"The Pylons of Promise"

[Hedgerunner]

BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Pylons of Promise," a document that sets forth the university's and athletics department's commitment to student-athletes during their time at Virginia Tech and beyond.

The highlights of The Pylons of Promise include the following:

• Cost of Attendance - In addition to tuition, fees, room, board and books, as part of a full athletics scholarship, Virginia Tech will provide the full maximum allowable cost of attendance for all 22 sports.

• Four-Year Scholarship Commitment - Athletics scholarships may be awarded on an annual or multi-year basis. Virginia Tech will make four-year scholarships available for deserving student-athletes.

• Excellence in Academic Support, Athletics Support and Career Development - Virginia Tech will continue to provide quality academic support, including tutoring, mentoring, individualized degree completion planning and laptops distribution. Virginia Tech's athletic support will include (but is not limited to) first-class coaching, sports medicine, nutrition and training services, top-quality facilities and elite Nike apparel and equipment. Also, the athletics department will provide its student-athletes with a comprehensive career development program that gives them the tools to interview and secure employment. The Virginia Tech Athletics Department will also provide student-athletes a business suit compliments of the Monogram Club as they embark on their career paths.

• Loss-of-Value Insurance - The institution will provide assistance for student-athletes to purchase loss-of-value insurance based on their values as professionals consistent with the athletics department's protocol for disability insurance.

• Continued Commitment to Landmark Concussion Research - Virginia Tech will follow all NCAA concussion protocol, and in addition, continue its landmark study of the topic. Last year, Virginia Tech was one of three schools awarded a $30 million Department of Defense grant to study the effects of concussions and ways to combat them, and the University's Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics has been studying concussions since 2003 in a leadership capacity.

• Meet Needs of Student-Athletes through NCAA's S.A.F. - In addition to providing the full cost of attendance for its student-athletes, Virginia Tech also will continue to meet student-athletes' needs through the Student Assistance Fund, a fund established by the NCAA that allots approximately $425,000 to Virginia Tech to use for student-athletes' needs provided he or she meets necessary criteria.

The Pylons of Promise is based on the ideals emblazoned on the eight pylons at the Virginia Tech War Memorial Court and the athletics department's core values of integrity, service, honor, and excellence and strong together.

"We developed the Pylons of Promise to specifically lay out what we're going to be doing for student-athletes at Virginia Tech," Babcock said. "We have committed to this extensive set of values and set it out transparently in writing, so that we can be held accountable for them by our student-athletes, our recruits and others invested in Virginia Tech, such as our faculty, our Board of Visitors, our alumni and our fans."

The Pylons of Promise is Virginia Tech's response to the changes in the NCAA governance landscape. The document serves as a pact, with Virginia Tech holding its student-athletes to high standards while sharing in the commitment to help its student-athletes reach those standards.

"The NCAA's governing structure continues to change, and never before has the focus been so squarely on the needs of the student-athletes and their experiences while in college," Virginia Tech President Dr. Timothy Sands said. "We are committed to fully supporting our student-athletes and insuring that they have the wonderful collegiate experience that they deserve. The Pylons of Promise reflects that commitment. This is our response to the changing environment around us - and it's a response that Hokie Nation should be proud of as we move forward."

Virginia Tech's holistic formula of athletic, academic and personal development has proven that success on the field, in the classroom and in the community go hand in hand, as 13 teams represented Virginia Tech in NCAA postseason play in the past year, two teams - men's swimming and diving, and wrestling - captured ACC titles, the Hokies' cumulative team GPA is near a 3.0, and Virginia Tech student-athletes impacted over 16,000 individuals through community involvement last academic year.

For updates on Virginia Tech Athletics, follow the Hokies on Twitter [/URL]

 

[NoKyCard]

"In addition to tuition, fees, room, board and books, as
part of a full athletics scholarship, Virginia Tech will provide the
full maximum allowable cost of attendance for all 22 sports"

Let's see....clothing (separate outfits for each of the spring and fall semesters), transportation (a vehicle to get around town when not practicing, not working out in the training facility, not eating the tasteless free food offered in the team cafeteria, or hunkered down in the study room), gas for transportation, plane tickets to get back home twice a semester to ease homesickness, and for the parents to visit and check up on my academic progress once a semester, a little spending money for the movies and for dinner for my date, barber, manicure and pedicure services (not just for the women, men need to keep their feet in good condition also), computer and an i-pad, tutors (not all sports currently offer tutors, so that will have to be included for all), laundry and valet service (not time to do it on my own) and I'm sure I'm leaving something else out. And for all scholarship athetes equally, of course.

And after all that, do you think that will stop any of the $100 ($500) handshakes? After all, if they can get all the above at Ure U, then why wouldn't the extra $500 bucks they can get at MYU still be an additional enticement. And besides, the guy who gives the $500 does it to make him feel important, so he's still going to do it anyway. And if he'll upgrade me from a Prius to a BMW at his dealership, it's still just transportation right?

All of this just to soothe the conscience of those "in charge". Student need? Fairness for all? Balderdash.

 

[ULCard17]

Originally posted by NoKyCard:
"In addition to tuition, fees, room, board and books, as
part of a full athletics scholarship, Virginia Tech will provide the
full maximum allowable cost of attendance for all 22 sports"

Let's see....clothing (separate outfits for each of the spring and fall semesters), transportation (a vehicle to get around town when not practicing, not working out in the training facility, not eating the tasteless free food offered in the team cafeteria, or hunkered down in the study room), gas for transportation, plane tickets to get back home twice a semester to ease homesickness, and for the parents to visit and check up on my academic progress once a semester, a little spending money for the movies and for dinner for my date, barber, manicure and pedicure services (not just for the women, men need to keep their feet in good condition also), computer and an i-pad, tutors (not all sports currently offer tutors, so that will have to be included for all), laundry and valet service (not time to do it on my own) and I'm sure I'm leaving something else out. And for all scholarship athetes equally, of course.

And after all that, do you think that will stop any of the $100 ($500) handshakes? After all, if they can get all the above at Ure U, then why wouldn't the extra $500 bucks they can get at MYU still be an additional enticement. And besides, the guy who gives the $500 does it to make him feel important, so he's still going to do it anyway. And if he'll upgrade me from a Prius to a BMW at his dealership, it's still just transportation right?

All of this just to soothe the conscience of those "in charge". Student need? Fairness for all? Balderdash.
Valid point you raise. Then you have to throw this into the equation. Is it fair for the athletes to live like kings while the rest of the students on campus are raking up thousands of dollars in student loans. Link below for the going price of college.

This post was edited on 1/24 4:50 PM by ULCard17

 

[ULCard17]

Link. Didn't show up in first post.

http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064

 

[PushupMan]

NoKyCard,

I have a son who is a freshman in college (the University of Miami) this year, so I have a little experience with the "cost of attendance". This is an amount that is calculated by the school for all students as part of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process. So it is fairly well documented what cost of attendance is for each school, though the number would be different for every school.

And it doesn't include a clothing allowance, transportation allowance, gas for transportation, plane tickets to get back home twice a semester, or for the parents to visit. No computer or iPad, no laundry and valet service.

Boy, do I wish that the cost of attendance included even one trip for parents to visit, because I had to plunk down quite a chunk of change for 4 tickets to Miami in October.

It does include a meal plan ... and my son gets to eat in an extremely nice new buffet style restaurant attached to his dormitory. The plan he picked gives him 14 meals at the dorm restaurant per week - at a cost of about $2200 for two semesters.

 

[PushupMan]

And the point of my post is that, providing these student athletes "full cost of attendance" does not allow them to live like kings. What it should do is allow them or their parents to exit school without any student loan debt.

And considering that the P5 school (Wake Forest) which generates the least amount of revenue made $38 million in 2013-14, I think the schools can definitely afford to do this - and should do it - for all of its student athletes.

 

[NoKyCard]

Thanks for the info.

I wasn't aware of a specific itemization of "full cost of attendance" (FCA), but am not surprised that it is outlined in the FAFSA documentation. Thankfully, my last dealing with FAFSA was some 15 years ago, and I suppose it is a lot more complicated now than back then!

But what is on the FAFSA FCA list that isn't already included in tuition, fees, room, board and books? I'd be interested to see what specifics are included.

But according to the the Virgiania Tech document, there is more:

"In addition to tuition, fees, room, board and books, as
part of a full athletics scholarship, Virginia Tech will provide the
full maximum allowable cost of attendance for all 22 sports".

And who's to say that the University will use the FAFSA definition of FCA? Part of the outcry now is that even though kids have all these things, there is other stuff in what they define as FCA, often notably "extra spending money" and "money to eat out instead of at the training table". Are these items in the FAFSA FCA? I have certainly heard that parents' flights to games is an item that many have considered as reasonable.

So my list may not be as unreasonable as you suspect, even though I clearly embellished it for emphasis!

 

[PushupMan]

Re: Thanks for the info.

The University will comply with the new rule just passed by the P5 conferences last weekend. The term "cost of attendance" is so ingrained in the FAFSA process that there is no doubt in my mind that the legislation, which uses the same language, will compute the benefit based on the FAFSA cost of attendance.

As to what all is included in that calculation, the truth is out there.... If I can find it, I will post it here.

 

[ULCard17]

Re: Thanks for the info.

Originally posted by PushupMan:
The University will comply with the new rule just passed by the P5 conferences last weekend. The term "cost of attendance" is so ingrained in the FAFSA process that there is no doubt in my mind that the legislation, which uses the same language, will compute the benefit based on the FAFSA cost of attendance.

As to what all is included in that calculation, the truth is out there.... If I can find it, I will post it here.

I am fine with that. That is what they earn, they deserve it. And universities can afford to give their product. But when athletes start demanding to be paid with bonuses is where I draw the line.