Several Ocean State University student-athletes are registered to vote in the locale of the institution. The athletic department administrators and coaches want to encourage the student-athletes to vote, so they would like to coordinate transportation to and from the polling places.
Is this permissible?
If there are not any administrators available to drive the student-athletes, is it permissible for the athletic department to provide them with a vehicle for purposes of getting to and from the voting sites?
It is permissible for the athletic department administrators/coaches to drive the student-athletes to vote. NCAA Bylaw 16.9.1(f) states that it is permissible for an institution to provide the following travel expenses not related to practice or competition: [R]
Local Transportation. Reasonable local transportation to student-athletes on an occasional basis. (Adopted: 1/10/95)
It is not, however, permissible for an institution to provide a vehicle for the student-athletes to use. NCAA Official Interpretation- 12/12/94-Awards and Benefits — Transportation Expenses- states that the committee reviewed Proposal Nos. 18 and 19, which permit an institution to provide student-athletes with reasonable, local transportation on an occasional basis, and determined that it is not permissible for an institution to provide a vehicle for a student-athlete to use for the purposes outlined in the proposals.
This is applicable for Divisions I and II.
