At USM the Athletics Department takes great pride in the players and teams that represent the institution on and off the field. There are instances though when student-athletes struggle to pay for their education, and are forced to leave school and their teams in search of ways to become financially stable. This issue raises a very important question. Should athletic scholarships be implemented in Division III institutions?
According to the NCAA website, DIII student-athletes receive no financial aid based on their athletic ability, and the experience the athletes get is the main concern for the administrators and coaches. In comparison, DII student athletes may have some of their school paid for by athletic scholarships, and many DI athletes get their entire education paid for through scholarships. Since DIII schools are smaller and don’t compete at the higher level of DI and DII schools, they should focus on the all-around experience of the student-athlete. But when a student-athlete is stripped of their education and athletic opportunities at that institution, there has to be something the school can do to help them, right? This is when the diversity of DIII comes into play.
With over 400 institutions in DIII, only about 80 are public universities, making the differences in financial aid at every school very dramatic.
“You look at our financial aid at USM and it is all need based. At private DIII schools student-athlete’s financial aid is based on parent distribution and grants, so it is a completely different situation,” USM Athletic Director Al Bean said.
Bean mentioned that he has put a lot of thought into the issue of athletic scholarships in DIII, and proposed his thoughts on how the situation should be dealt with.
“Honestly, I’d like to see schools consider athletic talent the same way they look at music, art and theater talent as far as financial aid,” Bean said. “In order to keep their aid they would have to hold up their end in the classroom. It should all based be on the academics.”
This answer to the financial issue brewing in DIII athletics could work as a viable alternative, but it would be stretching the rules and regulations against athletic scholarships, making a great proposal to bring up to the NCAA in the future.
There is also the option of moving up and joining DII, so that the institution’s student-athletes will be given at least some financial aid. Along with climbing the ranks in divisions though comes the fact that it will cost more money, leading to an increase in budget, which is something USM cannot afford right now.
There is speculation about how many DIII schools are treating their athletes. Some are supposedly pampering their athletes, providing them with more grants or better financial aid because of their athletic ability. Although there isn’t speculation that any schools in the Little East Conference are doing this for their athletes, it is still a major issue that can bring unfairness to the playing field.
“Not everyone has the same financial aid structure. Some schools have more money to give their kids, and I know at some places that money goes to student-athletes for different reasons other than academics,” USM men’s basketball coach Karl Henrickson said. “I think that DIII schools should be places where the athletes get the same privileges as everyone else, and that athletic scholarships should remain in DI and DII.”
As a part of the educational process, some administrators believe that athletics should be treated with more importance in DIII. The idea of scholarships has been kicked around in the past, but it hasn’t budged the NCAA, and it doesn’t look like it will anytime soon. It will be interesting to see in the future if athletic scholarships will actually be implemented so not as many athletes will be driven out of the classroom and the field because of their financial situations.
“When students are working one or two jobs to pay for school, and going to practices and games, I wish we could give them a little help,” bean said. “But, that means we would have to move up.”