LAWRENCE - A University of Kansas professor is asking the school to adopt stricter rules for awarding scholarships after 25 students received $1,000 scholarships for attending a Sept 14 football game.

Tim Miller, professor and chairman of religious studies, said Thursday at a University Council meeting that he thought university scholarships should be based on need or academic merit, not whether a student was a sports fan.

"I was really appalled KU offered these bribes called scholarships," Miller said. "What does that say to the scholars on this campus?"

The University of Kansas Endowment Association promoted its $500 million campaign by printing up T-shirts and giving them to students.

A single donor contributed the $25,000 for scholarships. It was the donor's request that they be awarded randomly to students who wore the T-shirts at the first football game, said Dale Seuferling, president of the endowment association.

But Nancy Baym, assistant professor of communication studies, said it was unfair for the association to target students at the game for scholarships.

"The people who were studying that day had no chance of winning a scholarship, whereas the football fans did," she said.

Members of the University Council appeared split on the resolution and eventually tabled the issue until its next meeting.