Heidi Alexander: “I thank the Senator from North Carolina. The question should be obvious: What does a student at Wake Forest or…”

“I thank the Senator from North Carolina. The question should be obvious: What does a student at Wake Forest or Vanderbilt or--and we are using the private universities, again, because those are the only ones affected by this decision for now--but if you are at Vanderbilt University, according to the vice chancellor, the total scholarship could be nearly $60,000. That is the value each year of your athletic scholarship. Times four--so you are up to one- quarter of a million dollars. The College Board says--roughly estimates--that a college degree adds $1 million to your earnings during a lifetime. So the idea that student athletes do not get anything in return for their playing a sport is financially wrong. And just speaking as one individual who had the privilege to participate for 2 years as a student athlete without getting anything--I had scholarships, but they were not athletic scholarships--the discipline, the memories, the competition, the chance to be in the Southeastern Conference Tournament--that is very important to me. It was then, just as athletics always is. It is a rare privilege to participate in intercollegiate athletics. The presidents have looked at the problems of intercollegiate athletics. And there are some. But people forget--and I know the Senator from North Carolina is aware of this.…”