One of the biggest decisions David Matlin will have to make in his first year as University of Hawaii athletic director is rapidly bearing down on him.

On his way back from Mountain West Conference spring meetings in Arizona, where cost of attendance was discussed this week, Matlin has a briefcase of budget figures to remind him of just how much between a rock and a hard place he is wedged.

On one ledger, UH is expected to close the fiscal year that concludes June 30 with a deficit now projected to exceed the $3.5 million previously forecast. And, on another, there is the question of where does he find the money to fund COA in the fiscal year that opens July 1 to keep up with the competition?

Beginning Aug. 1 the NCAA is permitting its members to cover the full cost of athletes’ attendance. Heretofore schools had been permitted to provide just the basics — tuition, books, fees, room and board.

But under legislation approved in January, schools may cover additional expenses such as travel, laundry, wireless access etc. In addition, schools are left to calculate their own COA figures, which vary from $1,400 to $5,666 per student among the so-called Power Five conference schools, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education survey.

In a February report to the UH Board of Regents, then-athletic director Ben Jay estimated, " … covering the COA will result in a commitment of a minimum of $1,035,000 annually in scholarship costs" if all the school’s approximately 250 scholarship athletes are included.

In the Mountain West, where it competes in football, UH is one of the last who have yet to declare whether COA will be offered. And, if so, whether it will be in all sports. 

 An MWC official said, "I believe nine of 12 plan to at this point." That includes the Air Force Academy, which does not offer scholarships.

While it is an institution-by-institution decision whether to offer them at all, grant them in all sports or to just selected few, the implication is clear: Schools that don’t will face uphill recruiting battles against schools that do.

Moreover, schools that offer higher amounts — Boise State plans to offer as much as $5,000 while Utah State expects to pay $3,700 and San Diego State $2,992 —  have a leg up.

Perhaps nowhere will differences be more exacerbated than UH because of travel costs.

Funding COA is less of a problem for the 65 Power Five conference members who annually divide up hundreds of millions of dollars in TV revenue. Even some less well-heeled mid-majors, such as the MWC’s Utah State, have lessened the pinch with state or university appropriations. The Utah Legislature approved $1.5 million for the Aggies, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. 

But UH has been put on notice not to expect any largesse from the Legislature or school administration. At a Board of Regents committee meeting last month, the athletic department was told, "David is going to have to come up with a plan"  for dealing with the finances of the 21-team, $32 million program.

Just 11 days on the job, Matlin is on the clock. 

COST OF ATTENDANCE
COA projections for some upcoming UH foes

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education and other sources

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.