A task force studying the future of intercollegiate athletics at the University of California, Davis, is preliminarily recommending that the campus move its National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II athletic programs to Division I competition with scholarships. For football, the task force recommends the campus seek membership in a newly proposed Division I-AA Modified conference that limits schools to 40 tuition-only scholarships (because UC students pay fees, not tuition, these "tuition only" scholarships would extend to comparable UC fees). Division I-A permits a maximum of 85 full-cost scholarships; Division I-AA permits a maximum of 63 full-cost scholarships. The new Division I-AA Modified conference could include such campuses as UC Santa Barbara; California State University, Sacramento, Northridge and possibly Long Beach; Santa Clara University; and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In its draft report, released for public review today (Jan. 7), the task force recommends that the campus begin complying with Division I regulations no later than fall 1993, apply for Division I conference affiliation, and begin full membership in fall 1995. Such a move is necessary, the task force says, to preserve a broad-based program of athletic competition. Many UC Davis teams currently face serious scheduling problems as Northern California Athletic Conference members drop sports, the number of West Coast Division II competitors dwindles, and fewer Division I teams remain willing to compete with Division II opponents. The task force cautions, however, that if a move to Division I is approved, the integrity of the campus and its athletic program must be ensured and the traditional emphasis on athletes as students and on coaches as teachers must be retained. It emphasizes that no special admissions considerations should be made for athletes beyond those appropriate for other students and that coaches should be assured employment through the award of tenure or multiple-year contracts. A thorough financial study of the proposed shift to Division I, and Divison I-AA Modified for football, is recommended. The current annual UC Davis athletic budget is $2.5 million -- already $450,000 shy of what is needed in operating monies just to remain competitive as a Division II non-scholarship program, the task force notes. With a move to Division I, and Division I-AA Modified for football, annual operating expenses and scholarship costs are estimated at $4.3 million. Eighty-five full scholarships at $10,000 each, plus 40 tuition-only football scholarships at $2,500 each, are proposed, at a total annual cost of $950,000. The task force also recommends an increase of $850,000 in annual operating monies. These increased costs would be financed through an additional $300,000-$600,000 in expected gate receipts, NCAA proceeds, broadcast revenue, advertising income and business sponsorships; an anticipated rise in athletic fund raising; a suggested increase in central administrative support, provided funding for academic programs is not diminished; and a proposed increase in undergraduate student fees -- approximately $15-$25 per quarter. The task force recommends the fee increase be put to a student vote no later than winter quarter 1993. No facility improvements would be required to move to Division I, the task force says, though earlier planned improvements for such sports as tennis, aquatics and softball remain highly desirable. A new football stadium would not be required with a move to Division I-AA. Currently, UC Davis offers 20 intercollegiate sports, 11 for men and 9 for women. The public is invited to comment on the draft report at a town hall meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12, 7:30-9 p.m., in 194 Chemistry Bldg. Copies of the report are on reserve at Shields Library, the Memorial Union information desk, the Student Affairs Office (476 Mrak Hall), campus residence halls, the Intercollegiate Athletics Office (264 Hickey Gymnasium) and the Athletic Department Annex (116 A St.). Copies also have been provided to the leaders of campus constituent organizations. Task force chair and management professor Michael Maher says comments also may be sent directly to him through Feb. 18 at the Graduate School of Management, 318 Voorhies Hall. The task force will then incorporate comments into a final report that will be sent to UC Davis Chancellor Theodore L. Hullar in late February. Direction from the chancellor on the report's recommendations is expected shortly after the report is submitted. "At the outset of our study, I had hoped we would provide the campus with a report that would provide the basis for a thoughtful discussion of the alternatives for intercollegiate athletics at UC Davis," Maher said. "I believe we have done that. The report is the result of an incredible amount of work by the task force members and I am very proud of their effort." In a letter to Maher, Hullar thanked the task force for its "focussed, dedicated, and very helpful work" in studying the athletic program and consulting widely in preparing its draft report. Since its appointment by Hullar in March 1991, the task force has met with representatives of more than 20 student, faculty, staff, alumni and donor groups, culminating in a Nov. 7 town hall meeting attended by about 150 people. "A key challenge in this kind of study is being mindful of the present but recognizing that it is the future -- often many years away -- that is being considered and shaped," Hullar wrote to Maher. "You have looked at the present but always kept in mind the future of our program. Your report's proper attention to financing of ICA (intercollegiate athletics) is similar. Balancing the present very real, and felt, stresses of our budget stringencies against the need for a viable future for the ICA program will take similar perspective." Task force members include: Yuri Hinson, animal science undergraduate and member of the gymnastics team; Barbara Jahn, physical education supervisor and women's swimming coach; Maher; Michael McCoy, University Extension specialist and chair of the Chancellor's Athletics Administrative Advisory Committee; Michael Shepard, biochemistry undergraduate and member of the football team; Keith Williams, associate professor and chair of the physical education department; and Robert Williams, physical education lecturer and men's basketball coach. The group was assisted by Robert Chason, acting vice chancellor for student affairs; Jerry Henderson, professor of mechanical engineering and faculty athletics representative to the NCAA; and Jim Sochor, physical education supervisor and former head football coach and director of athletics.