The University of Southern Indiana's decision Monday to join NCAA Division I athletics is a seismic shift in the local sports scene.
The school will join nearly 360 other U.S. colleges and universities that play Division I sports. It affects all of the school's 17 athletics programs, from basketball to golf.
Here's a quick breakdown of where things currently stand.
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USI is now an NCAA Division 1 school. Who made the decision?
The vote was by the school's board of trustees, a nine-person panel. The vote was unanimous in favor of the move.
According to its bylaws, the USI trustees board must include one alumnus of the school, one current student and one resident of Vanderburgh County. All trustee terms are for four years, except for the student term, which is two years, according to the school's website.
The trustees on four-year terms are: Ron Romain, Christina Ryan, Kenneth Sendelweck, Daniel Fuquay, Christine Keck, Jeffrey Knight, Harold Calloway and John Dunn. The two-year student trustee is Liam Collins, a member of USI's Class of 2023.
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Romain, the president of the board of trustees, is owner, president and CEO of United Companies and a former chairman of the USI Foundation's board of directors.
How much will USI's move to Division I athletics cost?
First, there's a reclassification application fee that has to be paid to the NCAA. That fee is based on revenue-sharing figures for existing Division I schools and is in the neighborhood of $1.7 million.
After that comes an expansion of the athletics department budget to pay for more coach salaries, more staff positions and other things. USI officials have estimated that their athletics budget will need to basically double, from $6.6 million annually to $12 million per year.
For students, that almost certainly will mean more expense.Aproposed four-year financial model would ultimately increase USI student fees by $475 per year.
When does USI begin play as a Division I school?
After the current school year. USI will finish this academic year as an NCAA Division II school before starting play at the Division I level. The transition officially takes place July 1.
Has USI played Division I sports before?
The men's soccer team was a Division I program from 1992-94. It was the only school program at the time to do so.
Other than that, USI has been a Division II school whose matchups with Division I programs were almost always exhibition games.
The men's basketball team has a history of playing preseason games against D1schools, and even defeated Wisconsin in the 1990-91 season. The men's team has previously played exhibition games with the likes of Indiana, Purdue, Cincinnati, Southern Illinois, Auburn, Evansville and Tennessee.
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When can USI's teams play in Division I NCAA tournaments?
USI fans will have to wait a bit to see the Eagles have a chance to take part in "March Madness" — or any other Division I national tournament.
USI's athletic teams must go through a four-year probationary period as a Division I program before being allowed to qualify for NCAA tournaments. However, depending on what conference USI joins, they may be allowed to participate in conference tournaments.
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Also, schools in the Division I probation period are allowed to participate in postseason tournaments other than the NCAA Tournament, if organizers allow it. Bellarmine, a former USI conference rival in Division II, played in last year's College Basketball Invitational (CBI) as it awaited an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
So what conference will USI be in?
That's still up in the air as of Monday.
USI has not disclosed which conferences have extended membership offers, but the three likeliest candidates in terms of geography, program budgets and competition levelare the Ohio Valley Conference, the Horizon League and the Atlantic Sun (or ASUN) Conference.
USI President Ron Rochon said an announcement regarding a conference will happen “in the coming days.”
How did the USI community feel about moving to Division I?
USI recently released results from a general survey on whether the school should transition to Division I:
- 49% of respondents said no.
- Retirees and faculty voted no the most: 62% and 60%, respectively.
- 48% of students were against it.
- The student athlete vote is split at 45% for and against, and the other 10% choosing "I don't know."
