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Big 12 commish suggests modern recruiting changes

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby believes now is a good time to look at modernizing parts of the college recruiting model.

“We haven’t looked at the recruiting model in its entirety for a very long time,” Bowlsby said Thursday at the conference’s spring meetings. “We haven’t really looked at how we recruit (with) the changes in technology.”

The commissioner suggested possibly using Skype or FaceTime for initial recruiting interviews.

“It’s just one example of an area where the world has changed and the architecture around college athletics hasn’t changed with it,” he said. “I think we need to constantly be reminding ourselves and each other, that there’s change afoot and it’s a good time to look at everything we’re doing in light of modern circumstances.”

Bowlsby also said that maybe it is time to allow recruits more than one paid official visit to a campus, and allow for the expenses to be paid for parents or family members to make visits.

The NCAA is working on a new governance structure that would allow autonomy for the five major football conferences — the Big 12, SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC — to make some rules without the support of smaller Division I schools. The NCAA board of directors is expected to vote on restructuring in early August.

Bowlsby said he expects the Big 12 to seat a task force “within our league to spend time looking at the rules, thinking about the environment and beginning the process of putting an agenda together of things that we think we ought to take a good look at.”

The Big 12 board of directors meets Friday, when the 10-team conference will reveal its revenue numbers for the 2013-14 school year. That number is expected to exceed last year’s record revenue of $198 million.

Among other items discussed before the athletic directors finished their portion of the spring meetings Thursday:

–The structure of the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, which next March will be held in different cities and a week apart for the third year in a row. Bowlsby left open the possibility that the tournaments could be played in the same city again.

–Some Big 12 basketball teams could play their first conference games before Christmas.

–After being allowed to experimentally use eight football officials in games last season, the Big 12 expects to again use eight officials again this season.

“It was exceedingly positive. I think it was good in every respect I could name,” Bowlsby said. “We felt like it gave our referee and our umpire, particularly, a better opportunity to manage the game. Especially the flow of the game, the substitutions. … With speed of the game, it makes some sense.”

–The conference finalized football television selections and times for those games the first three weeks of the season, plus its four Thursday night games that are part of its joint television agreement with FOX and ESPN.

Two Big 12 teams play season-opening games at neutral sites Aug. 30. West Virginia plays Alabama in Atlanta in the afternoon in a split regionally on ABC or ESPN2, and Oklahoma State takes on Florida State in Arlington, Texas, that night on ABC. Baylor’s first game in its new stadium will be a Sunday night kickoff Aug. 31, on Fox Sports 1. Texas’ home game against TCU on Thanksgiving night will be on Fox Sports 1.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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