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USA Hockey, women reach agreement; seek growth for sport

By The Associated Press

Just three days before hosting the world championships, USA Hockey and the women’s national team reached an agreement to end a wage dispute and avoid a boycott on home ice.

The four-year deal finalized Tuesday night pays players beyond the six-month Olympic period, up to $129,000 if they win Olympic gold and improves development of the sport.

“We didn’t want to settle for something that wasn’t going to push women’s hockey as far as we thought it was able to go,” U.S. captain Meghan Duggan said by phone. “Really excited about what this brings for the future of women’s hockey.”

The deal means players will be on the ice Friday in Plymouth, Michigan, to begin their title defense against archrival Canada. The team is scheduled to practice Wednesday once everyone arrives for hurried preparations in advance of a tournament that now will be a celebration of USA Hockey instead of a stage for criticism after the dispute drew the attention of several sports unions and U.S. senators.

USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean said laying a foundation for the future of the women’s game was the crux of the agreement.

“It was critical to go through this process and to get this done, and I’m pretty sure that the women are very, very satisfied with where we ended up and it puts us in a great place to all move forward in a great way,” Ogrean said by phone Tuesday night.

Coming off making just $1,000 a month for six months around the Olympics, this contract pays players roughly $3,000 a month. Annual compensation can surpass $70,000 when combined with contributions from the United States Olympic Committee.

Players receive Olympic medal bonuses of $20,000 for gold and $15,000 for silver from USA Hockey and $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze from the USOC. It could be a banner year for the women’s national team if successful at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The agreement includes insurance protection and the same business class travel that the men get for the world championships.

“There was compromises on both sides, but the contract in its entirety, it’s going to change the lives of the current players that are on the team right now (and also) the next generation,” star forward Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said by phone. “It’s going to be a turning point for women’s hockey in the U.S. (and) I feel like a turning point for women’s hockey in the world.”

USA Hockey president Jim Smith said people will look back on this day “as one of the most positive in the history” of the organization.

After more than a year of negotiations over wages and equitable support, players announced March 15 that they’d boycott the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship if significant progress wasn’t made toward an agreement. The sides met for 10-plus hours in person last week and continued conversations before finally agreeing to a deal.

Duggan said it was possible the original team wouldn’t be on the ice for the tournament.

“That was a reality from Day One,” Duggan said. “We put that on the line.”

Over the course of the public dispute, unions from the NHL, NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball and 16 U.S. senators voiced support for the players. NHL agent Allan Walsh tweeted that men’s players were considering boycotting their world championship in solidarity if a deal didn’t get done.

The senators’ letter noted the $6,000 that players earn around the Olympics and USA Hockey’s $3.5 million annual spending on the men’s national team development program.

The deal includes the formation of a women’s high performance advisory group with current and former players — like Hockey Canada has had for some time. The group’s goal is to advance girls’ and women’s hockey programing, marketing, promotion and fundraising to augment existing grassroots programs.

“That’s an instrumental part in the contract,” Lamoureux-Davidson said. “It’s going to be important to not just sign a deal and be done with it but to continue to grow the sport and to market our sport and market the players. It’s just going to create numbers at the grassroots level that I think players want to see and USA Hockey wants to see.”

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Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno .

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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