I'm cc'ing this reply to Michael to HOCKEY-L since it appears we have a
resolution of this question.
 
At 8:12 PM -0400 9/3/96, [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Okay, here it is, taken from "College Sports, Inc.", opening chapter 25:
>
>      'Buried deep within the NCAA Manual - Section 4, Part (C), Subheading 2,
> Clause      (F) - is a key item in the athletic scholarship agreement: "The
> renewal of a scholarship or grant-in-aid award shall be made on or before
> July 1 prior to the academic year it is to be effective.  The institution
> shall promptly notify each student-athlete . . . whether the grant has been
> renewed or not renewed."'
 
I did find that 15.3 deals with this topic.  It does say that you can't
award aid for more than one year when athletic ability factors into the
award. (15.3.3.1)  It also says that a staff member can tell a prospect
he/she will recommend that aid be renewed for 4 years and "indicate that
the authority always has followed the athletics department's
recommendations in the past.  However, the prospect must be informed that
the renewal will not be automatic." (15.3.3.1.1)
 
15.3.4 details when you can and cannot reduce/cancel such aid "during the
period of the award."  You can't do it on the basis of athletic ability or
contribution to the team, injury, etc.  You can do it if the SA voluntarily
withdraws from his sport (but you cannot award the aid to another SA during
the same term), is ineligible, commits fraud on his
application/LOI/financial aid agreement, or "engages in serious misconduct
warranting substantial disciplinary penalty." (15.3.4.1(c))
 
The key here does seem to be that the NCAA only allows athletic-related aid
to be awarded for up to one year at a time, under 15.3.3.1.
 
BTW, 15.3.5.1 contains the quote from the paragraph above.  The ...
basically says "in writing each SA receiving an award the previous year and
w/ eligibility remaining".
 
So, it does appear that if you sign a LOI for 4 years and don't make the
team, the next year they can give your athletic scholarship to someone
else.  But they can't take it away that first year.
 
Thanks to Michael for giving me a pointer to being able to figure out
exactly where this topic is covered in the NCAA Manual.
 
Note that this all involves athletic scholarships.  Howard mentioned
schools that do not award athletic scholarships, too.  I cannot find any
similar rules governing aid that is not based on athletic ability, perhaps
because there aren't any and the athletic department has no jurisdiction
over non-athletic awards.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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