Post by dex on Aug 22, 2015 22:30:44 GMT -5
By Kevin McNamara
Journal Sports Writer
Posted Aug. 22, 2015 at 5:35 PM
The college athletics arms race is about to jump to another level this fall.
Schools across the country are getting ready to begin paying certain athletes cost-of-attendance stipends above the value of their scholarships. While the concept is praised by many as overdue for athletes who generate hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars for some schools, the implementation is drawing plenty of criticism.
Recently released figures show that schools are interpreting the new rule in different ways.
Every college is required to post a cost-of-attendance figure on its website to show prospective students how much they could spend for a year of residence. Athletic scholarships typically include tuition, room and board, books and fees. Now some athletes will receive cash to cover transportation from home, personal necessities and other "miscellaneous expenses."
The NCAA did not place a cap, or a floor, on the amount that schools can offer to athletes, although the amounts cannot exceed the difference between the value of an athletic scholarship and the financial aid department's cost-of-attendance estimate.
Coaches now fear that schools offering higher stipends will benefit in recruiting.
For example, a basketball recruit choosing between Providence College and the University of Rhode Island would have another factor to consider besides playing time, who his coach would be, and how often the team is on television. A URI player would receive an additional $12,776 over his four years, versus a PC player receiving $7,200.
Both PC and URI will participate in the program on a limited basis. Bryant University has no plans to pay cost of attendance, but three other schools in the Northeast Conference — Robert Morris, Mount St. Mary’s and St. Francis (Pa.) — will in men’s and women’s basketball. Ivy League schools such as Brown University will not pay cost-of-attendance stipends.
At URI, athletic director Thorr Bjorn said he’s budgeted roughly $90,000 to cover payments of $3,194 a year to the 28 men’s and women’s basketball players. No other sport will participate in the program.
"I’d like to try and include more of our athletes, but the budgetary impact is significant," Bjorn said. "The presidents at the Atlantic 10 schools are all committed to cost of attendance in men’s and women’s basketball to keep our programs competitive nationally."
Providence College is coming off its best year in athletics, but some of the Friars’ very best athletes won’t receive cost-of-attendance payments. PC athletic director Bob Driscoll said the school has agreed to pay $1,800 a year to members of the men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey teams. That’s a new budget item of approximately $115,000, but it will leave out other sports. PC’s men’s soccer team played to the NCAA Final Four last fall, while women’s cross-country annually challenges for a national title.
“I’d like to do it for all of our sports and we’re still trying to figure out where that money will come from,” Driscoll said. “Ultimately we will have to fundraise it.”
Driscoll said that some Big East schools are planning to eventually pay cost of attendance for all athletes. That would push PC to prioritize other sports as well. Hockey East hasn’t mandated cost-of-attendance payments to its member schools, but most of the league will participate.
The hockey programs that do pay cost of attendance, Driscoll said, will be "the schools trying to win a national championship, and we’re obviously in that group.”
The push for cost-of-attendance payments was generated by the members of the five largest, football-dominated conferences. The self-proclaimed Power Five certainly have the means to pay, but currently find themselves squabbling over the disparity in payments. Ohio State is college football's defending national champion and annually one of the highest-grossing athletic departments in the country, but the Buckeyes have only the 10th-highest payment in the Big Ten at $2,970.
“It's wrong, it's wrong,” Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer told CBSSports.com of the varying numbers by school. “That needs to be fixed. Whoever came up with that ruling, it's wrong. That needs to be a standardized [number].”
The actual cost-of-attendance numbers are mandated to come from each school's financial-aid office, not the athletic department. That has proven to be a bit of an issue for private schools that charge significantly more than large state schools. A school such as Boston College that lists cost of attendance at $65,802 (vs. $42,692 at URI) may want to minimize its true cost for fear of turning off prospective students and hurting enrollment efforts.
But that isn’t going to help Eagles athletes. BC reportedly has the lowest cost-of-attendance figure among all Power Five schools at $1,400. Notre Dame is one of the wealthiest football-playing schools in the country but will pay its athletes $1,950, significantly below schools such as Connecticut ($3,350).
“Bottom line is I’m happy that we’re able to do this,” said PC’s Driscoll. “It’s the right thing to do, especially for our athletes who live on campus, don’t have a chance to get a job and have a limited amount of spending money.”
Journal Sports Writer
Posted Aug. 22, 2015 at 5:35 PM
The college athletics arms race is about to jump to another level this fall.
Schools across the country are getting ready to begin paying certain athletes cost-of-attendance stipends above the value of their scholarships. While the concept is praised by many as overdue for athletes who generate hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars for some schools, the implementation is drawing plenty of criticism.
Recently released figures show that schools are interpreting the new rule in different ways.
Every college is required to post a cost-of-attendance figure on its website to show prospective students how much they could spend for a year of residence. Athletic scholarships typically include tuition, room and board, books and fees. Now some athletes will receive cash to cover transportation from home, personal necessities and other "miscellaneous expenses."
The NCAA did not place a cap, or a floor, on the amount that schools can offer to athletes, although the amounts cannot exceed the difference between the value of an athletic scholarship and the financial aid department's cost-of-attendance estimate.
Coaches now fear that schools offering higher stipends will benefit in recruiting.
For example, a basketball recruit choosing between Providence College and the University of Rhode Island would have another factor to consider besides playing time, who his coach would be, and how often the team is on television. A URI player would receive an additional $12,776 over his four years, versus a PC player receiving $7,200.
Both PC and URI will participate in the program on a limited basis. Bryant University has no plans to pay cost of attendance, but three other schools in the Northeast Conference — Robert Morris, Mount St. Mary’s and St. Francis (Pa.) — will in men’s and women’s basketball. Ivy League schools such as Brown University will not pay cost-of-attendance stipends.
At URI, athletic director Thorr Bjorn said he’s budgeted roughly $90,000 to cover payments of $3,194 a year to the 28 men’s and women’s basketball players. No other sport will participate in the program.
"I’d like to try and include more of our athletes, but the budgetary impact is significant," Bjorn said. "The presidents at the Atlantic 10 schools are all committed to cost of attendance in men’s and women’s basketball to keep our programs competitive nationally."
Providence College is coming off its best year in athletics, but some of the Friars’ very best athletes won’t receive cost-of-attendance payments. PC athletic director Bob Driscoll said the school has agreed to pay $1,800 a year to members of the men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey teams. That’s a new budget item of approximately $115,000, but it will leave out other sports. PC’s men’s soccer team played to the NCAA Final Four last fall, while women’s cross-country annually challenges for a national title.
“I’d like to do it for all of our sports and we’re still trying to figure out where that money will come from,” Driscoll said. “Ultimately we will have to fundraise it.”
Driscoll said that some Big East schools are planning to eventually pay cost of attendance for all athletes. That would push PC to prioritize other sports as well. Hockey East hasn’t mandated cost-of-attendance payments to its member schools, but most of the league will participate.
The hockey programs that do pay cost of attendance, Driscoll said, will be "the schools trying to win a national championship, and we’re obviously in that group.”
The push for cost-of-attendance payments was generated by the members of the five largest, football-dominated conferences. The self-proclaimed Power Five certainly have the means to pay, but currently find themselves squabbling over the disparity in payments. Ohio State is college football's defending national champion and annually one of the highest-grossing athletic departments in the country, but the Buckeyes have only the 10th-highest payment in the Big Ten at $2,970.
“It's wrong, it's wrong,” Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer told CBSSports.com of the varying numbers by school. “That needs to be fixed. Whoever came up with that ruling, it's wrong. That needs to be a standardized [number].”
The actual cost-of-attendance numbers are mandated to come from each school's financial-aid office, not the athletic department. That has proven to be a bit of an issue for private schools that charge significantly more than large state schools. A school such as Boston College that lists cost of attendance at $65,802 (vs. $42,692 at URI) may want to minimize its true cost for fear of turning off prospective students and hurting enrollment efforts.
But that isn’t going to help Eagles athletes. BC reportedly has the lowest cost-of-attendance figure among all Power Five schools at $1,400. Notre Dame is one of the wealthiest football-playing schools in the country but will pay its athletes $1,950, significantly below schools such as Connecticut ($3,350).
“Bottom line is I’m happy that we’re able to do this,” said PC’s Driscoll. “It’s the right thing to do, especially for our athletes who live on campus, don’t have a chance to get a job and have a limited amount of spending money.”