GUEST COLUMN: Save SUNY sports scholarships for New Yorkers

Some blame the weather, tax burden, crime, etc., but few are offering remedies.

One of our greatest assets (my opinion) is the SUNY educational system.

I am an Oswego State undergraduate (1980) who also earned an MPA degree 15 years later from SUNY Albany.

Both of these degrees opened career doors and provided me with a nice life style to live and raise a family here in New York.

I was raised in Halfmoon when it was still rural and was the first in my family to attend college. And we/I, like many others, took advantage of the affordability of a state-underwritten education.

As per the SUNY website, “The mission of the state university system shall be to provide to the people of New York educational services of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access, fully representative of all segments of the population in a complete range of academic, professional and vocational postsecondary programs including such additional activities in pursuit of these objectives as are necessary or customary.”

New York state has four public universities that play Division 1 (D1) sports and provide both full and partial scholarships to student-athletes.

Note, I’m a big-time college sports fan. However, as a New York state taxpayer, I often ask why are we giving free tuition to student-athletes from out of state?

They are less likely to remain in New York upon graduation or perhaps even graduate from SUNY (with the transfer-portal in full operation).

And even less likely to relocate to New York state are the numerous international students you see on their team rosters.

A sampling of 2023 rosters at UAlbany shows the following: football has 100 players, with 60 from out of state; men’s basketball has 15 total, with nine out of state; and men’s soccer has 29 total players, with only five New York state residents and 22 international students.

The women’s teams are similar: field hockey has 19 total players, seven from New York state and 10 international players; basketball fields 11 total, with eight out of state; and volleyball has 13 total, with only two from New York and seven international players.

Please, I am not singling out SUNY Albany; as Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook all have similar team makeups and none of these schools are doing anything wrong.

Under the current rules, all four schools may offer free scholarships along with name, image and likeness (NIL) deals to athletes regardless of their permanent residence.

But, let’s be clear: There are thousands of high school student-athletes in New York that would love to play in college (for free) and would be much more apt to stay in the Empire State upon graduation.

As taxpayers, we would see a better return on the dollar.

Would it make it harder for the four schools to compete on the fields of play? Perhaps.

But the ultimate goal is not national or league championships; it’s education!

If an out-of-state athlete wants to play for a D1 SUNY school, let him or her pay the tuition.

You can find out-of-state student-athletes paying to attend and play at the division three (D3) SUNY schools.

As an example, three of the 17 players on the D3 SUNY Oneonta men’s basketball team are from out of state.

Or, as a second option, institute rules similar to the STEM scholarships that New York state offers.

Currently, if you accept a STEM scholarship, you must commit to staying and working in New York for a fixed number of years or pay back the scholarship.

So, if an out-of-state athlete accepts a scholarship, he/she would also commit to staying in New York.

The education is well worth the cost.

Yearly in-state tuition and fees at UAlbany are currently $10,408 and out-of-state residents pay $28,998.

Robert Verhayden of Rotterdam is the former men’s head volleyball coach at the Sage Colleges and former women’s head volleyball coach at Fulton-Montgomery Community College.