New regulations have been passed by the NCAA regarding the allowance for cash stipends to be given to college athletes.
These cash stipends are also referred to as “cost of attendance.” The purpose of the stipends is to fill in the gap between scholarships for tuition and room and board and the actual cost of attendance. The stipends could be used to cover items such as laundry, food and student fees. Each player will receive a different amount based on financial need.
Many colleges are only providing stipends to football and basketball teams which bring in the most revenue. Although colleges are also allowed to give these stipends to “non-revenue” teams, it is determined by the size and budget of the school.
According to CNN, “The stipends, available at most of the country major sports programs, range from about $2,000 to $5,000 a year, although some schools are reportedly offering a few thousand more than that.”
The Big South Conference, which Longwood Athletics is included in, decided to require colleges and universities within the conference to provide “cost of attendance” stipends to their men’s and women’s basketball teams.
According to Austin, the Big South Conference determined that the men’s and women’s basketball teams brought in the most revenue and were identified to be priority teams for the conference.
The “cost of attendance” stipends will be implemented into this calendar year by Longwood Athletics.
“We don’t know the complete financial impact yet because we haven’t provided it yet, but in terms of our policy, we will assess things I talked about in terms of family financial need and make decisions then as to how much will be allotted per player,” says Troy Austin, the director of Athletics.
Longwood Athletics is currently in the process of assessing the budget and athletes’ financial needs. According to Austin, the “cost of attendance” stipends will probably be issued around middle to late October.
As far as where the money will come from for the stipends, Austin says that money would need to be generated from private funds of both alumni donations and athletics revenue, as well as money reallocated into the budget.
“There will be specific calculations per player. We are pretty similar to a Pell stipend in that we’re giving it with the guidance to take care of themselves. We’ve never gotten that specific about a list of things (to cover with stipends),” says Austin.
There are possible concerns as to whether the stipends could benefit certain colleges over others. Recruiting comes into question as larger schools may be able to offer larger stipends to students.
“It’s not meant to be used as a recruiting tool. It really is designed to provide for those...with difficult financial situations, but let’s be candid about life and particularly how it works at a much, much bigger institutions. I mean, it’s a world that I can comprehend, but I know is beyond what we’re doing at Longwood because of the resources at stake... At certain levels, it will be used for competitive positioning. At our level, we don’t have the resources to do it,” says Austin.
However, Austin believes the stipends from larger schools won’t affect Longwood’s athletic recruitment. Austin says that although recruitment is not easy, he doesn’t believe that larger schools’ athlete stipends will affect Longwood’s recruitment, and it will remain the same as it has been.
As far as the use of the “cost of attendance” stipends, there is a question as to whether they will be used for the intentions they were meant for. Austin remains confident that the basketball athletes will use the stipends for their intentions, but acknowledges the possibility of the money being used for other purposes.
“They’re developed to be idealistic, but that doesn’t account for those who have other intentions. So, I am hopeful that it will do just what its intention is,” says Austin.
Unlike Longwood which is in Division I, Hampden-Sydney College is in Division III. Therefore, Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) is not in the same conference as Longwood.
According to Richard Epperson, H-SC’s director of Athletics, “H-SC will not be affected by the recent NCAA decision. We will simply adhere to the Division III philosophy and pay for play will not enter the equation for our student-athletes.”
The Rotunda reached out to Stuart Smith, Longwood’s director of Athletics Business Operations, for an interview but was declined.
Follow The Rotunda for updates as the story develops.
Men’s and women’s basketball will be receiving athlete stipends due to new NCAA regulations by end of October. Stipends bring possible issues to Longwood such as budget, recruitment, and competitive advantage.
