An athletic scholarship proposal developed by Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph W. Watson is facing criticism from faculty, staff and other campus administrators. It will go before the campus’ Academic Senate later this week.
Money play:
While the proposal has received vocal support from top leaders on the A.S. Council, some faculty and staff have expressed concerns about the plan. The UCSD Council of Provosts, although not formally opposing the scholarships, has expressed reservations about the concept and raised questions over the idea of giving money to athletes while many campus programs are in need of financial aid.
“”While the provosts understand that there has been a shift in NCAA policy regarding Division II regulations, the Council of Provosts feels that their imperative should not dictate UCSD’s policy,”” Earl Warren College Provost Steven Adler stated in an e-mail. “”The campus currently maintains two equally justifiable criteria for scholarships: merit and need. Grants-in-aid to student athletes meet neither criterion. Our athletes have always performed with distinction both athletically and academically, and we question the value of these grants-in-aid in light of the many other initiatives that are under-funded or receive no funding. The proposal allows for additional funds to be raised from outside sources, which could eventually disturb the initial objective of distributing these grants-in-aid equitably to all student athletes regardless of team affiliation or perceived ‘value’ of a given sport.””
Watson did not respond to requests seeking comment.
However, UCSD Athletics Director Earl W. Edwards said that the plan would significantly enhance the university’s ability to recruit better athletes.
Money for the scholarships is expected to come from savings and reserves initially, and then from student registration fees. There are no details available at the moment as to which student programs would be affected by the plan, although the proposal states that the expenditure commitment will not impact annual allocations of permanent and temporary funding to the Registration Fee Advisory Committee.
The proposal has also been the subject of a series of negotiations between Watson and the Senate Council, the top administrative committee of the Academic Senate, Senate Chair Donald Tuzin said. Watson’s proposal will be submitted to the Representative Assembly for deliberation at a May 24 meeting.
Adler said the Council of Provosts is not actively opposing the proposal but is making sure to provide feedback throughout the process.
“”Our input was solicited as part of the process of collaborative discourse that the campus undertakes for any such initiative,”” Adler stated. “”The Council of Provosts are not opposing this proposal. … We will see what future debate generates in order to determine what sort of subsequent dialogue is warranted.””
The proposal, which would provide $500 annually to each of the university’s intercollegiate athletes, seeks to comply with an NCAA mandate stating that every Division II school must make previously optional financial awards available to its athletes. The university, which moved from Division III to Division II in 2000, has received a waiver for the 2005-06 academic year.
Should the proposal pass and UCSD find itself unable to obtain a waiver for the 2006-07 academic year, athletes will be entitled to scholarships in two years. According to the new NCAA rule, effective in the fall, each institution must offer a minimum of $250,000 for athletic scholarships; the UCSD plan provides a maximum of $300,000. However, the scholarships would require chancellor approval, which is based on faculty input and support.
“”UCSD has have done admirably in recruiting excellent student athletes without offering financial aid based on athletic participation,”” Adler stated. “”The Council of Provosts recommend that UCSD once again request an exemption to the Division II requirement, which is currently the status under which we operate.””
Athletes would still need to meet academic requirements to be eligible for the grants. Continuing students would need to keep a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and successfully complete 36 units in the previous academic year, with 12 units each quarter, to qualify.
