All student athletes in the NCAA should have the opportunity to receive scholarships. Student athletes have to balance class, schoolwork, practice and the little bit of time they have for a social life.

Athletics are a major part of the university. Whether it be raising money from sales or getting the students active, athletics have helped the Universtiy of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Division I and II universities have scholarship programs that athletes can earn through their performance. Due to the size and amount of money available in D-III universities, scholarships are not given out.

Because athletics bring so much money and publicity to the university, athletes should be rewarded for all their hard work and dedication.

Student athletes also do a lot of work, both on and off campus for the community. Most UW-Platteville teams run events called Kids Night Out. It is put on almost every Friday night by different teams. This is a program where parents can drop off their children for a small fee. The children can swim, watch a movie, get their face painted or play games with the athletes. It is a great fundraiser that helps keep things like uniforms and facilities running. These funds can even be utilized with a scholarship fund for the athletes.

Athletes also do many things for the community at large. The cross country team in particular rakes leaves for the elderly in the fall. They also clean many of the roads surrounding campus to help the university stay clean.

All of these things show the levels of dedication and commitment the athletes have to UW-Platteville. The scholarship policy should be changed to reward the hard work and athleticism of student athletes.

I have talked to many student athletes that agree. “It would have been nice to attend a university that gave out scholarships, but UW-Platteville is where I chose to be, and I represent my school the best I can through my athletics,” said Megan Knutson, a cross country and track runner. “A job during the season conflicts with practice so scholarships would really help.”