St. Cloud State To Pay All Athlete Costs In Hockey
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) -- St. Cloud State is joining the parade of schools that will pay the total cost of attendance for at least some athletes.
The "cost of attendance" policies go beyond the tuition, fees and room and board expenses covered by traditional scholarships. They would cover additional things such as travel expenses and extra food.
The policy will start in fall 2016 for men's and women's hockey, where the school plays Division I, the St. Cloud Times reported. The Huskies are Division II in other sports.
Athletic director Heather Weems said the change has been driven in part by lawsuits against the NCAA over what some people see as profiting from athletes, especially in football.
"That was kind of the movement that culminated in some different thinking about how we should be looking at working with our student-athletes with financial compensation," Weems said. "But you marry that with the amateurism that we espouse within in the NCAA and you get some muddy waters."
North Dakota State and the University of North Dakota recently announced similar moves.
St. Cloud State's financial aid department is in the process of assessing its total cost of attendance. Weems estimates that for St. Cloud State students the cost will be between $2,500 and $3,000.
The university is facing a $9.5 million general fund deficit, and the men's hockey team -- the athletic department's top revenue producer -- had a decline in attendance last season.
Huskies men's hockey coach Bob Motzko and women's hockey coach Eric Rud are convinced that the university will find a way.
"Our university has always supported our program to compete at the highest level to be successful," Motzko said. "They're going to continue to do that."
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
