|
Athletes dine for free
by Korene Gallegos
The Metropolitan
Metro Athletes are a common fixture at the Daily Grind, due to their
room and board scholarship stipend. In a recent review of athletic funding
this school year, students are recognizing the special benefits not received
in all scholarships.
Student Trustee Harris Singer finds the issue of room and board scholarship
funding to be controversial.
"Being a commuter college, room and board should not be a consideration
in how Metro gives out scholarships," Singer said. "I don't
know how wise it is for the college to budget athletics that way and not
every other student."
Scholarship Center Director Cindy Hejl explained that there is a difference
between Athletic and Academic scholarships.
"The Athletic Department has control over most of their funds,"
Hejl said. "We are the middle man (in processing the scholarships)."
Academic scholarships follow a different process through the Scholarship
Center and the chosen academic department. The main differences are the
food plan and the amount of funding.
"Athletic scholarships vary; they can include food and do full rides,"
Hejl said. "Academic has no full rides; it's not how they typically
work."
Hejl explained that the Athletic Department tries to give as much money
to as many student athletes as they can.
For example, Hejl explained, the department could dole out $10,000 to
a few athletes for full ride scholarships or the same amount per year
to twice as many students, but would cover only half of their expenses.
According to Brian Cookham, Metro's Assistant Athletic Director and men's
soccer coach, athletes vary on the type of scholarships they can receive.
"Each sport has individual limits and scholarships," Crookham
said. "The average (among them) is $2,000 plus books and room and
board."
Crookham places the maximum room stipend at $2,115 per semester and board
stipend at $1,372.50 per semester.
Ten Metro men's basketball players are on athletic scholarships.
They room at the Teikyo Loretto Heights University in Denver. Their room
and board stipend allows them to eat at the dormitory cafeteria and the
Daily Grind on the Auraria campus.
The women's basketball players room at The Parkway apartments and eat
only at the Daily Grind.
Metro student and basketball player Kristin Hein, whose scholarship played
a big part in her coming here, was recruited out of state.
"I chose to come here because there were more scholarships and a
better Adult Fitness Department," Hein said. "Any funding helps;
anything is a great benefit, (because) basketball is so demanding."
Metro student Erika Derr believes not all academic scholarships should
have room and board. Derr applied for four academic scholarships, totaling
$9,000 dollars annually.
"It is always nice to have extra money, but I have gotten quite
enough through Metro without it."
UCD student Kellee Smith earned the Colorado Scholarship, which is awarded
to Biology majors at Metro and UCD. Smith considers the room and board
funding to be an example of the scholarship program bias.
"I think it's not fair; I think academics are more important than
athletics by a long shot," Smith said. "They (the school) should
do to academics as they do to athletics."
Smith believes academic students focus more on their studies while athletes
focus more on playing.
"You don't play, you don't get the money," Smith said.
Crookham believes athletics is an important part of the school.
"Success in the field is success in the classroom," Crookham
said.
Two of the most notable athletic contributions are fund raising and school
advertisement. According to the Intercollegiate Athletics Department,
Metro sports generated $400,000 through fund raising and $35,000 in ticket
sales last year.
Metro Sports Information Director Trent Nielsen said as many as 67,915
spectators attended Metro's home and away games in the 2002-2003 season.
Men's Basketball attracted 31,963 spectators last year and won the Division
II Championship in 2000 and in 2002, when it aired on CBS.
Metro Athletic Director Joan McDermott could not be reached for comment,
but she was quoted last semester on the importance of Metro athletics.
"The school has really championed our program," McDermott said
in an article Oct. 30, 2003 in The Metropolitan. "Our department
has helped the image of this institution."
"There is other funding that is not school dollars or taxpayer's
dollars," Singer said. "Private scholarships can fund room and
board, instead of the college using its own dollars."
|
