In their words: What athletes did with the money from cost of attendance stipends

Former Missouri men’s basketball player Ryan Rosburg and women’s basketball player Lindsey Cunningham estimate 10 teammates during their four seasons sent leftover scholarship money home and, for those players, cost of attendance was a valuable resource.

Kansas senior basketball player Jamari Traylor did this as well in previous years. This year he had a little more to send back.

“It definitely helped me out a little bit more,” he said.

“We bring a lot of money (to the NCAA). There’s a lot of money to be passed around out there. I was definitely happy about it and I’m not complaining or anything, but it’s a billion-dollar industry, right? When the Tournament goes down and everything? I’m not complaining, but they could probably still make a couple more steps to help guys out.”

▪ The cost-of-attendance stipends were a luxury for other athletes.

“I come from a family where I’m just glad to be getting whatever I’m getting,” Cunningham said. “Any increase would be great, but it wasn’t something that was going to impact me the way it impacts an entire family like for some student-athletes.”

After the spring semester, Cunningham researched investment options and invested her cost-of-attendance money into mutual funds, which she hopes will provide a nest egg that eases her transition in the working world next summer.

Jake Scudder, an infielder on the Kansas State baseball team, said his money went straight home to his parents in Rock Island, Ill. From there, it went into an account that helped him pay for everything associated with college.

“It helped a lot, for sure,” Scudder said. “I was happy with my scholarship, but that money helped cover some other expenses.”

K-State football players, including linebacker Will Davis and center Dalton Risner, said they tried to save the money.

For basketball player Brian Rohleder, the choice was obvious. Once he went on scholarship, he stopped taking out student loans and started paying them off. He is now working at Koch Industries as a design and project engineer.

“Just one year of being off student loans and getting a little extra money, was a big help,” Rohleder said. “It is amazing. It can make a big difference in someone’s life.”

▪ Before cost of attendance, Mizzou student-athletes could sign up for a fund that provided a small line of credit at stores like JC Penney and Target.

“That thing was awesome,” former safety Ian Simon said. “At the beginning of the semester, I’d go get a whole bunch of toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags and all that stuff. You could only buy specific things, but if you needed a pair of jeans or slacks, maybe some bedding, that was covered. Whenever we got the cost of attendance, they took that away from us.”

Student-athletes receive substantially more money through cost of attendance, but they are responsible to pay for many items that had been free to them.

This story was originally published June 26, 2016 at 12:20 AM with the headline "In their words: What athletes did with the money from cost of attendance stipends."