The headline reads "Big Ten acts to support student-athlete graduation" but essentially it means the Big Ten is now guaranteeing scholarships for four years - and beyond.
Straight from the lawyer-approved release:
• The scholarship will neither be reduced nor cancelled provided he or she remains a member in good standing with the community, the university and the athletics department.
• If a student-athlete's pursuit of an undergraduate degree is interrupted for a bona fide reason, that student-athlete may return to the institution at any time to complete his or her degree with the assistance of an athletic scholarship.
Essentially, as long as you don't wander off from practice to explore Eastern Europe for two years, a Big Ten scholarship is now guaranteeing a scholarship for life. Although I would like to see a cross country runner jog off trail straight into the wilderness and try to claim his scholarship in 2056.
Every conference will do this in three-to-five years, but it's nice to see the Big Ten take the first step. The conference has also said it will work to get the rest of its Power Five brethren on board as well.