Athletic Director Pamela Gill-Fisher.
Mike Valenzuela, a counselor with the Letters and Science dean's office, wondered if the move to a higher caliber of athletic competition would actually attract a higher caliber of students.
Though formal studies haven't been done, that could be the case, said cross country coach Sue Williams.
Last year she tried to recruit a top runner - who also possessed exceptional grades and SAT scores - to come to campus. Though the student's prospective major had a better reputation at UC Davis, the runner chose to go to a UC Division I school because of the scholarship it offered. UC Davis could only offer $500.
"That's typical. We are losing more (students) because we haven't kept up with financial assistance," Williams said.
Currently, UC Davis spends $550,000 a year - entirely supported through fund-raising - to aid athletes. A move to Division I, which requires higher aid thresholds, will cost the university up to $4.3 million annually in scholarship packages, Gill-Fisher said.
Bruce Hartsough, chair of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, implored the committee to publicize to the faculty its commitment to keeping academics a priority as the university transitions to a new level of athletic competition.
"People would be more comfortable if they understood the process," he said.
Ultimately the decision to upgrade UC Davis athletics is in the hands of students.
During elections Tuesday through Thursday, undergraduates will vote on whether to fund the move with a $61 hike in student fees. The fees would go to support additional grants for student athletes across all sports. In all, it would cost about $5.5 million for the university to compete in Division I.
The university also is waiting on its official invitation, expected shortly, to join the Division I Big West Conference.
UC Davis will hold two more forums for faculty and staff to air concerns about the move: from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Memorial Union East Conference Room and noon-1 p.m. Nov. 22 in Memorial Union II.
Greg Warzecka, director of athletics; Gill-Fisher; faculty athletic representative Mel Ramey; and Bob Franks, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, will be present to address the questions from faculty and staff members.