Living Below the Poverty Line…

Below the poverty line is where you’ll find many athletes living across the nation. Take a look at an example of how a full scholarship athlete at UCLA functions financially.

Annually

A student-athlete living off-campus is given a monthly stipend during the school year that is supposed to cover housing and food. This athlete receives $820 monthly stipend from October to June.

Total: $7380

Poverty line: $8,350

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services figure for a single person household in the year 2000) http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/00poverty.htm)

Each institution sets a budget for its students otherwise known as the cost of attendance. The cost of attendance is a dollar amount that each school deems necessary for any student to survive.

The NCAA full grant in aid is set at a dollar amount that is below the cost of attendance. Full grant in aid, as determined by the NCAA, is set at the amount equal to fees and tuition, books, and room and board – only. Institutions, however, recognize other expenses and factor them into the budget. At UCLA, transportation and personal expenses are included in the total cost of attendance. The total for these two components is $2632 annually or about $300/mo. over nine academic months.

Monthly Realities

Example of a modest budget for a UCLA football player living off-campus…

1) Rent $450 (In Westwood, this generally means sharing a room with at least one person)

2) Food $150

3) Phone bill $50

4) DWP bill $40

5) Gas bill $20

6) Transportation $80 (As determined by the institution)

7) Personal expenses $210 (As determined by the institution)

Monthly Expenses: $1000

Monthly Stipend: $820

Net: -$180

On-campus…

Because the NCAA does not allow institutions to give student-athletes any cash while they are living in the residence halls, a UCLA football player is expected to find a way to deal with an estimated $2250 per year in transportation and personal expenses on his own (Budget for students living in residence halls as determined by UCLA).

What about when emergencies come up? It’s difficult to manage these things when you’re all tapped out or even in the hole. UCLA athletes do not face these financial hardships alone. Athletes across the nation face similar budgets.

The NCAA actively restricts student-athletes, a group that literally lives below the poverty line, from seeking many opportunities for employment while capping the amount they can earn through part-time work in the academic off-season at $2000.

IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE!

Home Free Ride? Living Below the Poverty Line… Organizing

Email the CAC at cac@ucla.edu