The applicant is notified of the conditions of his grant by a "tender of award" on a form prescribed by the Commissioner's office and standardized throughout the league. In his tender, the applicant is notified of the amount of aid the college will offer him and the terms on which it is given.

Strict Regulations

Once the tender is made, it may not be changed except with the permission of the commissioner and as the result of a re-computation of need. Since the dates within which the tenders can be sent out are limited, there is no possibility of competitive "bidding" for players on the basis of more favorable terms.

In addition to the strict regulations on tender of aid, the colleges and the athletes are placed under many other regulations, which carry penalties of possible loss of eligibility or loss of scholarship aid. Coaches and athletic staff members are not allowed to discuss matters of financial aid with applicants except in campus interviews or in correspondence. Between the time the tender of aid is sent out and the time the student accepts it in writing, no coach or other college employee is allowed to have any contact with him. And any falsification in filling out the Financial aid forms may lead to both loss of aid and Conference eligibility.

The safeguards provided by the rules have not been sufficient to convince everyone that the Financial Need program is acceptable. Aside from the usual opposition to radical changes, Reed notes a "feeling that the plan is 'too liberal' in its acceptance of a predicate for financial assistance--that a class preference is being set up and, collaterally, that there is a diminution of any emphasis upon academic achievement."

Perhaps a more serious source of opposition comes from those who believe that the conferences which offer "free rides" or less carefully apportioned grants may lure away athletes who might otherwise go to a Big Ten School, and that thus the caliber of the teams is diminished.

Reed says that although it is too early to determine the effects of "putting ourselves on an island," but that the belief of those framing the plan was that selection of a college should not be based on financial inducement.

And lastly, one official at a Big Ten School denounced the scheme as "socialistic."

The basic principles are stated in the introduction to the Financial Aids manual: "that participation shall be limited to individuals who are representative of their student bodies," and "that the student-athlete must be one who engages in athletics, not for any material exploitation of his athletic prowess, but as an activity incidental to his educational objectives."

The plan is too new to have proved itself, and the next few years should provide a crucial test. But, as Reed notes, "we are encouraged by the significant fact that nowhere has anyone questioned that the basic principle is sound."