Interesting “financial aid package” info posted by Maryville’s new ACHA hockey program (Starting in ACHA D2 with plans to move up to ACHA D1 in a few seasons). Great to have more teams affiliated with the universities’ athletic departments but “Each player will receive an automatic $2,000 participation award for playing on the team.” sounds a lot like an athletic scholarship to play club hockey at MU.
For as organized as the ACHA initially appears, it still looks like it’s the Wild West in terms of team’s resources as well as financial aid.
This is the crap I have been ranting and raving about on here. These schools are going to keep popping up every year. All I get are smart ass comments in response How about this, if you are giving anything sort of money to attend the school to play hockey, you don’t play in the ACHA. You can call it whatever you want but in the end its breaking the rules. Easy as that. I don’t understand where the misunderstanding is. And don’t give me that “Every program is run different” bullshit.
Pretty clear there is no “need” based element to this “financial aid”, and no suggestion it has any relation to any federal standards. Mostly it’s just a scholarship on top of free hockey.
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Well, that’s awkward. If financial aid may only be received on a need basis, that means no student athlete in ACHA can receive unsubsidized student loans or PLUS loans (both are classified as “non-need-based aid” by the U.S. Dept. of Education) as part of their financial aid package. Not sure that’s the intent of the rule, either.
Maryville is going to have a very competitive team right out of the gates. Per their twitter, every few days they are “signing” all these Junior players that look like they are 30 years old. Another small school that over night will have a hockey power house. Lets not BS, these players are being given money someway, somehow to go there.
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Based on the wording of the rule I’m a little confused. Can a school supply or pay for jerseys/gear/travel expenses (travel to and from away games and lodging/food)/ice time/refs? Where exactly is the line drawn?
It’s not that confusing, as the rule is worded, financial aid must be need-based. A participation award is not need-based financial aid (at any school). Also equipment and what teams provide has nothing to do with the financial aid rules.
It doesn’t look like it’s working out all the well for them
