The men’s basketball coaches at Ocean State University (OSU) are recruiting a prospective student-athlete from Germany. The prospect speaks English but his parents do not, so the coaches have arranged for one of OSU’s professors to travel with them to Germany when they visit with the prospect and his family.
Is this permissible?
Yes. NCAA Bylaw 13.1.2.2 (f)- states that it is permissible for an interpreter to be present during an institution’s in-person, off-campus contact with a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents (or legal guardians), provided that if the institution is involved in making the arrangements for the use of the interpreter, the interpreter must be a faculty member or a professional interpreter. It is not permissible for the interpreter to be an enrolled student-athlete, a family member of an enrolled student-athlete or a representative of the institution’s athletics interests.
