A proposal to increase the amount of scholarships Division I schools are allowed to award was shot down over the weekend, with changes made in only one sport.
The issue was decided by representatives from the entire Division I sports community at the annual NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.
For the first time in nine years, Penn, along with over 100 other Division I schools, called for an override vote on the issue of adding scholarships to four women's sports: soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and track and field/cross country.
In 1997, the NCAA moved from a policy of "one school, one vote" to an 18-member Division I Board of Directors, which consists of representatives from each conference. These directors would be in charge of passing legislation that would affect the entire division.
However, individual schools reserved the right to hold an override vote if at least 30 schools called for it.
None of these regulations would financially affect any of the Ivy League schools, because they not permitted to give scholarships for athletics. It could, however, affect the quality of the athletes Penn would be able to recruit.
Penn's delegate to the conference was Mary Di Stanislao, associate athletic director at Penn. The fact that a delegate from Penn was sent at all is a rarity, and it shows how important the issue in question is to the University.
"I think it excited people to have the clear voice [the NCAA delegates] once had," said Di Stanislao. "The turnout was very high."
The proposed amendment to the current scholarship regulations was passed last April by the Board of Directors. The amendment allowed for the increase of women's soccer and gymnastics scholarships from 12 to 14, volleyball from 12 to 13 and track and field/cross country from 18 to 20.
After voting last weekend, the only proposal that stood was for soccer. The other three were struck down by a five-eighths vote against them.
The scholarship increase proposal was a crucial issue, especially to smaller schools, who could potentially lose athletes to the bigger colleges.
Jeff Orleans, the Ivy League Executive Director, is opposed to the increases, as he says it "wouldn't be a positive for the athletes."
For example, volleyball, a sport that requires six players from each team at a time, currently has an allotment of 12 women's scholarships for each program.
Adding more would increase the size of the team, and many girls might not see the playing time they would receive if they went to a I-AA or I-AAA school instead of a program on the I-A level.
Orleans suggested that, if a school thinks it needs to add scholarships for women's sports, instead of expanding on a current sport, it should instead introduce a new sport to the school and provide funds for it.
Also, instead of looking at scholarship increases for just a handful of sports, Orleans believes the NCAA should "do a comprehensive review across the board" and look into a complete overhaul of this system.
However, proponents of adding more scholarships cite the need to recruit more people because of the injuries that may be suffered during the season. Teams need to have high-caliber athletes ready to step into starting roles in case of injuries.
However, the increase in the number of soccer scholarships allowed, as well as any future increases, could cause some recruits to opt to attend a school where they would receive athletic scholarship money because there would then be more available at that school -- passing over, in some instances, a spot on a Penn team.
Still, Orleans does not see the increase in soccer scholarships affecting the Ivy League to such a great extent.
"Student athletes are smart, though," Orleans said. "The need-based aid is adequate and the coaches do a great job of presenting the schools."
Di Stanislao agreed with Orleans and, while she is not a proponent of adding Division I scholarships, she said that "it would make sure that people are at the right places for the right reasons" and that athletes would still recognize "the tremendous upside of coming to Penn" even after these new scholarship offerings.
