Dateline: World Finals in June 1997:

On Saturday afternoon of the 1997 World Finals in College Park, Maryland, a meeting of all those interested in the further development of Division IV was held. Sue Welsch, OM Division IV Coordinator, chaired the meeting, and Linda Foster from OM Association attended. The meeting was well attended by current Division IV team members, by Division IV coaches, and by high school students wanting to continue with OM once they were in college. There were also several OM state directors who attended.

The following ideas were discussed:

WHAT HAPPENS TO DIVISION IV AS OM GROWS?

Some attendees thought that Division IV should have a separate competition site and date. Others thought it was great the way it was. Suggestions were made to look for newer, bigger sites or limit the number of people staying in OM housing. Others thought that perhaps there could be one competition for Divisions I and II and a separate competition for Divisions III and IV.
There was lively discussion and no consensus.

HOW CAN DIVISION IV GROW?

1. Form a steering committee to address this problem.
2. Develop promotional materials such as a brochure and/or video to promote interest at college campuses.
3. Develop a Division IV web site with links from the main OM web site.
4. Obtain representation on state and national boards.
5. Recognize the differences between small colleges and large universities and appeal to these differences.
6. Encourage growth by perhaps requiring Division IV teams to compete at the state level.
7. Competition costs should be lower for Division IV teams who do not stay in dorms.

1. Form a steering committee with a meeting some time before next World Finals.
2. Develop a web page for sharing ideas.
3. Develop a mission statement.
4. Set up a committee structure to help with promotion and to answer questions.

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