I'm utterly disgusted. It's this kind of behavior on the part of the NCAA that lead me to oppose UCD going Division I. If you're a big conference with all the TV money you pretty much can go your own way but small conferences who self-monitor and report their own problems are slapped down.
The poor kids were buying food and paying for rent. It’s incredibly costly going to school nowadays; you are pretty much looking to be in debt after graduating.
There is no doubt that big money is a big problem in the NCAA and we see the unfair biases that help keep the status quo of the elite programs all the time. This kind of unfair behavior is pervasive throughout our culture as a whole where the scales of justice are weighted heavily in favor of those who are ultra wealthy and powerful. It's nothing new, it's just very discouraging that it has carried over to "amateur college athletics" as well.
However, I do not agree that UCD should not have gone to D1. With a university of our stature and prestige I believe that our athletics should reflect the same high ideals, competence and recognition that the university as a whole has attained. Many of our sports are having very good success at the D1 level currently and all of our sports as a whole are on the rise. We may never have the kind of success, recognition and financial success that many of the power conference schools have. However, we are progressing nicely with a model of D1 athletics that is based on a solid foundation of ethical behavior and high academic standards and that's something to be very proud of.