Thank you for your continued support of our athletic program. We are grateful for your financial contribution and support. As a supporter (formally termed as representative of athletic interest also known as a booster), we must inform you of NCAA rules and regulations in regards to your involvement with our athletic program.

As a representative of athletic interest, there are certain rules that you must adhere to. Failure to abide by these rules, whether intentional or unintentional, may result in the University and student-athletes being subjected to NCAA sanctions and your loss of privileges as a representative of athletic interest. Therefore, the University respectfully requests your adherence to the following rules.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES: PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETES

13.01.5
Recruiting by Representatives of Athletics Interests. Representatives of an institution’s athletics interest are prohibited from making in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or telephone calls with a prospect or the prospect’s relatives or legal guardians. On-campus contact is permitted, as are written communications. Recruiting contacts by representatives during a prospect’s official visit are confined to campus and may not extend to the 30-mile radius permitted institutional staff members.

13.1.2.3
Other Restrictions, Athletic Representatives.

(a) Observing Prospect’s contest. An athletics representative may view a prospect’s athletics contest on his or her own initiative, subject to the understanding that the athletics representative may not contact the prospect on such occasions;

(b) Evaluation of Prospect. An athletics representative may not contact a prospect’s coach, principal or counselor in an attempt to evaluate the prospect; and

(c) Visiting Prospect’s Institution. An athletics representative may not visit a prospect’s educational institution to pick up film/videotape or transcripts pertaining to the evaluation of the prospect’s academic eligibility or athletics ability.

13.2.2 Specific Prohibitions. Specifically prohibited financial aid, benefits and arrangements include, but are not limited to, the following:

(a) An employment arrangement for a prospect’s relatives;

(b) Gift of clothing or equipment;

(c) Cosigning of loans;

(d) Providing loans to a prospect’s relatives or friends;

(e) Cash or similar items;

(f) Any tangible items, including merchandise;

(g) Free or reduced-cost services, rentals or purchases of any type;

(h) Free or reduced-cost housing;

(i) Use of an institution’s athletics equipment (e.g., for a high-school all star game); or

(j) Sponsorship of or arrangement for an awards banquet for high-school, preparatory school or two-year-college athletes by an institution, representatives of its athletics interests, or its alumni groups or booster clubs

13.4.4.3
Miscellaneous Promotions. Member institutions and their representatives of athletics interests are prohibited from financing, arranging or using recruiting aids (e.g., newspaper advertisements, bumper stickers, message buttons) designed to publicize the institution’s interest in a particular prospect.

13.6.2.2.2
Use of Automobile. The institution or representatives of its athletics interests shall not provide an automobile for use during the official visit by the prospect or by a student host.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES: STUDENT-ATHLETES

16.12.2.2
Discounts and credits. A student-athlete may not receive a special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (e.g., airline ticket, clothing) or a service (e.g., laundry, dry cleaning) from an institutional employee or a representative of its athletics interest.

16.12.2.2.1
Free or reduced-costs services. An athletics representative may not provide a student-athlete with professional services (for which a fee normally would be charged) without charge or at a reduced cost except as permitted elsewhere in this bylaw. Professional services provided at less than the normal rate or at no expense to a student-athlete are considered an extra benefit, unless they are available on the same basis to the general student body.

16.12.2.3
An institutional employee or representative of the institution’s athletics interest may not provide a student-athlete with extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to:

(a) A loan of money;

(b) A guarantee of bond;

(c) The use of an automobile; or

(d) Signing or cosigning a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan

16.12.2.7 Sponsor Families. A member institution shall not permit individuals outside the institution to serve as “sponsors” or “families” for student-athletes who are enrolled in the institution, unless such a sponsorship program exists to provide the same benefits and support services to all students at the institution.

GENERAL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Representative of athletics interest (13.02.10) - an individual who is known (or should have been known) by a member of the institution’s executive or athletics administration to:

(a) Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program;

(b) Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;

(c) Be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospects;

(d) Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or

(e) Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution’s athletics program.

Recruiting (13.02.9)-any solicitation of a prospect or a prospect’s relatives [or legal guardian(s)] by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests for the purpose of securing the prospect’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.

Prospective student-athlete (13.02.8)-a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. In addition, a student who has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a prospective student-athlete, if the institution provides such an individual (or the individual’s relatives or friends) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide students generally. An individual remains a prospective student-athlete until one of the following occurs (whichever occurs earlier)

(a) The individual officially registers and enrolls in a minimum full-time program of studies and attends classes in any term of a four-year collegiate institution’s regular academic year (excluding summer); or

(b) The individual participates in a regular-squad practice or competition at a four-year collegiate institution.

Contact (13.02.2)-any face-to face encounter between a prospect or the prospect’s parents, relatives or legal guardian(s) and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such face-to-face encounter that is pre-arranged or that takes place on the grounds of the prospect’s educational institution or at the site of organized competition or practice involving the prospect’s or the prospect’s high-school, preparatory school, two-year college or all-star team shall be considered a contact, regardless of the conversation that occurs.

Extra Benefit (16.02.3)-any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution’s athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation, if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution’s students or relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g., foreign students, minority students) determined on a basis unrelated to athletic ability.

Thank you for taking time to read this document and becoming a more responsible supporter. Due to the multitude and complexity of NCAA rules, we were not able to include all the prohibited rules within this document. Therefore, the above list is not exhaustive. We appreciate your help in ensuring total compliance with NCAA rules and regulations. As a precaution, please remember to consult with the Department of Athletics before you act. Feel free to call, Mr. Marcus Clarke, Director of Compliance, at (919) 546-8314 for further information.