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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 65 BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com T he right thing to do. That's what Morgan Burke keeps coming back to. Purdue's athletic director, the longest-tenured in the Big Ten, has long been a proponent of covering cost of attendance for athletes. That became a reality, at least for the Power Five conferences, in January when that group passed a measure that will fill the gap for their ath- letes. A panel compromised of the 65 schools and 15 athletes passed on a 79-1 vote. Starting in the fall, a scholarship no longer will be defined only by tu- ition and fees, room and board and books and supplies. It'll now truly be a "full" scholarship that includes a stipend for transportation and mis- cellaneous expenses, amounts set by the school's financial aid depart- ments. "Cost of attendance has been around forever and ever — it's just not been applied to athletics because specifically those two items have been withheld from student-ath- letes," Burke said. "We are simply reinstating a practice that was in place in the '60s. You're not paying for play. It's permissive. … I've ar- gued for a long time, if you're going to give them a full scholarship, give them a full scholarship. "As the media contracts have grown and the cost of going to school has gotten higher, you're not being fair. The system has more money in it. You ought to make sure if you're saying you're giving them a full scholarship, you're giving them a full scholarship. "It's a financial cost, but I think it's the right thing to do." The stipend will not be a universal figure across the schools that make up the Power Five, which includes the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. It won't even be the same figure for Purdue athletes. Full scholarship student-athletes who are Indiana residents will receive $2,200, Mid- west state residents will get $2,360, and other states' residents and in- ternational students will get $4,250. "You're trying to cover their out- of-pocket as well as their direct cost of going to college and you're taking account geography, where they live. It's the same number as every other student," Burke said. Though Burke says it's not re- quired to give the gap payment to every athlete who is on scholarship, that's what Purdue will do. That's about 500 athletes. It will cost Pur- due's athletic department about $1 million per year. Athletes on partial scholarship won't get the full stipend — their amount will be closer to the percent- age of their scholarship. Full schol- Tom Campbell Morgan Burke long has been wanting to give student-athletes a "full" scholar- ship that includes more than tuition and fees, room and board and books and supplies. It'll become a reality this fall. COMPARISON'S SAKE All Big Ten schools' gap payments will vary, depending largely on cost of living and how each school's financial aid department budgets cost of attendance. Here's a quick look at the conference schools and the cost-of-attendance numbers (transportation and miscellaneous combined) listed on each school's respective website. These numbers do not necessarily represent the stipend that will be given to athletes. School In-state resident Non-resident Illinois $2,500 $2,500 Iowa $1,938 $1,938 Indiana $3,036 $3,036 Maryland $2,490 $2,490 Michigan $2,204 $2,204 Michigan State $2,606^ Minnesota $2,000 $2,000 Nebraska $3,630 $3,630 Northwestern $2,457 $2,457* Ohio State $2,602 $2,970 Penn State $3,800^ PURDUE $1,780 $1,940 Rutgers $3,907 $3,908 Wisconsin $3,432 $4,032 * Listed transportation as "varies." ^ Only listed one figure Filling The Gap Power Five schools shelling out for cost-of-attendance stipends