Show them the money
St. Michael's and UVM differ in athletic scholarship fund-raising

Kate Lanza | staff writer

The only athletes on athletic scholarships at St. Michael's College are men and women basketball players who play in Ross Sports Center. Alex McIntire, photo

Out of determination to make athletic teams better, colleges give scholarships to a number of their student athletes.  At St. Michael’s College, there are 20 student athletes who receive scholarships, all of whom are members of the women’s or men’s basketball teams.

Where does the money come from?

While St. Michael’s only offers 20 athletic scholarships for the basketball teams specifically, the University of Vermont (UVM) gives out over 100 scholarships for students in eight different sports, according to the UVM Web site. 

UVM's athletic scholarships are accumulated through fund-raising.  Since the community on its campus and off is much greater than at St. Michael’s, there is a greater opportunity to receive money for these scholarships.

At UVM, students receive their scholarship money through a program called the Victory Club.

Katherine McGinn, an assistant of the Victory Club, says that the money is donated to the athletic department from alumni.  In return, alumni get benefits like free season tickets.  Membership in the Victory Club is attained by contributing a $100 gift.  An alumni's level of membership increases with each contribution.

McGinn says they encourage alumni to give towards the operating budget instead of specific sports teams, because the money can be put wherever it is needed most.

Associate Athletic Director Chris Kenny says that a school like St. Michael's has trouble fund-raising the same amount of money for athletic scholarships as UVM due to its overall community size. Alex McIntire, photo

Can we afford it?

“Scholarships are considered along with all financial aid, as part of the overall “discount” rate for the institution,” wrote St. Michael’s athletic director Geri Knortz in an e-mail.

On average, the discount rate is about 30 percent, so students are responsible for about 70 percent of the tuition, Knortz wrote. The basketball scholarships include tuition fees and room and board.

Chris Kenny associate athletic director at St. Michael’s says that it takes several months to determine the recipients of the scholarships.  Recruiters observe specific players who they think have the potential to make the college team better and would be a good fit for the scholarship.

Kenny and Gnortz say they do not see St. Michael’s ever having the same sort of funding as The University of Vermont. 

Because UVM acquires a greater amount of money through fund-raising and donations, there is greater operation of money, Kenny says.

Of one endowed scholarship, only 4.5 percent can be used, he says.  If a donation of $100,000 is given, only $4500 can be used for a student athlete’s scholarship.  Kenny says St. Michael’s is not in a position to raise this kind of money for 20 athletes, considering one student’s tuition is about $38,000.