What Alumni, Friends, Boosters and Parents Need to Know about Recruiting Prospective Student-Athletes and Interacting with Current Student-Athletes

As a member of the NCAA, Houghton College is responsible for the control, conduct and compliance with all the rules and regulations of NCAA Division III. It is essential for everyone associated with the college to be properly educated on NCAA rules and how they apply to various affiliated groups.

We appreciate your support and involvement with our teams and student-athletes, and we also appreciate your assistance in ensuring that the eligibility of our student-athletes is not jeopardized by inadvertent rules violations.

The information below does not outline all scenarios, but they do touch on some of the key issues related to your interaction with prospective and current student-athletes. We encourage you to read through the document below to familiarize yourself with what may or may not be allowable in terms of your contact with and provisions of benefits to prospective and current student-athletes.

As always, if you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the athletics compliance director or athletics director for assistance.

Do NCAA rules apply to me?
You are a representative of Houghton College's athletic interests, and therefore governed by NCAA rules, if you have ever:

• Participated or been a member of any group supporting or promoting Houghton Athletics;
• Promoted Houghton athletics in any manner;
• Provided or helped arrange employment for student-athletes;
• Have made financial contributions to the athletic department or to an athletics booster organization of Houghton Athletics;
• Assisted or requested (by athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospective athletes;
• Assisted in providing benefits to enrolled athletes or their families; or
• Have been involved in otherwise promoting Houghton College Athletics.

Once you are identified as a representative, you retain that identity indefinitely.

People often have questions about NCAA rules and what they permit alumni and friends of the College to do. The following is a summary of what is permitted and some examples of frequent problem areas.

The NCAA prohibits the receipt of a benefit by a student-athlete or his/her relatives or friends unless (a) it is authorized by NCAA legislation, or (b) the same benefit generally is available to the institutions, students, their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.

The "benefit" could be any special arrangement provided by a college employee or booster to a student-athlete or a student-athlete's relative or friends.

Therefore, please be aware of the following:

• A student-athlete may not accept a prohibited benefit from an employee of Houghton College or a representative of Houghton College's athletic interests (e.g., use of a car, clothing, gifts, money, tickets for any kind of entertainment, payment of long distance telephone calls).
• A student-athlete may not accept free or reduced cost storage space for personal belongings for the summer months from any Houghton College employee or a representative of Houghton College's athletic interests.
• A student-athlete may not accept free or reduced priced merchandise or services from any merchant unless that free or reduced cost item is also available to the general student body.
• A student-athlete may not use a Department of Athletics copy machine, fax machine or make long distance phone calls using departmental equipment or the long distance access code of an employee of Houghton College or representative of Houghton College's athletic interests.
• Members of the Department of Athletics staff or a representative of Houghton College's athletic interests are not permitted to type reports, papers, letters, etc., for a student-athlete.
• A student-athlete may not receive a special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (e.g., airline ticket, clothing), or service (e.g., laundry, dry cleaning) from an employee of Houghton College or representative of Houghton College's athletic interests.
• A Houghton College employee or a representative of Houghton College's athletic interests may not provide a student-athlete with a loan of money, a guarantee of bond, the use of an automobile or the signing or co-signing of a note to arrange a loan.
• A student-athlete may not accept frequent traveler miles for trips that are financed by the Department of Athletics.

The acceptance by a student-athlete of any of the above extra benefits is a violation of NCAA regulations and places the student-athlete's eligibility for intercollegiate competition in immediate jeopardy. It is extremely important for everyone involved with Houghton College athletics to know and abide by all NCAA regulations.

A representative of athletics interests MAY:

• A student-athlete may receive an occasional meal from an institutional staff member or a representative of the institution's athletic interests, provided that the meal occurs within the locale of the institution and is infrequent.
• A Houghton College employee may provide a student-athlete only reasonable and occasional local (i.e., within a 30-mile radius of the Houghton's campus) transportation. However, a Houghton College employee may not utilize a College vehicle for purposes of assisting a student-athlete's move from one residence to another.
• A representative of the institution's athletics interests may pay for or provide a meal to a student-athlete or team outside of the locale of the institution provided the meal is in conjunction with, or en route to or from, an away-from-home contest.
• A student-athlete or a team may receive an occasional meal provided by the relative of a student-athlete at any location

RECRUITMENT OF PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETES (NCAA Bylaw 13)

• A prospective student-athlete (PSA) is defined by the NCAA as any person who has begun classes in the ninth grade.
• A PSA remains a prospect even after he/she has signed a National Celebratory Letter or accepts an offer of financial aid to attend Houghton College.
• The prospect remains classified as a prospect until he/she reports for the first day of classes for a regular term (fall or spring), or participates in practice (whichever occurs first).
• Only coaches and athletic department staff members can be involved in the recruiting process off campus.
• Representatives of an institution's athletic interests are prohibited from recruiting a prospective student-athlete.
• In general, all representatives of the institution's athletics interest who are not employed by Houghton College are prohibited from contacting off-campus a prospect or prospect's family to encourage the prospect to participate in intercollegiate athletics at Houghton College.
• A contact is defined as any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or the prospect's parent or legal guardians during which time any dialogue in excess of an exchange of a greeting occurs.

As a representative of Houghton College's athletics interest, for recruiting purposes:
You can...

• Notify Houghton College coaches about prospects in your area that may be strong additions to our teams.
• Attend as a fan high school or two-year college athletic contests or other events where prospects may compete; however, you may not contact the prospect or the prospect's relatives at athletic events they are competing in until they have completed their sophomore year of high school and the event is over and they have been dismissed.
• Continue already existing friendships with families of prospects, but contacts with these individuals should not be for recruiting purposes.
• Write, email, text or telephone a prospect in an effort to recruit him/her.
• Contact a prospect's high school coach, principal, or counselor for the purpose of recruiting the prospect (e.g. meeting with the counselor, picking up a videotape of the prospect, etc.)
• If given permission to do so, make recruiting contacts and evaluations.
• Prospects may attend luncheons or dinners in their immediate locale which are sponsored by the college and are open to all prospective students. Contacts with prospects at these events is allowed.

You cannot...

• Finance or arrange the use of recruiting to publicize the College's interest in a particular prospect.
• Make arrangements for a prospect or the prospect's relatives or friends, to receive money or financial assistance of any kind.
• Provide transportation for a prospect or the prospect's relatives or friends to visit our campus or any other location.
• Provide free tickets or tickets at a reduced cost for prospects or the prospects relatives or friends to attend an athletic event.
• Provide a prospect with payment for camp or clinic registration fees.
• Take any action to encourage high school, prep school or community college coaches to direct their prospects to Houghton College.
• Contact a student from another institution and encourage him or her to transfer.
• Provide anything to a prospect without prior approval from the director of athletics.

FINANCIAL AID AND BENEFITS

(13.2.1) An institution's staff member or any representative of its athletics interests shall not be involved, directly or indirectly, in making arrangements for or giving or offering to give any financial aid or other benefits to the prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or friends, other than expressly permitted by NCAA regulations. Receipt of a benefit by prospective 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 prospective students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the prospective student body determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.

(13.2.2) Specifically prohibited financial aid, benefits and arrangements include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) An employment arrangement for a prospective student-athlete's relatives;
(b) Gift of clothing or equipment;
(c) Co-signing of loans;
(d) Providing loans to a prospective student-athlete's relatives or friends;
(e) Cash or like 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.

(13.14.1) An institution or a representative of its athletics interests shall not offer, provide or arrange financial assistance, directly or indirectly, to pay (in whole or in part) the costs of the prospective student-athlete's educational or other expenses for any period before his or her enrollment or so the prospective student-athlete may obtain a postgraduate education.

(16.11.1.1) A student-athlete may receive a loan on a deferred pay-back basis without jeopardizing his or her eligibility, provided: [R] (Adopted: 1/11/94)
(a) The loan arrangements are not contrary to the extra-benefit rule; and
(b) The student-athlete's athletics reputation, skill or pay-back potential as a future professional athlete is not considered by the lending agency in its decision to provide the loan.

(16.11.1.2) A student-athlete may receive a loan from an established family friend without such arrangement constituting an extra benefit, provided: [R] (Adopted: 1/11/94)
(a) The loan is not offered to the student-athlete based in any degree on his or her athletics ability or reputation;
(b) The individual providing the loan is not considered a representative of the institution's athletics interests; and
(c) The relationship between the individual providing the loan and the student-athlete existed before the initiation of the student-athlete's recruitment by the member institution.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Can an athletics representative be involved in any way when a prospect is on an official or unofficial visit to our campus?
A: Yes, in limited circumstances. The Athletics Representative may have contact only on campus during the student's official or unofficial visit to campus and only on campus property. Off-campus contact is prohibited.

Q: Is it permissible for an athletics representative to provide summer employment for student-athletes?
A: Yes. Please remember that compensation must be paid only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services. Refer to the section titled Rules Governing Student-Athlete Employment.

Q: May a student-athlete's name or picture be used to directly or indirectly advertise, recommend, or promote the sale or use of a commercial product or service?
A: No. Such activity would jeopardize the eligibility of the student-athlete. The NCAA membership has always maintained that student-athletes may not be involved in the promotion of a commercial product. Their involvement in the promotion of charitable or non-profit activities or organizations is permissible, however, within stipulated guidelines and limitations.

Q: Is it permissible for an athletics representative to reimburse a coach for expenses incurred in transporting a prospect to visit the campus?
A: No.

Q: Is it permissible for an athletics representative to pay in whole, or in part, registration fees associated with a prospect's attendance at sport camps or clinics?
A: No.

Q: Is the rule prohibiting off-campus contact with prospects or their family members applicable to an athletics representative established family, friends, and neighbors?
A: No. However, it must be understood that such contacts may not be made for recruiting purposes and are not initiated by a member of the institution's coaching staff.

Q: May an athletics representative attend a public event (e.g., high school awards banquet or dinner) at which prospects are in attendance?
A: Yes. Please remember that contact with a prospect may not be prearranged by an athletics department staff member, and no attempt may be made to recruit the prospect.

Q: Is it permissible for an athletics representative to provide enrolled student-athletes a home-cooked meal?
A: Yes. Provided it is on an "occasional" basis and any such meal is not at a restaurant. Please note: All such occasional meals must be requested and receive prior approval from the athletics department.

Q: Is Houghton College responsible for the acts of support groups?
A: Yes. Support Groups (aka boosters) are governed by the same NCAA and institutional rules and regulations as those placed upon all institutional athletics staff members.

Q: When is a prospect considered a student-athlete?
A: A prospect is considered a student-athlete when he or she reports for regular squad practice or attends classes in any term at the college as a full-time student.