Contact with Current Student-Athletes
Receipt by a student-athlete of an award, benefit or expenses allowance, not authorized by the NCAA renders the student-athlete ineligible for athletics competition.
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institutions athletics interest to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
In general, boosters may not provide anything or make special arrangement for student-athletes (and prospective student-athletes) that are not available to the general student population. Examples of extra benefits not allowed by NCAA rules include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Providing cash or loans in any amount, or signing or co-signing for a loan.
- Providing gifts of any kind, including birthday cards and holiday gifts.
- Providing special discounts for goods and services (e.g. movie tickets, car repair, legal services, clothing, haircuts, dinners).
- Providing the use of an automobile, telephone, etc.
- Providing free or reduced rent or housing.
- Providing honorariums for speaking engagements.
- Providing student-athletes money for the exchange of complimentary tickets.
Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Ask before you Act!
As a representative of the institution’s athletics interest (booster), you are permitted to:
- Provide only actual and necessary travel expenses to student-athletes for speaking to educational or charitable groups. All speaking engagements and charitable work must be approved in advance by the Compliance Office.
- Invite an enrolled student-athlete or an entire team in a sport to his or her home for an occasional home meal under the following conditions:
- The meal must be provided in an individual’s home (as opposed to a restaurant) and may be catered.
- Meals must be restricted to infrequent and special occasions (i.e., birthdays, holidays).
- Institutional staff members may provide transportation to a student-athlete to attend such meals.
- This occasional home meal must be approved in advance by the Compliance Office.
- Meet with and receive autographs from student-athletes during Robert Morris University sponsored pre-season events (e.g. Meet the Team). Please be aware it is not permissible for you to sell the autographs or use the autographs to raise money for a special project.
ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY
COOPERATION, CONSCIENCE, COMPLIANCE... COLONIALS!
