Reggie Bonnafon Louisville vs. Notre Dame 11-22-2014 Photo by Adam Creech Fitted

Cardinal Notebook 8/20

Mark BlankenbakerAugust 20, 2015

CAF Dubs 2015-16 as “The Year of the Fan”

The University of Louisville Cardinal Athletic Fund has dubbed 2015-16 the Year of the Fan. Long known for their passion, loyalty and unwavering support, the UofL fans will be able to experience a special year full of discounts, game experiences and team trips.

“We are excited to launch the Year of the Fan campaign,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development Mark Jurich. “It presents a great opportunity for us to thank our fans for their belief in our vision and for their unwavering support of Cardinal Athletics— this campaign will include unique game day experiences, all expenses paid travel opportunities and much more. They are small tokens of our deep gratitude for the loyalty of Card Nation.”

As part of the effort to thank Cards fans for their trust in the vision and their help in transforming our department, they will have weekly opportunities to receive upgraded seats and parking, official Adidas gear giveaways, and premium tickets to events. Every fan who signs up on the 2015-2016 Year of the Fan website CAFYearOfTheFan.com has a chance to be selected.

The four VIP experiences will include trips to the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game and the ACC Championship which will include two airline tickets, a two-night stay in the team hotel, two tickets to the games, and official Adidas gear. The winners of the Chick-Fil-A game trip will be announced Monday, Aug. 24.

Go to www.CAFYearoftheFan.com for full details.

Luke Muller Golf Outing Saturday Benefits Brady Walz & Kate

August 22, 2015 Kenton County Golf Course 859-371-3200 Click for More Details

The Ninth Annual Luke Muller Golf Outing benefits Brady Walz & Kate both young children fighting cancer. If you can not attend the event you can still participate in the silent Auction Click Here for Details on the Auction. Up for bid is a round of golf for 3 additional golfers with Coach Pitino at Valhalla Country Club in the Spring of 2016. A round with Coach Jeff Walz, a Year of the Cardinal Maker’s Mark Bottle signed by all 4 coaches that appear, and MUCH MORE.

Brady Walz was diagnosed with Leukemia (Pre-B All) on May 7, 2014. He began intense chemotherapy treatment immediately but suffered several setbacks due to unforeseen infections and complications. Brady continues to go through in-patient and out-patient treatment and faces three more years of treatment to defeat this disease. Putt for Kate: Kate’s unexpected journey started September 8th 2014. This is Kate a 6 year old girl diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Kate had been feeling ill for months and her parents and doctors could not figure out the cause. She was scheduled for a MRI of her head on September 8th. The MRI found a mass in the center of Kate’s brain; due to the location of the mass it was inoperable. The biopsy came back as Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma.

If you are able please help this worthy cause.

Louisville Soccer’s Tim Kubel Named TopDrawerSoccer’s Best XI First Team

Louisville sophomore Tim Kubel was named on Monday to TopDrawerSoccer’s Best XI First Team.

A native of Stuttgart, Germany, Kubel is one of three team captains for the Cardinals in 2015 after leading the club with seven goals and five assists last season. He was selected as the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and was an All-ACC First Team honoree. Kubel started all 22 matches during his first collegiate season while scoring three game-winning goals.

Louisville continues its three-match exhibition schedule against UAB tonight at 7:30 at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium and admission is free. After closing the preseason with a visit to Oakland on Saturday night, the Cardinals will open the regular season at home against William & Mary on Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Season tickets start as low as $45 and can be purchased online here or by calling the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office at (502) 852-0120 or (502) 852-5151. Season tickets for 2015 include every regular season home match for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs.

Single match tickets are also on sale through the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office. Reserved chairback tickets are set at $12 for adults and $6 for youth. Fans can purchase online throughwww.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (502) 852-5151 or in-person at the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office located at Gate 2 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Tickets can also be purchased on match days at Lynn Stadium starting one hour prior to kickoff.

Tuesday’s Appearance on Ramsey & Rutherford

UofL Athletics Leads the Way on Cost of Attendance; Financial Literacy

At last January’s NCAA Convention, the Power Five NCAA Division I conferences voted to amend the NCAA’s definition of a “full grant-in-aid” to permit a full athletics scholarship to include the cost of attendance limit—a higher limit than ever before.

U of L athletics did not hesitate to mobilize on this new athletics scholarship limit and is positioned to implement this new policy to further support U of L student-athletes.

“This was a landmark change to Division I financial aid rules and, most importantly, a change that will enhance the support we provide our student-athletes” said Tom Jurich/Kevin Miller/John Carns.

Specifically, U of L athletics will fully fund all sports up to U of L’s full cost of attendance figure in conjunction with each sports’ respective NCAA team scholarship limits. The NCAA’s new full grant-in-aid definition now includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, and the new miscellaneous expense element up to the Cost of Attendance (COA).

The new miscellaneous expense element within a full athletic scholarship is often referred to as the “COA gap.” The COA gap is intended to cover personal expenses such as transportation, clothing, laundry, cleaning, personal hygiene and grooming, recreation, use of a computer, and dependent care.

U of L’s COA gap for 2015-16, as determined by U of L’s Financial Aid Office, is $5,364 and is projected to be one of the highest in Division I. U of L’s Financial Aid Office determines the COA gap annually as part of a broader calculation to determine financial aid eligibility for all U of L students, including student-athletes.

“The Department of Education defines the categories that make up a Cost of Attendance and the Department tells us [University of Louisville] the figures must be reasonable,” said Sandra Neel, Director of Financial Aid for U of L. “To determine this, we use a variety of data tied to our geographic area including the College Board’s low-budget expense figure, Consumer Price Index data, and student surveys on costs to determine reasonable costs for our students.”

U of L student-athletes on athletic scholarship participating in “head count” sports—sports that offer full-athletic scholarships per scholarship student-athlete —will receive U of L’s full COA gap. U of L’s head count sports are men’s basketball, women’s basketball, football, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.

U of L’s equivalency sports, which have a pre-determined number of full athletic scholarships to divide amongst an entire roster, will receive additional funding in their respective scholarship budgets also based on the new, full cost of attendance figure. NCAA Student Assistance Funds are also available to help support U of L student athletes.

The following FAQ provides additional information regarding the new cost of attendance policy in Division I and U of L’s strategic plan for its implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did U of L determine its COA gap? Why is Louisville’s COA gap so high?

U of L’s Financial Aid Office determines all elements of the cost of attendance including the miscellaneous expense (COA gap) element. This determination is made for all students attending U of L as it helps determine their overall need level to attend school.

What are the COA gap amounts nationally?

There is a great variation of gaps across Division I. Media reports have indicated a range from an estimated $1,500 to above $5,000. The overall cost of attendance varies by institution based on factors unique to an institution including a school’s size, location, and cost of living. The cost of attendance also includes core financial aid elements like tuition, room, board, and books.

What are the COA gap funds intended to cover?

The COA gap is intended to cover a student-athlete’s other reasonable costs related to attending college. These costs include transportation, use of a computer, cell phone, clothing, laundry, child care, personal and hygiene items, and other reasonable costs associated with attending college.

What additional life skills education will U of L student-athletes receive in light of the new COA gap funding?

U of L has offered life skills programming to its student-athletes for many years. A major initiative for U of L’s athletics programs for 2015-16 and beyond is to enhance ‘financial literacy’ amongst all U of L student-athletes.

U of L’s financial literacy programming will include various in-person and on-line training modules to help educate all U of L student-athletes about budgeting, credit and debt management, loans and financing, bank accounts, investing, insurance, as well as guidance about transition from life as a college student to life after college.

Are foreign student-athletes eligible for the COA gap element?

Foreign student-athletes receiving a full athletic scholarship are eligible to receive the COA gap funds like any domestic student athlete on a full athletics scholarship.

How are COA gap funds disbursed?

Similar to other components of an athletic scholarship, the COA gap element will be disbursed in multiple installments per semester to U of L student-athletes on full athletic scholarships that include the COA gap.

Is this pay-for-play?

No. The COA gap element being disbursed to full scholarship student-athletes is part of the newly defined full athletic scholarship. The disbursements are not “stipends”—even though some media have mistakenly used that term.

How does the COA gap factor in to equivalency sports’ athletic scholarships?

NCAA Division I equivalency sports operate with a pre-set number of full athletic scholarships to divide amongst a greater number of student-athletes. For example, Division I women’s soccer has an NCAA prescribed limit of 14 full athletic scholarships to divide amongst all of its scholarship student-athletes. However, Division I women’s soccer programs might have 25 to 30 student-athletes participating. Therefore, the vast majority of women’s soccer student-athletes are on partial athletic scholarships. Partial athletic scholarship student-athletes are often in a position to combine their athletic scholarship with other non-athletic (e.g., academic) scholarships to help cover their entire cost of attendance.

All U of L equivalency sports’ scholarship budgets will be fully funded to the new cost of attendance level in conjunction with NCAA prescribed limits. Each program decides how much a student-athlete would receive in athletics aid while minding NCAA team scholarship limits and federal financial-aid limits applicable to all college students including student-athletes. An equivalency student-athlete could receive a full athletic scholarship which, in turn, could include the COA gap element.