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University of Montevallo Athletics

Compliance

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the University of Montevallo Compliance home page! The goal of this site is to provide our boosters, alumni, fans, coaches, prospects and student-athletes information regarding the rules and regulations of the NCAA. While not all inclusive, it is meant to provide guidance in many of the situations you may encounter and should help you avoid inadvertently violating NCAA policies. Compliance of the rules and regulations is essential to creating a winning environment for all of UM athletic teams.

ASK BEFORE YOU ACT

It is the responsibility of every individual associated with University of Montevallo Athletics to be educated. If questions arise, we ask that you contact our Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, Katie O'Brien , at (205) 665-6600 or by email. Asking questions before acting ensures that the eligibility of our department and our student-athletes is not jeopardized.

ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT

In keeping with the University's mission, commitment and goals, the Intercollegiate Athletics Program will be designed and maintained to fully and effectively accommodate the needs and interests of student-athletes in their quest for excellence in the arena of highly competitive sport while working toward the achievement of an undergraduate degree. Furthermore, the program will be designed and maintained to be: educationally based, ethically sound, fiscally responsible, gender equitable and imbued with the values of sportsmanship and fair play. By fostering a sense of pride and goodwill within the student body, faculty, alumni and community, the athletic department endeavors to contribute to the highly respected image of the University of Montevallo.

Who is a Representative of Athletic Interests (Booster/Donor)?

NCAA rules indicate that all alumni, friends, and employees of the University are categorized as representatives of athletics interests. The NCAA stipulates that once an individual has been identified as a representative or booster/donor of the University's athletics programs, he or she retains this status forever even if the individual is no longer associated with the athletics program. Furthermore, the NCAA states that it is possible to be a representative of athletics interest at more than one university at the same time.

A representative of athletics interests is anyone who has ever:

  • made any type of contribution to the athletics department or to a booster club

  • joined the institution's booster club or any sport specific support group

  • provided or helped arrange employment for a student-athlete

  • provided benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families

  • assisted in any manner in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes

  • promoted the institution's athletics program in any manner

  • purchased season tickets from the University

  • been an employee of the University of Montevallo

  • been involved with the UM athletics program in any capacity

  • you are a parent of a UM student-athlete

  • you are the spouse of a UM athletics department employee

As a representative of athletics interests (booster/donor), you may not:

  • contact a prospect's coach, principal or counselor in an effort to evaluate a prospect

  • visit the prospect's institution to pick up film or transcripts pertaining to the evaluation of the prospect's academic eligibility or athletic ability

  • contact a prospect, his/her parents, legal guardians or spouse on or off campus

  • contact a prospect by telephone or by letter

  • make special arrangements for entertainment for recruiting purposes

  • provide extra benefits to a prospect, student -athlete at UM or another institution or to the parents, family and/or guardians of the prospects or student athlete's. You are not permitted to buy a soda or cup of coffee for them

  • serve as a "sponsor family" for a student-athlete

Permissible activities by boosters:

  • UM boosters may attend events (e.g., contests, banquets) where prospects are present on his or her own initiative, subject to the understanding that the booster may NOT contact the prospect or the prospect's relatives

  • UM boosters may inform the Falcon coaches of prospects in their area by contacting the UM staff and sending Falcon coaches newspaper clippings with the names of particular prospects

  • Do continue establishing family relationships with friends and neighbors. Contacts with prospects are permitted as long as they are not made for recruiting purposes and are not initiated by UM staff members

  • UM boosters may arrange employment for prospective student-athletes. The prospect may not begin the job until after the completion of his or her senior year in high school. Compensation must be based on work actually performed and at a normal rate

  • A student-athlete or an entire team may receive an occasional family meal from a booster under certain conditions. The occasional meal MUST be provided in the individual's home, may be catered and must be restricted to infrequent or special occasions. The UM Athletic Department requests that all arrangements for team events be made in advance with the approval of the head coach and the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, Dawn Makofski

Who is a Prospective Student-Athlete?

NCAA rules stipulate that a prospective student-athlete is a person who has started classes for the ninth (9th) grade, regardless of his/her athletics ability and /or participation.

  • A prospective student-athlete remains a prospect even after he or she has signed a National Letter of Intent or accepts an offer of financial aid to attend an institution

  • The prospect remains a prospect until he/she reports for the first day of classes for a regular term (fall or spring) or the first official day of practice (whichever comes first)

Transfer Students

As a representative of athletics interest you are not permitted to contact any student-athlete or the family member/guardian of a student-athlete who is or has enrolled at another institution for the purposes of recruiting and/or to determine the possibility of transferring to UM. The same rules apply to these students as they do for prospective student-athletes.

What is an "Extra Benefit"?

The NCAA defines an extra benefit as any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interest ("booster/donor") to provide a student-athlete (or a student-athlete's relative or friend) a benefit that is not generally available to other UM students and their relative and/or friends. Therefore, please be aware of the following:

  • A student-athlete cannot accept anything from an employee of UM or athletics booster/donor (e.g., use of a car, hair cut, clothing, gifts, money, tickets for any kind of entertainment, payment of long distance telephone calls)

  • A student-athlete cannot accept free or reduced cost room and/or board from any UM employee or booster/donor of UM's athletics programs. This includes in on or off campus, in the student-athlete's home city or any other location. This would preclude a student-athlete from "house sitting" without paying rental costs at a comparable rate for similar housing in that locale

  • A student-athlete may not accept free or reduced cost storage room for personal belongings for the summer months from any UM employee or booster/donor of UM's athletics programs

  • A student-athlete cannot accept free or reduced merchandise or services from any merchant unless that free or reduced cost item is also available to the general public

  • A student-athlete cannot eat at a restaurant as the guest of an athletics booster/donor or an employee of UM

  • On infrequent, special occasions (e.g., a birthday, Thanksgiving, etc.), a student-athlete may accept an invitation to the home of an employee of UM or an athletics booster/donor for a meal

  • A student-athlete cannot use a Department of Athletics copy machine, fax machine or make long distance phone calls using departmental equipment or the long distance access code of an employee of UM or athletics booster/donor

  • Members of the Department of Athletics staff or an athletics booster/donor are not permitted to type reports, papers, letters, etc., for a student-athlete

  • A student-athlete cannot receive a special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (e.g., airline ticket, clothing), or service (e.g., laundry, dry cleaning) from an employee of UM or an athletics booster/donor

  • A UM employee or a booster/donor cannot provide a student-athlete with a loan of money, a guarantee of bond, the use of an automobile or the signing or co-signing of a note to arrange a loan, or pay or provide other compensation for work not performed or at unreasonable levels for work performed

  • A UM employee may provide a student-athlete only reasonable and occasional local (i.e., within a 30 mile radius of the campus) transportation. However, a UM employee may not utilize a University vehicle for purposes of assisting a student-athlete's move from one residence to another

What are the consequences of NCAA violations?

Recruiting violations by UM employees and/or athletic representatives will result in the prospective or enrolled student-athlete becoming immediately ineligible to represent UM in intercollegiate athletics. A major recruitment violation can cause a prospect or current student-athlete to become permanently ineligible for intercollegiate athletics at UM.

ACADEMICS & ATHLETES


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