Question of the Week
June 18, 2010
Q: Can a team recognize or provide awards (such as most improved, perfect attendance, etc.) to student-athletes for their participation in summer conditioning workouts?
A: No, summer workouts are voluntary athletically related activities. Any participation in summer activities must be voluntary (meet NCAA Bylaw 17.02.13) and very specifically we are prohibited from providing any recognition or awards based on summer participation in conditioning programs.
March 16, 2010 Q: Can we send the team schedule posters to prospective student-athletes or high school coaches?
A: No, team schedule posters cannot be sent to prospective student-athletes or their coaches because they are not a permissible recruiting material. A prospective student-athlete may pick one up if the posters are made available to anyone in the general public. (For example: a prospective student-athlete could pick one up from the stand in the front lobby.)
March 1, 2010 Q: If a camp or clinic bears the name of a Baylor Athletics staff member and not Baylor University, is the camp or clinic still considered to be an institutional camp according to the NCAA rules?
A: Yes, a camp or clinic that bears the name of a Baylor Athletics staff member and not the university is still considered to be an institutional camp and must follow all NCAA rules regarding institutional camps. In addition, please also note that any camp or clinic that is owned or operated by an employee of Baylor Athletics either on or off campus must also follow all the camp rules.
February 15, 2010 Q: Can a student-athlete hire a private instructor outside of Baylor to come to campus and provide private instruction while using a Baylor facility?
A: It is not permissible for a student-athlete to hire an outside instructor to come and give private instruction while using a Baylor facility without counting the private instructor as one of Baylor's countable coaches. Baylor teams are currently at maximum coaching limitations, thus a violation of NCAA coaching limitations would occur.
February 10, 2010 Q: A prospective student-athlete's parent works at Baylor and may be eligible for an employee dependent tuition benefit. Does the tuition benefit count against the team?
A: Generally, the tuition benefit that is available to children of Baylor employees is considered to be institutional financial aid (which may or may not be countable against the team dependent on what sport it is, recruited status, and whether they are receiving any athletic aid). However, the tuition benefit can be exempted from counting as institutional financial aid if the parent has worked at Baylor for a minimum of five years.
February 2, 2010 Q: Our staff understands that we are not permitted to send recruiting materials to prospective student-athletes using express mail services. Are we permitted to send materials to high school coaches via express mail? For example, can we send a high school coach camp brochures or media guides via express mail?
A: The NCAA rules prohibit the use of express mailing services to send recruiting materials to a coach or any other individual responsible for teaching or directing an activity in which a prospective student-athlete is involved. It is a violation of NCAA Bylaw 13.4.1.1.1 to send a high school coach camp brochures or media guides via express mail.
December 18, 2009 Q: Can a student-athlete go on a hunting or fishing trip with me?
A: Basically, it's OK to go fishing or hunting with student-athletes, but the student-athletes have to pay for their own expenses (travel, lodging, meals, incidentals, et al.). When they get any part of the trip for free, then it's considered an "extra benefit."
December 11, 2009 Q: What is the NCAA Eligibility Center responsible for?
A: The NCAA Eligibility Center manages three vital areas in college athletics:
- The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies the academic qualifications of incoming freshman.
- The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies the amateur status of new student-athletes.
- The NCAA Eligibility Center now also coordinates the National Letter of Intent program as well.
November 13, 2009 Q: If a student-athlete is receiving a Pell Grant, does the Pell Grant count against NCAA sport limitation in equivalency sports?
A: Pell Grants do not count against a team's overall NCAA sport limitation. Figure 15-1 in the NCAA manual that identifies many areas of aid and how the aid is counted. Although the Pell Grants are calculated against a student-athlete's individual limitations for aid, the grants do not count against Baylor teams.
November 6, 2009 Q: Once a prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent with Baylor during the early signing period, when are the phone call limitations lifted for coaches?
A: The phone call limitations are lifted starting the next calendar day after they have signed the National Letter of Intent.
- For example, if a prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent on Monday, November 16th - unlimited calls to the prospective student-athlete is not effective until Tuesday, November 17th.
- Coaches have unlimited calls on the initial day of early signing period (Wed. November 11th) and the following two days (Thurs. Nov. 12th and Fri. Nov. 13th), but not for the entire signing period (NCAA 13.1.3.3.2).
October 28, 2009 Q: Can the athletics department arrange for a local family t serve as a "host" or "sponsor" family for a student-athlete over the holidays? (For example - student-athlete lives with the family over the holidays)
A: No, NCAA rules do not permit the athletics department to arrange host or sponsor families for student-athletes.
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK ARCHIVES 2008-09