Okay, I don't pay attention for a couple of days and all sorts of debate breaks out!
Some facts. USports DOES NOT CARE about CHL education packages. They made the decision some time ago to exempt them from the Athletic Financial Awards (AFA's). There is no means or income test for AFA's - your other sources of income have no effect on whether an individual can receive an AFA.
I don't know about other conferences, but in at least one AUS school the CHL education package money is paid directly to the student athlete, not the school. I assumed that was the rule across the country, since USports DOES NOT CARE. If the OUA school is receiving the money from the CHL on behalf of the student towards their tuition, that's the OUA's business I guess. I can't believe they would ever hold back any of that money, would they?
Yes, some students get more than the minimum tuition and books guaranteed by the CHL, because the team decides to top up the education package. I guess some refer to that as the 'golden package'. I do know a while back there was an AUS hockey player who was getting around $15,000 per year from his CHL team for his education package, per their negotiated agreement. Is that against CHL rules? I don't know. But USports DOES NOT CARE. It is just treated as income like having a summer job. It does not affect that student-athlete's eligibility for an AFA.
So I don't see why there is any concern about CHL education packages. It is independent of any school policies (and don't forget, a former Junior player can collect the money even if he never plays hockey again, or decides to take up a trade instead of going to university).
However, the AFA 'pot' for men's hockey can vary by school/team, as it maxes out at 14 times (i.e. 70% of a championship roster) the cost of undergraduate tuition and fees at that school. Plus Academic All-Canadians don't count against the pot limit, but their individual award cannot exceed tuition and required fees. And of course, a conference like the OUA can choose to put their own limits on AFA's, but as long as they don't exceed the USports rules, that is their choice (and a stupid one in my opinion).