Has anybody else heard this news? From the Sunday, August 1, 1993 issue of the Wisconsin State Journal, an article by Andy Baggot says: University of Wisconsin Athletic Department officials are awaiting results of an appeal concerning sanctions that include the possibility the hockey team will have to forfeit its second-place finish in the 1992 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament. An investigation concluded that former UW standouts Duane Dersen and Doug Mcdonald Paid for rent and board below the market rate while living with a couple known to be avid boosters. That is considered a violation of NCAA rules because it constitutes a benefit not available to non-athletes. While UW athletic director Pat Richter waits for the NCAA to get back to him, he might want to take a comparative lookat the goings-on at Cornell. The NCAA Infractions Committee is investigating the Big Red for a recruiting practice that, incredibly, dates back approximately 30 years. Athletic director Laing Kennedy and coach Brian McCutcheon admit being directly involved with a process that allowed student athletes to be housed free of charge at homes of local sponsors. Approximately two-thirds of the roster last season received the benefit, said to be valued at $5,000 per year. According to the Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal, Kennedy reported the situation to the NCAA late last year after becoming aware the practice is illegal. An internal report on the matter was forwarded to the NCAA last month. As a member of the Ivy League, Cornell does not offer athletic scholarships. Its practice of adjusting financial packages for rent-free housing has been going on since the likes of Ken Dryden and Joe Nieuwendyk played there. Even Kennedy, a former goaltender, admits having lived with a sponsor free of charge during his college career. Kennedy is an outgoing member of the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee, the one that voted last year to suspend Badgers coach Jeff Sauer and players Jason Zent and Blaine Moore for the opening game of the 1993 national tournament. In addition, the committee fined the university $50,000 as punishment for the abusive behavior of players in the aftermath of a 5-3 loss to Lake Superior State. In other hockey news, Baggot says: Kennedy, the Cornell AD, will see his three-year stint on the NCAA Selection Committee end in September. The move is unrelated to the ongoing investigation. Joe Marsh, the coach at St. Lawrence, is the new member, joining Northern Michigan coach and athletic director Rick Comley (chairman), Bowling Green athletic director Jack Gregory and Boston University coach Jack Parker on the committee that helps oversee the sport. Rich Selin [log in to unmask]