Results from the first year's use of the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund show Division I conferences are holding up their end of a financial bargain to help student-athletes achieve their academic goals. The 31 leagues spent more than $6 million in 2003-04 on items such as fifth- or sixth-year financial aid, summer school, laptop computers and educational supplies, fulfilling a promise to use the newly created fund to support the Association's educational mission.

The Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund (SAOF), created as part of the bundled-rights agreement with CBS Sports and ESPN, provides direct benefits to student-athletes through assistance with educational expenses and fees, health and safety expenses, personal or family expenses, and institutional academic or programming enhancements. The SAOF is a separate allocation from the Special Assistance Fund, though it can be used for similar purposes. The primary difference between the two funds, however, is that the SAOF is available to all student-athletes, while the Special Assistance Fund applies only to those who are Pell-eligible or who have demonstrated financial need.

Conferences divided $17 million in the first year of the SAOF and spent about $12.4 million, 50 percent of which went toward educational expenses. Another healthy chunk ($2.2 million) went toward insurance premiums and medical expenses for student-athletes, and about $1.3 million was allocated for personal reasons (for example, clothing allowances, additional student-athlete travel home for emergencies).

What the leagues didn't spend will supplement the $19.2 million distribution for 2004-05. The fund increases by 13 percent each year and will eventually be a $57 million payout by 2013, the last year of the contract.

The best news, however, is that the SAOF is being used as it was intended. During the television-rights negotiations, then-NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey fought for a fund that provided direct benefits to student-athletes. And while "direct benefits" didn't mean a paycheck or a stipend, it did mean more access to resources for student-athletes than at any other time in NCAA history.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to give, in essence, direct aid to student-athletes," said Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. "While there is some specificity in the parameters, I like that it is fairly broad in how it can be used; there's a great deal of flexibility."

"It's working well," echoed Chris Monasch, Steinbrecher's counterpart at the America East Conference. "Most of our schools are using the money for educational expenses. I believe that commitment will be positively reflected in graduation rates."

Educational supplement

The SAOF's guiding principles include assisting student-athletes in meeting financial needs that arise in conjunction with participation in intercollegiate athletics, helping finance enrollment in an academic curriculum, or recognizing academic achievement. The permissible uses are so flexible, in fact, that it's easier to state the restric- tions. The fund can't be used for salaries and benefits, stipends, grants-in-aid (other than summer school) for student-athletes with remaining eligibility, or capital improvements.

There's more good news from the annual report conferences are required to submit about their use of the fund: The more than 27,000 student-athlete recipients were as diverse as the types of needs. The fund didn't just help student-athletes in football and basketball, but in all sports -- even some emerging women's sports -- and gender wasn't a factor.

"We saw our institutions spend their allocations equitably across the board," said Atlantic Coast Conference Associate Commissioner Shane Lyons. "Our institutions were very pleased with the allocation and being able to spend the money on student-athletes in all sports, not just some."

As with most leagues, Lyons said the lion's share of the ACC allocation went toward educational expenses -- the kinds of cost-of-attendance expenses that rise above the full grant-in-aid, such as course-related supplies or fees not normally covered by the full grant.

"That had been money out of the institution's or student-athlete's pocket before," Lyons said.

For example, he said, student-athletes in certain majors often are faced with purchasing supplies that aren't covered by current grant-in-aid legislation that provides for the required books in a particular course. "If you're an architecture major who has only a couple of books but who needs art supplies and boards and technical pens, that was money normally coming out of your pocket because it wasn't a course-related book," Lyons said. "The Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund now gives institutions the opportunity to help those student-athletes purchase those supplies."

"This is overwhelmingly in the best interests of student-athlete well-being," said Dennis Thomas, commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. "It's a win for them. And for those institutions struggling with their bottom line that have student-athletes who need summer school to move forward on a graduation track, or those who have used up their eligibility but need an additional semester or two to graduate, this fund has helped those institutions defray some of those costs."

Student-athlete feedback

Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Chair Katie Groke said those student-athletes who know about the fund are glad it's there.

"From my personal experience and my experience at the conference SAAC level (Mountain West), I think the fund has been used a great deal and student-athletes are really responding to it," she said. "On the other hand I feel that on a national level, not enough student-athletes know about the fund and understand what it can be used for. I think it will be a goal again this year for the national SAAC to get the word out about the fund so all athletes know it is available to them."

Brandi Stuart, a former softball student-athlete at Florida State University and a Division I SAAC member whose term expired September 1, cited several examples of how the fund also helped student-athletes' personal circumstances. One student-athlete she knew experienced some flood damage in her apartment that ruined a computer, but Florida State was able to use the SAOF to help her replace it.

In another case, several members of the swimming and diving team had their cars burglarized while they were away for a meet. The student-athletes applied for assistance from the SAOF and received funds to help defray replacement costs of the stolen items.

"Florida State used the fund to make sure athletes aren't at a disadvantage," Stuart said. "The fund was especially helpful to international student-athletes who may not be able to afford a ticket home in an emergency. It certainly is a nice resource to have."

Stuart emphasized the latter thought in light of sentiments that arose when parameters for the fund were being developed two years ago. Some student-athletes wanted the fund to support the pay-for-play argument and be given stipends that would help get them closer to cost of attendance.

But Stuart said the fund is being used as it should -- as a privilege and not a right.

"Whenever a large amount of money comes into the picture," she said, "there are those student-athletes who would say, 'Oh, well, we should get it because we generated the revenue.' But after really thinking about it, students realize it's a privilege to play your sport and to go to college and have your education paid for.

"The Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund is a nice resource to have but it's not a necessity, and we don't deserve that money as our right. We're getting our education essentially for free, and if you happen to need additional money, then you can apply for it, and if you qualify for it, you get it. But if you don't need it, then go to school, get your free education and go on with the rest of your life. Most of us are content with going to school, getting an education, having the college experience -- paid for in many cases -- and moving on with the rest of our lives."

Escrow account

Only one of the 31 conferences used its entire SAOF allotment in 2003-04. Most used about 75 percent of their funds, while some used even less. The ACC's Lyons said seven of the nine schools in his league carried over large amounts.

"I think in part it's because it's such a new fund," he said. "Many schools felt that they didn't want to start setting precedent and then run completely out of funds. Institutions were a little more reserved this year and in a way chose to build up a little escrow, if you will."

However, America East Commissioner Monasch, who chairs the Division I Management Council, said the SAOF could have been even slower out of the gate than it was. He said that was the case when the Special Assistance Fund was introduced.

"The Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund has gotten off to a much faster start than the Special Assistance Fund did because people have gone down that path," Monasch said. "Early on, I think people were hesitant to spend the dollars in the Special Assistance Fund. Now people are more creative and ready to spend the dollars right at the start and get the impact they want."

Monasch and Lyons both indicated that their leagues give individual schools the autonomy to determine how the fund is used and at what pace. Lyons also said most ACC schools have established guidelines about how to use the funds.

For example, he said, if the situation falls into a certain category such as a course supplies, medical emergency or a death in the family, then the application is automatically approved. If it doesn't, then most schools have created small committees within the athletics department, which in many cases include the faculty athletics representative, to decide on a case-by-case basis.

In any case, not many conference or campus administrators believe the SAOF has done anything but allow them to enhance the student-athlete experience. And given the 13 percent annual increase -- and the increasing comfort level schools should reach with spending the money -- there's nothing but good news ahead for student-athletes.

MEAC Commissioner Thomas said all the student-athletes he's spoken with are very pleased with the results.

"All of our institutions have been able to use the fund to have a positive effect on student-athlete well-being," he said.

Since that was the goal when the SAOF was established, it might be safe to say, "Mission accomplished."