California State University at Fresno is buying iPads for student athletes and using “special needs” funds to do it.

Oliver Darcy of Campus Reform reports.

Public university spends $200k of ‘special needs’ funds to purchase iPads for athletes

Administrators at a public university are spending at least $200,000 this semester purchasing Apple iPads for student-athletes, a Campus Reform investigation has revealed.

Each athlete at California State University – Fresno (CSUF) has received, or is slated to receive, the pricey device, courtesy of money obtained through the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s Student Athlete Opportunity Fund.

The special fund from the NCAA is designated for athletes who have special needs, NCAA spokeswoman Emily Potter told Campus Reform on Monday.

“The purpose [of the fund] is to assist student-athletes with special financial needs,” she said.

Potter added that “most of the money is used for educational purposes, with some also going for needs such as clothing.”

Yet, CSUF instead made the decision to use the funds to purchase at least 425 iPads.

In a press release, CSUF said that “each student-athlete is given the one iPad, which becomes their property.”

Campus officials declined to comment as to how the decision to purchase the popular tablets was made or what educational purposes the iPads would serve students.

They also declined to say how many iPads were purchased, but noted that future athletes would be receiving the device as well.

CSUF stressed that the iPads “cannot be sold or transferred to any other individual,” but would not elaborate on how they would prohibit students from selling their new devices to others.

The Student Athlete Opportunity Fund is part of the Student Assistance Fund, which according to the NCAA had a total of $59.7 million available in the 2010-11 school year.