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Recruiting & NCAA Rules
Guide To NCAA Rules for Alumni, Faculty and Friends
"Institutional control" of Athletics is a fundamental requirement of NCAA rules. The NCAA constitution provides that each institution shall be responsible for ensuring that student-athletes, members of the institution's staff and other individuals or groups that represent the institution's athletics interests comply with all applicable NCAA regulations.
This is information sheet is intended to provide you with basic information concerning NCAA rules that apply to a booster, a.k.a. "Representative of the Institution's Athletics Interests." This sheet highlights NCAA and Conference regulations regarding common situations encountered by alumni, faculty and friends of Southeast Missouri State University.
Because of the complexity of NCAA rules, this brochure does not include all applicable situations and should not be relied upon exclusively. We need your help complying with these rules. If you have any questions about recruits or current student-athletes, please direct your inquiries to Alicia Scott, Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance, at (573) 651-2980 or ascott@semo.edu.
What is a "booster?"
A "booster" is known in NCAA terms as a "representative of the institutionís athletics interests." You become a booster if:
- you have ever been a member of any organization promoting Southeast Athletics,
- you have ever made any type of donation to the Southeast Booster Club or Southeast Athletics,
- you have ever assisted in evaluating or recruiting prospective student-athletes,
- you have ever assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families,
- you have promoted Southeast Athletics in any other manner.
NCAA Bylaw 13.02.12.1 mandates that when you become a booster, you retain that identity for the rest of your life. As a representative of Southeast athletics interests, you are bound by NCAA rules. Southeast is responsible for your actions.
NCAA Bylaw 6.4.2.1 -- Revocation of Withholding of Privileges
Any individual who has engaged in conduct that is determined by the NCAA, Conference or Southeast to be a violation of NCAA rules, regardless of whether such violation results in the imposition of sanctions, shall be subject to the revocation or withholding of any athletically related benefit or privilege received by that individual from Southeast. Such benefit or privilege may include, without limitation, ticket privileges that may be withheld by Southeast for that period of time which the NCAA, Conference or Southeast deems appropriate. The revocation of ticket privileges may result in an individual being denied admittance to any Southeast hosted athletics event.
Basics You Should Know
Boosters can:
provide an occasional meal to a student-athlete or an entire team. The meal must be provided at the booster's home and must be restricted to infrequent or special occasions. Only the booster who is hosting the meal may provide transportation to student-athletes. Please approve such a meal with the appropriate coach.
provide summer employment to a student-athlete (not recruits) at a rate commensurate with the normal wage for such employment in the locality and for work actually performed. You cannot give the student-athlete anything that is not given to other employees in general. Please also note that there are different and more restrictive rules regarding work for student-athletes during the academic year. Please do not ever employ a student-athlete without approval from Southeast Athletics.
provide housing to student-athletes at a rate commensurate for similar housing in the locality. Please do not ever provide housing to a student-athlete without approval from Southeast Athletics.
continue to maintain contact with student-athletes and their families with whom the booster has a verifiable pre-existing relationship.
inform Southeast coaches of recruits by sending the coach newspaper clippings or other information regarding the recruit.
Boosters cannot:
contact recruits, either in-person, by telephone, in writing or by any other methods.
contact the recruit's coach, principal or counselor in any manner. Please leave this to our coaches.
provide any type of benefit (money, services, items) to recruits or student-athletes, unless such a benefit is readily available to the public in general and such a claim can be easily demonstrated.
Limited Exceptions for Faculty and Staff:
Southeast faculty and staff members are permitted to have in-person contacts with recruits only at Southeast.
Southeast faculty and staff members, at the direction of a coach, may begin to write to recruits after Sept. 1 at the start of the recruit's junior year of high school.
Southeast faculty and staff members can provide recruits information that is available to the public in general.
NCAA Definitions
Prospective Student-Athlete:
A "prospect" or "recruit" is any student who has started classes for the ninth grade. Any student who has not started classes for the ninth grade can also become a "prospect" if the student receives any benefits that Southeast does not provide to potential students in general. Southeast requests that you treat ALL students as prospects.
Student-Athlete:
A student-athlete is any student who was recruited by Southeast for athletics participation or has joined an intercollegiate team at Southeast.
Contact:
A "contact" is any face-to-face encounter between a coach or booster and a prospect or the prospect's parents or legal guardians during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such contact 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 team is considered by the NCAA to be a contact, regardless of the conversation that occurs. Please remember that boosters are prohibited from contacting recruits.
Recruiting:
Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospect or the prospect's family by a Southeast staff member or by a Southeast booster for the purpose of securing the prospect's enrollment at Southeast and/or participation in our athletics program.
Awards Banquet:
Booster groups may finance the following institutional awards and recognition banquets, provide all expenses are paid through the Southeast Athletics Department:
- All-sports pre-season awards banquet
- All-sports post-season awards banquet
Single team recognition banquets prior to or during the season may be financed as well as the team's transportation expenses to the event, if it is not more than 100 miles from campus and no tangible award is provided to the members of the team.
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