Summer Daily Compliance Item- 7.24.15- 17.02.18- Awards for Summer Voluntary Workouts

Several baseball student-athletes that are enrolled in summer school at Ocean State University have been participating in voluntary workouts in the weight room.  The strength coaches have been present for safety purposes.  To help motivate the student-athletes to work hard, the strength coaches would like to create awards for attendance and meeting specific goals. Is this permissible? No.  NCAA Bylaw 17.02.18 state that in order for any athletically related activity to be considered “voluntary,” all of the following conditions must be met:  (Adopted:  4/18/01, 4/29/04 effective 8/1/04) (a)  The student-athlete must not be required to report back to a coach or other athletics department staff member (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) any information related to the activity.  In addition, no athletics department staff member who observes the activity (e.g., trainer, manager) may report back to the student-athlete’s coach any information related to the activity; (b)  The activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete.   Neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may require the student-athlete to participate in the activity at any time.  However, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to provide information to student-athletes related to available opportunities for participating in voluntary activities (e.g., times when the strength and conditioning coach will be on duty in the weight room or on the track).  In addition, for students who have initiated a request to engage in voluntary activities, the institution or an athletics department staff member may assign specific times for student-athletes to use institutional facilities for such purposes and inform the student-athletes of the time in advance; (c)  The student-athlete’s attendance and participation in the activity (or lack thereof) may not be recorded for the purposes of reporting such information to coaching staff members or other student-athletes; and (d)  The student-athlete may not be subjected to penalty if he or she elects not to participate in the activity.  In addition, neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may provide recognition or incentives (e.g., awards) to a student-athlete based on his or her attendance or performance in the activity. [Note:  Coaching staff members may be present during permissible skill-related instruction pursuant to Bylaws 17.1.6.2.2 and 17.1.6.2.3]  Jennifer M. Condaras  Associate Commissioner BIG EAST Conference

Summer Daily Compliance Item- 15.2.8.1.4- 6 Hour Requirement for Summer Athletic Aid

Break Point will be a freshman tennis student-athlete at Ocean State University (OSU) this fall.  Break decided to take two courses in the summer to help get a jump start on his degree requirements.  Break completed 3 hours during summer session 1 and is currently enrolled in 3 hours for summer session 2, so he meets the enrollment requirement (6 hours) in order to receive athletic aid.  Two weeks into the second summer session, Break injured his back.  The injury was severe enough that Break had to withdrawal from the class and return home to get treatment.    Since Break did not complete the required 6 hours in the summer, does OSU have a financial aid violation? No.  NCAA Staff Interpretation- 6/29/25- Summer Athletics Financial Aid Prior to Initial Full-Time Enrollment at the Certifying Institution (I)- indicates that the legislation which permits an institution to provide athletically related financial aid to individuals during the summer prior to initial, full-time enrollment at the certifying institution and confirmed that: (1) An institution that offers multiple summer school sessions may award athletically related financial aid to a prospective student-athlete to attend any session prior to initial, full-time collegiate enrollment, provided the prospect satisfies the minimum academic-hours requirement during the entire summer (i.e., either during a single summer session or by combining hours from multiple summer sessions); (2) A prospective student-athlete may satisfy the minimum academic-hours requirement by initially enrolling in six hours of academic degree credit (other than physical activity courses) during the summer, even if the prospect does not complete such hours; and(3) A prospective student-athlete who receives athletically-related financial aid during the summer prior to initial, full-time enrollment at the certifying institution may receive summer financial aid for a maximum of five summers. [References:  NCAA Bylaw 15.2.8.1.4 (summer financial aid — prior to initial, full-time enrollment at the certifying institution — athletics aid); 2/16/00 official interpretation, Item No. 3 and 4/11/00 official interpretation, Item No. 11-(c)-3, which have been archived] Jennifer M. Condaras  Associate Commissioner BIG EAST Conference

Summer Daily Compliance Item- 7.15.15- 15.02.5.5, 15.02.5.5.2- Transfer Taking Official Visit During Dead Period

Jump Ball is a men’s basketball student-athlete at Bay State College.  Jump wants to transfer to Ocean State University (OSU) this fall.  Before he commits to OSU, he would like to visit campus and meet with the coaches.  There are only 3 dates in the month of July when Jump is available to visit the campus.  All 3 dates happen to fall in a dead period.  Is it permissible for Jump to take an official visit to OSU during a dead period?   No.  NCAA Bylaw 13.02.5.5 states that a dead period is a period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus. It remains permissible, however, for an institutional staff member to write or telephone a prospective student-athlete during a dead period.   Would Jump be permitted to take an official visit to OSU during a dead period after he signs his written letter of admission to the institution?   Yes.  NCAA Bylaw 13.02.5.5.2 states that a prospective student-athlete is no longer subject to the application of a dead period after one of the following events occurs:   (a) The prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent (NLI) or the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid; or   (b) The institution receives a financial deposit in response to the institution’s offer of admission.   NCAA Educational Column- 4/28/15- Recruiting Activities After a Prospective Student-Athlete Commits to an Institution (I)- notes, pursuant to the exception after commitment legislation, that the exception after commitment legislation, after the institution has received an individual’s financial deposit in response to its offer of admission or the individual has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) or the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid the individual is no longer subject to the restrictions of Bylaw 13.1; however, the individual remains a prospective student-athlete for purposes of applying the remaining provisions of Bylaw 13 and other bylaws.   The following questions and answers are intended to assist the membership in applying NCAA Division I recruiting legislation after an individual has signed a National Letter of Intent or the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid or after the institution has received his or her financial deposit in response to its offer of admission (i.e., after the individual’s commitment to the institution).   Football. Question No. 1: In bowl subdivision football, may a coaching staff member have in-person contact, on or off campus, during the December or January dead period with a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coaching staff member’s institution?   Answer: No. During the December or January dead period, it is not permissible to have contact with a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the institution. However, it is permissible for the institution to have contact with a prospective student-athlete who has arrived in the locale of the institution for initial full-time enrollment.   Question No. 2: In football, may a coaching staff member have contact with a committed prospective student-athlete while the prospective student-athlete is participating in an all-star contest?   Answer: No. It is not permissible for an institution to make in-person contact, on- or off-campus, with a prospective student-athlete participating in an all-star contest from the time the prospective student-athlete arrives in the locale of the contest until he returns to his home or to his educational institution.   Question No. 3: In bowl subdivision football, during the spring evaluation period, may the head coach visit the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution after he has committed to the coaching staff member’s institution?   Answer: No. It is not permissible for an institution’s head coach, or any coach who has been publicly designated to become the next head coach, to make in-person, off-campus contact with a prospective student-athlete during the April 15 through May 31 evaluation period at any location, even if the prospective student-athlete has signed the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid or the institution has received the prospective student-athlete’s financial deposit in response to its offer of admission.   Question No. 4: May a coaching staff member have contact outside of a contact or evaluation period with a prospective student-athlete, who has committed to the coaching staff member’s institution, at the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution? Answer: Any visit to a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution during a contact period counts as a contact for all prospective student-athletes in that sport at that educational institution.   All Sports. Question No. 1: In sports other than bowl subdivision football, may a coaching staff member have in-person contact, on or off campus, during a dead period with a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coaching staff member’s institution? Answer: Yes. A prospective student-athlete is no longer subject to the application of the dead period legislation after he or she signs an NLI or the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid, or the institution receives a financial deposit in response to the institution’s offer of admission; however, the dead period legislation still applies to all other prospective student-athletes.   Question No. 2: May a coaching staff member have contact outside of a contact or evaluation period (or a recruiting period in men’s basketball) with a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coaching staff member’s institution, at the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution?   Answer: No. It is not permissible to have contact outside of a contact or evaluation period (or a recruiting period in men’s basketball) with a prospective student-athlete at his or her educational institution, because recruiting rules still apply to all other prospective student-athletes at the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution.   Question No. 3: May a coaching staff member have in-person contact, on- or off-campus, with a nonqualifier who is enrolled in his or her first year of college at a two-year institution after he or she commits to the coaching staff member’s institution?   Answer: Yes; however, it is not permissible to provide such a prospective student-athlete an official visit until he or she has completed an academic year at a two-year college.   Question No. 4: Is an institution required to obtain permission to contact a four-year college prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution?   Answer: No. An institution that has received a four-year college prospective student-athlete’s signed acceptance of admission or a financial deposit in response to its offer of admission is not required to obtain written permission from another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution to make contact with the prospective student-athlete; however, the institution is required to obtain written permission from the four-year college prospective student-athlete’s previous institution to provide the student-athlete with athletically related financial assistance during the prospective student-athlete’s first year of full-time enrollment at that institution.  Further, if the four-year college student-athlete is transferring from an NCAA or NAIA member institution, the student-athlete’s previous institution must certify in writing that it has no objection to the student-athlete using the one-time transfer exception.   Question No. 5: Do the restrictions on telephone calls (e.g., one telephone call per week) and electronic correspondence apply to a prospective student-athlete once the individual commits to the coach’s institution?   Answer: No.   Question No. 6: Do the restrictions on the number of contacts apply to a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution?   Answer: No.   Question No. 7: Do the restrictions on the number of evaluations apply to a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution?   Answer: Although the institution does not use an evaluation for the prospective student-athlete who has commited to the institution, a visit (without contact) to a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution counts as an evaluation for all prospective student-athletes in that sport at that educational institution.  In addition, in team sports, the institution uses an evaluation for all prospective student-athletes participating in the practice or competition in which the committed prospective student-athlete participates. In football, an observation that occurs during a permissible contact period counts only as a contact. Question No. 8: In sports with evaluation days (i.e., football, softball, women’s volleyball and women’s sand volleyball), does the institution use an evaluation day for observing a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution?   Answer: If the prospective student-athlete who has commited to the coach’s institution participates in a team sport that has evaluation days (e.g., football), then an evaluation day is used when the coach engages in an evaluation of the committed prospective student-athlete participating in practice or competition in the team sport.   For example, a committed prospective student-athlete participates in both softball and golf. The institution’s softball coach observes the committed prospective student-athlete participating in a softball tournament. In this scenario, an evaluation day is used.  However, if the institution’s softball coach observes the committed prospective student-athlete participating in golf, an evaluation day is not used.   Question No. 9: Do the restrictions on the number of recruiting opportunities apply to a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution?   Answer: No.   Question No. 10: Is a coaching staff member permitted to have contact with a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution after the prospective student-athlete has reported on call and before she has been released by the appropriate authority?   Answer: Yes. However, recruiting regulations still apply to all other prospective student-athletes participating in the practice or competition.   Question No. 11: In men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football, is a coaching staff member permitted to visit a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution more than once per week after the prospective student-athlete commits to the coach’s institution?   Answer: No. While a prospective student-athlete is no longer subject to the restrictions of Bylaw 13.1 after commitment, recruiting regulations still apply to all other prospective student-athletes at the prospective student athlete’s educational institution.   Question No. 12: In women’s basketball, during the July evaluation period, may a coaching staff member have communication with a prospective student-athlete who has committed to the coach’s institution?   Answer: Yes. During the July evaluation period in women’s basketball, a coaching staff member may have communication with a prospective student-athlete, her relatives or legal guardians, her coach or any individual associated with her as a result of her participation in basketball, provided she has committed to the coach’s institution. However, because the recruiting regulations still apply to all other prospective student-athletes, it is not permissible for a coaching staff member to have communication with a prospective student-athlete’s coach or any other individual associated with the prospective student-athlete if the individual has not committed to the coach’s institution.   There seems to be a lot of confusion from the coaches with this part of the legislation.  The exception for after commitment is intended to apply to the institution with which the PSA committed.  Once he/she enrolls at that institution and another institution receives permission to contact, the individual is considered a PSA again and would have to commit to the certifying institution in order for the exception to apply.    The current dead period for July applies to all PSAs.

Jennifer M. Condaras  Associate Commissioner BIG EAST Conference

Summer Daily Compliance Item- 7.6.15- 12.5.1.4- Congratulatory Message from Commercial Entity

A local sporting goods store would like to recognize Ocean State University (OSU) women’s soccer student-athlete, Hat Trick, for winning an award at the FIFA World Cup yesterday.  The store will buy advertising space on a billboard near campus that reads “Congratulations Hat Trick!  We are all very proud of you!”. Is this permissible?   Yes with conditions.  NCAA Bylaw 12.5.1.4 states that it is permissible for a student-athlete’s name or picture, or the group picture of an institution’s athletics squad, to appear in an advertisement of a particular business, commercial product or service, provided: (Revised:  5/21/08)   (a) The primary purpose of the advertisement is to publicize the sponsor’s congratulations to the student-athlete or team;   (b) The advertisement does not include a reproduction of the product with which the business is associated or any other item or description identifying the business or service other than its name or trademark;   (c) There is no indication in the makeup or wording of the advertisement that the squad members, individually or collectively, or the institution endorses the product or service of the advertiser;   (d) The student-athlete has not signed a consent or release granting permission to use the student-athlete’s name or picture in a manner inconsistent with the requirements of this section; and   (e) If the student-athlete has received a prize from a commercial sponsor in conjunction with participation in a promotional contest and the advertisement involves the announcement of receipt of the prize, the receipt of the prize is consistent with the provisions of Bylaw 12.5.2.3.3 and official interpretations. (Revised:  11/1/07 effective 8/1/08)

CONGRATS TO THE USA WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM 2015 WORLD CUP CHAMPS

Jennifer M. Condaras  Associate Commissioner BIG EAST Conference

Summer Daily Compliance Item- 6.30.15- 13.5.4- Transportation for Required New Student Orientation

A few of Ocean State University’s (OSU) incoming freshmen are bringing their parents to the required new student orientation program next month.  The coaches would like to provide transportation from the airport to campus and back to the airport.  Is it permissible for OSU to provide such a benefit to prospects and/or their parents? Yes with conditions.  NCAA Bylaw 13.5.4 states that an institution or its representatives shall not furnish a prospective student-athlete, directly or indirectly, with transportation to the campus for enrollment. However, it is permissible for any member of the institution’s staff to provide:  (a)  Transportation from the nearest bus or train station or major airport to the campus on the occasion of the prospective student-athlete’s initial arrival at the institution to attend classes for a regular term or to participate in preseason practice, or for initial enrollment for the institution’s summer term for a prospective student-athlete who has been awarded athletically related financial aid for his or her initial summer term; and (b)  Transportation from and to the nearest bus or train station or major airport on the occasion of the prospective student-athlete’s arrival and departure from the institution to attend the institution’s required new-student orientation, provided the prospective student-athlete has been accepted for admission to the institution. NCAA Staff Interpretation-6/25/15- Transportation Prior To Enrollment — Prospective Student-Athlete’s Parents, Relatives or Legal Guardians (I)- states that an institutional staff member may provide a prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians transportation from the nearest bus or train station or major airport to campus and back on the occasion of the prospective student-athlete’s initial arrival at the institution to attend classes for a regular term, participation in preseason practice, initial enrollment in a summer term if the prospective-student-athlete has been awarded athletically related financial aid for such enrollment, or on the occasion of the prospective student-athlete’s arrival and departure from the institution’s required new-student orientation, provided the prospective student-athlete has been accepted for admission to the institution. [References: NCAA Bylaw 13.5.4 (transportation prior to enrollment), staff interpretation (2/19/15, item a) and staff interpretation (9/2/94, item a), which has been archived]

Jennifer M. Condaras  Associate Commissioner BIG EAST Conference

Summer Daily Compliance Item- 6.26.15- 13.6.2.2.2- Women’s Basketball Official Visits in July

Foul Line, a rising senior in high school, would like to take an official visit to Ocean State University next month.  The only available dates for Foul happen to occur during an evaluation period.  Is it permissible for Foul to take an official visit during an evaluation period in July? No.  Bylaw 13.6.2.2.2 states that in women’s basketball, an institution may not provide an expense-paid visit to a prospective student-athlete during the July evaluation periods (see Bylaw 13.1.5.4.2), unless the prospective student-athlete has signed a National Letter of Intent or the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid or the institution has received her financial deposit in response to its offer of admission.

Jennifer M. Condaras  Associate Commissioner BIG EAST Conference