Albany State University is dedicated, obligated and committed to the principle of institutional control in operating its athletic program. The department operates in a manner that is consistent with rules and regulations mandated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and the University. We are responsible for insuring that these rules and regulations are followed by coaches, student athletes, faculty, staff, donors, boosters, former students, fans and friends. ASU strives for academic and athletic excellence, as well as maintaining the highest standard of ethical conduct.
Involvement with our athletics program is critical to our success, but any inappropriate activity, even if unintentional, could jeopardize the eligibility of our current and prospective student-athletes and Albany State University’s compliance with NCAA and SIAC regulations.
ASU’s Athletic Department maintains athletic compliance programs that coordinate, monitor and verify compliance with all NCAA requirements. The office also seeks to educate the various departments on campus and the athletic community regarding NCAA regulations, especially those relating to interactions between representatives and prospective student-athletes and current student-athletes.
The following information is a guide to NCAA rules for fans, boosters and friends of Albany State University Please use it a reference to the NCAA rules as they apply to representatives of our athletic interests. All questions and situations cannot be answered in this brief statement, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We want to remind you that any incidental contact or inappropriate action by you can jeopardize the eligibility of a prospective student- athlete or an enrolled student-athlete and the integrity of Albany State University. Albany State University is honored to have your support and interest in all of our athletic programs.
If you have any questions regarding compliance, eligibility or recruiting at Albany State University, please contact:
Jacqueline Nicholson
Assistant Athletics Director, Compliance, Academics & Student-Athlete Development/Senior Woman Administrator
229-430-1364
jacqueline.nicholson@asurams.edu
Guide to NCAA Rules for Fans, Boosters & Friends of Albany State University
NCAA Definitions/Questions and Answers
Who is a prospective student-athlete?
A prospect is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade, students in prep schools, and students in junior colleges. 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 family or friend) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students.
When does a prospect become a student-athlete?
A prospect becomes a student-athlete only when he/she reports for an organized team pre-season practice or begins attending classes during the regular academic year, not after signing the National Letter of Intent.
What is recruiting?
Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospect or the prospect's family by a University staff member or by a representative of the University's athletics interests for the purpose of securing the prospect's enrollment at the University and/or participation in the athletics program. All recruiting must be done by designated athletics department staff members.
What is a contact?
A contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or the prospect's parent or legal guardian 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 prearranged 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 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.
What is an evaluation?
An evaluation is any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or athletics ability of a prospect, including any visit to a prospect's educational institution (during which no contact occurs) or the observation of any practice or competition at any site at which the prospect participates.
Who is a Booster or Representative of Athletics Interests?
A “representative of the institution’s athletics interests” is an individual who is known (or should have been known) by a member of the institution’s athletics administration as:
• Anyone who has participated in or become a member of an agency or organization, including corporate entities promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
• Anyone who has made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
• Anyone who assists in the recruitment of a prospect;
• Anyone assisting or who has assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families;
• Anyone who has been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program.
Once an individual is identified as such a representative, the person retains that identity indefinitely.
What Can a Booster Do?
• Provide employment for prospective or currently enrolled student-athletes during permissible periods. All compensation paid to a student-athlete must be for work actually performed and given at a rate equal to the going rate for a similar job in the local area. Please notify the Compliance Office of any employment possibilities for student-athletes.
• Attend games where prospects are competing, as long as no contact is made with the prospect or prospect's parents.
• Provide a student-athlete or the entire team in a sport an occasional meal in the home of an institutional staff member or a representative of athletics interests or the meal is served in a restaurant, as long as the meals are infrequent and on special occasions.Arrangements for these activities should be made through the head coach in the sport and the Compliance Office at ASU.
• Notify the Athletics Department or a member of the Albany State University coaching staff about outstanding prospects.
• Attend high school or junior college sporting events that you would normally attend provided there is no contact with a prospective student athlete.
• Continue relationships with a prospect or his family as long as the relationship was established prior to the prospect’s freshman year of high school.
• Send Albany State University coaching staff any newspaper clippings or other information about prospects, which you think, would be of interest.
• Check with the ASU Compliance Office before you do anything that may jeopardize a current or prospective student-athlete's eligibility.
What is a Booster Prohibited From Doing?
• Provide a prospective or current student-athlete and their relatives and friends with any extra benefits.
• Providing a prospective student-athlete, his/her parents, relative, friends, or coaches with any material benefit. This includes room and/or board, transportation or any kind, or any other benefit to a prospect during the summer prior to enrollment.
• Become directly or indirectly involved in making arrangements for a prospect, the prospect’s relatives or friends to receive money or financial aid of any kind.
• Transport, pay, or arrange for payment of transportation costs for a prospect or the prospect’s relatives or friends to visit campus.
• Make recruiting presentations to groups of prospective student-athletes.
• Make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with a prospect or the prospect's relatives or legal guardian(s). If an ASU coach has a prospect at an athletic event, you should not approach the coach until after the prospect and family have gone elsewhere. If you are approached by a prospect off-campus regarding the institution’s athletics program, suggest that the prospect contact the institution for information.
• Provide ANYTHING to or for a prospect or the prospect’s relatives or friends without first checking with the ASU athletic department and compliance office.
• Provide tickets, transportation or entertainment for high school, prep school or community college coaches at ANY location.
• Contact the prospect’s coach, principal, or counselor for the purpose of evaluating the prospect. You are not permitted to pick up films or transcripts from the prospect’s educational institution.
• Contact any enrolled student-athlete at another institution for the purpose of encouraging them to transfer and participate in another institution’s athletics program.
• Entertain or provide awards or gifts for a current student-athlete, or his/her family and friends.
• Use a student-athlete's name, picture, or appearance to promote sales or advertise the use of a commercial product or service.
• Pay a student-athlete for a speaking engagement.
What is an Extra Benefit?
An extra benefit is defined as any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interests ("booster") to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relatives or friends a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by a student-athlete 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 their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e. g. international students) determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.
Specifically prohibited financial aid, benefits and arrangements include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Employment arrangement for a prospect's relatives
• Gifts of clothing or equipment
• Co-signing of loans or providing loans to a prospect's relatives or friends
• Cash or similar items
• Any tangible items, including merchandise
• Free or reduced-cost services, rentals or purchases of any type
• Free or reduced-cost housing
• Use of an institution's athletics equipment
• Co-signing of loans or posting bond
• The use of washer or dryer
• Free summer storage
• Promising employment after college graduation
• Telephone card to make free long distance calls.
What is a contact?
Contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or the prospect’s relatives and an institutional staff member or athletics representative where any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any face-to-face encounter that is prearranged or takes place on the grounds or takes place on the grounds of the prospect’s high school or site of organized competition or practice involving the prospect’s high school, preparatory school, two-year college, or all-star team is considered a contact regardless of the conversation that occurs.
What is the definition of recruiting?
Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospect or a prospect’s relatives (or legal guardians) by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interest for the purpose of securing the prospect’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletic program.
Questions Regarding Prospective Student Athletes
I am an Albany State University alumni living in Atlanta, Georgia. What can I do to help the Golden Rams recruit a local high school basketball star?
In Division II, representatives of an institution’s athletic interests are prohibited from having an in-person contact, making telephone calls or corresponding with a prospect.
If I am a representative of the college and a prospect contacts me, may I respond?
As long as the contact was NOT initiated by you or prearranged by another representative of the athletics interest, you may answer questions regarding different aspects of Albany State University as long as no discussion takes place concerning the athletics program and you do not have a recruiting conversation.
What is the National Letter of Intent (NLI)?
The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution.
A prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters). The institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).
Once a prospect signs an NLI, may I contact the prospect and congratulate him?
NO, even though the prospect has signed a NLI, the same contact rules still apply. In general, do not contact a prospective student-athlete for any reason unless you are a relative.
Questions Regarding Student Athletes
Can I let a student-athlete borrow my car?
NO, that would be an extra benefit. An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution’s athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or a student-athlete’s relatives or friends a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
Can I hire a student-athlete to work at my company?
Yes, but you must first contact the Compliance Office. There are many NCAA regulations governing the employment of student-athletes.
Can I use a student-athlete’s name or picture to advertise products?
No. The use of the student-athlete’s name or picture to promote a commercial product would cause the student-athlete to lose his or her remaining eligibility.
Can I provide accommodations to a student-athlete’s relatives or friends when they are attending an Albany State University athletic event or while visiting the school?
No. Providing room, board, or transportation to friends or family of an enrolled student-athlete to enable them to visit campus or attend an athletics contest is strictly prohibited.
Visit the NCAA Web Site for more information at
www.ncaa.org.
