Compliance Question of the Week - 2004 Fall Semester

Nov. 29
Q. Is it permissible for YSU to purchase khaki pants or team dress shirts so that when traveling, the team looks good and is somewhat well-dressed?
A. No. The only apparel that is permitted to be purchased is that which will be used in practice or competition. Team sweat suits and t-shirts are the most commonly purchased items and are only permissible if they are used during practice or competition. If, for example, the sweat suits were never worn in a practice, that would be an impermissible item. However, individual team members are permitted to buy such items on their own.

Nov. 22
Q. Would it be permissible for a booster who owns a local laundry mat to provide discounts to student-athletes who do their laundry there?
A. No. A student-athlete may not receive any special discount, payment arrangement or credit on any purchase or a service from an institutional employee or a representative of athletics interest (booster).

Nov. 15
Q. Can a prospect sign a National Letter of Intent on campus?
A. Yes, as long as the institution insures there are no media present on campus.

Nov. 8
Q. If a team is participating in a game during a vacation period and a student wishes to go home following the game without returning to campus, can we pay for their transportation to home?
A. YSU may provide the cost of round-trip transportation for the student to travel from campus to the event and back to campus. If the cost for the student to go home exceeds the cost for transportation back to campus, the student must pay the additional costs.

Nov. 1
Q. If there is an administrative staff member or student assigned to a sport or to the department who's tasks are administrative in nature, would it be permissible for this person to also assist in coaching a team since he/she is already working for the athletics department?
A. No. Each sport has a designated number of permissible coaches. No individual is permitted to coach any athlete or team unless he/she is a countable coach for that sport and meets the permissible definition for a countable coach or undergraduate student-coach.  One volunteer is permissible in all sports except football and basketball, and has restrictions regarding permissible activities.

Oct. 25
Q. If a prospect arranges with Undergraduate Admissions to visit YSU during a dead period, would it be permissible for the prospect to stop by our offices to meet with a coach since the prospect is already on campus for an unofficial visit?
A. No. During a dead period, no face-to-face contact is permitted on or off-campus, whether it's arranged by the prospect or not.

Oct. 18
Q. May a prospect or a prospect’s coach be sent a YSU highlight video?
A. No. An institution may show a highlight video to a prospect or a prospect’s coach but may not send it or leave it with the prospect or coach. In addition, highlight videos may include ONLY clips or actual athletic contests and activities that occur on the day of the contest that are directly related to the contest (e.g. pre-game player introductions, half-time band, cheerleading performances, locker room talks, crowd reactions, sideline coaching activities). The highlight video may NOT include clips of other activities that are only indirectly related to the contests (e.g. team travel, team meals, entertainment activities (i.e. tailgating), institutional facilities, and practice activities).

Oct. 11
Q. A coach would like to send a prospect a media guide via Federal Express.  Is this permissible?
A. No. Although it is permissible to send a prospect a media guide, recruiting material may only be sent to prospects, coaches of prospects and any other individual who resides in the 50 United States by first-class mail or a lesser rate service (e.g. parcel post) and with no extra services (e.g. certified mail, delivery confirmation). Priority mail is equivalent to first-class mail. The only recruiting material that may be sent via express mail is the National Letter of Intent.

Oct. 4
Q. If a coach goes off-campus to a recruiting service, for example, and views a prospects’ highlight film, does this count as an evaluation?
A. Yes. Once you go off-campus, any evaluation completed, whether in-person or not, counts as an off-campus evaluation. Viewing the same video on-campus would not constitute an evaluation.

Sept. 28
Q. Would it be permissible to use a portion of the student host money to purchase decorations to display in the recruit’s room during his/her official visit?
A. No. With newly adopted recruiting legislation that is attempting to eliminate a recruit’s sense of "entitlement", at no time is it permissible to personalize any items or utilize decorations.

Sept. 21
Q. May a prospect rent a car in order to drive in for an official visit?
A. When a prospect travels by automobile on an official visit, YSU is permitted to pay round-trip expenses at the same mileage rate it allows our own personnel (i.e. 30 cents per mile). Therefore, the prospect will only receive reimbursement for mileage times 30 cents. If the amount of the car rental and related gas expense exceeds the permissible mileage amount, the prospect would have to pay the difference.

Sept. 14
Q. A YSU team is traveling on an away trip to the hometown of one of our players. The player’s family provides dinner to the team after the game. Is it permissible to give each student-athlete his/her meal money for dinner as well?
A. No. Once an athlete is provided a meal (family meal, banquet, etc.), it would not be permissible to also provide meal money for the same meal.

Sept. 7
Q. Would it be permissible for a booster to employ student-athletes?
A. Yes, provided the student is compensated only for work actually performed, the student is compensated at a rate that is the going rate in that locality for similar service, and the compensation does not include remuneration for value that the student may have for the employer because of the publicity, reputation, or fame obtained because of athletics ability.

August 30
Q. Would it be permissible to have boosters who happen to be on campus (i.e. tailgate lot, in the stands for a home game, YSU meeting, etc.) meet a prospect who happens to be on campus for an official or unofficial visit?
A. No. Representatives of athletics interest (i.e. booster) are not permitted to have any contact (in-person, phone, etc.) with prospects on campus, whether it’s pre-arranged or not. Inadvertent (not pre-arranged) contact off-campus is not a violation, provided no discussion about YSU athletics or YSU in general occurs.

August 23
Q. If a sport is having a home game and invites high school teams from the local area, would it be permissible to announce over the PA system their attendance at the game?
A. No. Institutions are not permitted introduce a visiting prospect(s) or team of prospects at a function (e.g. intercollegiate athletics contest or sports award banquet) that is attended by media representatives or open to the general public.