In what was deemed a “significant day in OUA history” by its outgoing president David Dubois, the Ontario University Athletics institutions will allow first-year Athletic Financial Awards when the 2007/2008 season commences.
The OUA’s Board of Directors voted 16-3 Wednesday to allow entering student-athletes the chance to receive $3,500 annually from their university. Students eligible would have yet to complete two full semesters of study in one academic year at the Canadian university they are attending, and have an average of at least 80 per cent. By allowing first year students the chance to reap athletic awards, coaches will be able to recruit more highly sought after players.
The move, which had been opposed in past years under the notion that it would foster athlete-first environments, maintains the OUA’s persistence in acquiring the best and brightest student-athletes, Dubois said.
“It is clear that our student athletes are intelligent, hard-working individuals in both the classroom and on the playing field,” he said in a press release. “If first-year students can receive academic awards, then it only makes sense that those athletes who meet the strict requirements of our universities be rewarded for their achievements, as well.”
