The Compliance Corner
The Compliance Corner May 2016 — Volume 3, Issue 9 Texas A&M Corpus Christi Compliance Office Monthly Newsletter
Booster Edition Tip of the Month: Recruiting Responsibilities Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospective student-athlete or a prospective student-athlete’s relatives (or legal guardians) by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests for the purpose of securing the prospective student-athlete’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program. Please keep in mind that ONLY TAMUCC coaches who are permitted to recruit may recruit prospective student-athletes on behalf of Islanders Athletics. Boosters MAY NOT recruit prospective student-athletes; however, they may recommend prospective student-athletes to recruit to TAMUCC coaches. If you have any questions regarding recruiting or prospective student-athletes, please contact the Islanders Compliance Office.
In the News! UNC received another notice from the NCAA: Here's what happens next By Chip Patterson After an initial report from Aaron Beard, of the Associated Press, the University of North Carolina confirmed that it received an amended Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and released it to the public on Monday afternoon. The NCAA's case against North Carolina has been multi-pronged and extended for more than six years, covering both an agent scandal in the football program (for which the team was punished with probation, scholarship reductions and a one-year postseason ban) and an academic scandal involving the entire athletic department and a series of "anomalous" classes that went unchecked in the African-American Studies department. In its most recent NOA, sent in May 2015, the NCAA alleged that those classes were used by the school to keep "academically at-risk student athletes" eligible, particularly in football, men's basketball and women's basketball. That NOA included five potential Level I violations, including a lack of institutional control. This new NOA comes as a result of new information of potential violations found by UNC and submitted to the NCAA in August 2015. That new information led the NCAA to re-draft its NOA, which reset the clock on the whole legislative process. While some of the language in the notice has changed (most notably specificities like the date range of the violations and reference to specific sports), the five allegations remain very similar to the first NOA. The allegations, according to the NCAA, summarized: Allegation No. 1: Jan Boxill, women's basketball athletic academic counselor in the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes (ASPSA) knowingly provided extra benefits in the form of impermissible academic assistance and special arrangements to women's basketball student-athletes.
Allegation No. 2: Deborah Crowder, former student services manager in the African and Afro-American Studies department, violated the NCAA principles of ethical conduct during NCAA's investigation. Allegation No. 3: Dr. Julius Nyang'oro, former chair of the African and Afro-American Studies department, violated NCAA principles of ethical conduct during the NCAA's investigation into UNC. Allegation No. 4: From the 2005 fall semester through the 2011 summer semester, the University of North Carolina violated the NCAA Principle of Rules Compliance in its failure to monitor the ASPSA and the African and Afro-American Studies department. Allegation No. 5: The NCAA has charged UNC with a violating the NCAA Principle of Institutional Control and Responsibility. So what happens now? 1. North Carolina will offer an official response to the NCAA regarding the Notice of Allegations. There is a 90-day window from the receipt of the NOA to respond. 2. The NCAA will set a date for UNC's Committee on Infractions hearing. This announcement likely will come a few weeks after the response to the NOA. 3. School officials and relevant coaches will appear before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. There is no official timetable on when the hearing will take place. 4. The NCAA announces the results of the hearing, which include any sanctions for the school or athletic department. These sanctions can then be appealed or accepted by the school. The final step could come months after the hearing, so it's a good bet that this story will continue to drag on through the college football season and at least into the start of the 2016-17 men's basketball and women's basketball season.
Brian Maxey, Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance [email protected]/361-825-2858 Josh King, Compliance & Student-Athlete Services Coordinator [email protected]/361-825-6388 The Compliance Corner—Page 1
Compliance Quiz Test your compliance knowledge!! Q1. As a booster, you may provide transportation expenses for a student-athlete banquet once per year. A. True B. False Q2. Which of the following is true concerning student-athlete scholarships and financial aid? A. Boosters may give student-athletes money towards books and essential school supplies. B. Boosters may donate money for scholarships and name the scholarship after a current student-athlete. C. Boosters may pay for a PSA’s summer school classes at a local community college. D. Boosters may not do ANY of the above. Q3. Which of the following may a booster contact concerning the evaluation of a prospect? A. High school counselor B. TAMUCC coach C. Prospect’s parents D. None of the above
Tip 1: S-A Preferential Treatment Preferential Treatment A student-athlete may not receive any preferential treatment based on his or her athletics reputation or skill. Preferential treatment is very similar to extra benefits but preferential treatment does not involve institutional staff member’s or booster’s knowledge. Examples of preferential treatment given to a student-athlete are: Any service or benefit mentioned above given to the studentathlete based on his or her athletic skills or reputation or payback potential as a professional athlete. Free or reduced-cost personal training. Receipt of money from an agent or someone associated with an agent. Any person or company giving special discounts or reduced-cost services that student-athletes benefit from must make the same offer available to the general public and provide the general public information to reasonably know and be aware of the same services offered which student-athletes are aware of.
Penalties for Extra Benefits and Preferential Treatment Extra benefits and preferential treatment are violations which could render a student-athlete ineligible and could also constitute an institution violation. The punishments for extra benefits are greater than the punishments for preferential treatments of the same dollar amount. Staff members and boosters are held to a higher standard in regards to extra benefits then other members of the community not associated with TAMUCC who provide preferential treatment to student-athletes. A staff member’s or a booster’s knowledge of an extra benefit increases the severity of the violation.
Q4. Former TAMUCC student-athletes may provide extra benefits to current TAMUCC studentathletes, even if they played together in the past and were teammates. A. True If you are unsure if an activity consists of an extra benefit or preferential treatment, do not hesitate to ask a staff member of the B. False Compliance Office before providing any benefits to studentathletes, prospective student-athletes, or family members of student-athletes.
Quiz Answers: 1. A. 2. D 3. B 4. B
What can you do for TAMUCC student-athletes? Contact a current student-athlete regarding employment opportunities in which the student-athlete will be paid the going rate for work performed. Student-athletes are to be hired based on their qualifications and not on their status as a student-athlete. Provide a student-athlete an occasional meal in your home or on TAMUCC’s campus. Occasional meals must be ap-
proved in advance by Compliance. Please refrain from offering current student-athletes, their families, and friends anything that is not available to the general public or the TAMUCC student body. This includes any benefit or special arrangement such as free or reduced cost lodging, meals or services.
ASK BEFORE YOU ACT! The Compliance Corner—Page 2
Booster Edition Tip of the Month: Recruiting Responsibilities Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospective student-athlete or a prospective student-athlete’s relatives (or legal guardians) by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests for the purpose of securing the prospective student-athlete’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program. Please keep in mind that ONLY TAMUCC coaches who are permitted to recruit may recruit prospective student-athletes on behalf of Islanders Athletics. Boosters MAY NOT recruit prospective student-athletes; however, they may recommend prospective student-athletes to recruit to TAMUCC coaches. If you have any questions regarding recruiting or prospective student-athletes, please contact the Islanders Compliance Office.
In the News! UNC received another notice from the NCAA: Here's what happens next By Chip Patterson After an initial report from Aaron Beard, of the Associated Press, the University of North Carolina confirmed that it received an amended Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and released it to the public on Monday afternoon. The NCAA's case against North Carolina has been multi-pronged and extended for more than six years, covering both an agent scandal in the football program (for which the team was punished with probation, scholarship reductions and a one-year postseason ban) and an academic scandal involving the entire athletic department and a series of "anomalous" classes that went unchecked in the African-American Studies department. In its most recent NOA, sent in May 2015, the NCAA alleged that those classes were used by the school to keep "academically at-risk student athletes" eligible, particularly in football, men's basketball and women's basketball. That NOA included five potential Level I violations, including a lack of institutional control. This new NOA comes as a result of new information of potential violations found by UNC and submitted to the NCAA in August 2015. That new information led the NCAA to re-draft its NOA, which reset the clock on the whole legislative process. While some of the language in the notice has changed (most notably specificities like the date range of the violations and reference to specific sports), the five allegations remain very similar to the first NOA. The allegations, according to the NCAA, summarized: Allegation No. 1: Jan Boxill, women's basketball athletic academic counselor in the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes (ASPSA) knowingly provided extra benefits in the form of impermissible academic assistance and special arrangements to women's basketball student-athletes.
Allegation No. 2: Deborah Crowder, former student services manager in the African and Afro-American Studies department, violated the NCAA principles of ethical conduct during NCAA's investigation. Allegation No. 3: Dr. Julius Nyang'oro, former chair of the African and Afro-American Studies department, violated NCAA principles of ethical conduct during the NCAA's investigation into UNC. Allegation No. 4: From the 2005 fall semester through the 2011 summer semester, the University of North Carolina violated the NCAA Principle of Rules Compliance in its failure to monitor the ASPSA and the African and Afro-American Studies department. Allegation No. 5: The NCAA has charged UNC with a violating the NCAA Principle of Institutional Control and Responsibility. So what happens now? 1. North Carolina will offer an official response to the NCAA regarding the Notice of Allegations. There is a 90-day window from the receipt of the NOA to respond. 2. The NCAA will set a date for UNC's Committee on Infractions hearing. This announcement likely will come a few weeks after the response to the NOA. 3. School officials and relevant coaches will appear before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. There is no official timetable on when the hearing will take place. 4. The NCAA announces the results of the hearing, which include any sanctions for the school or athletic department. These sanctions can then be appealed or accepted by the school. The final step could come months after the hearing, so it's a good bet that this story will continue to drag on through the college football season and at least into the start of the 2016-17 men's basketball and women's basketball season.
Brian Maxey, Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance [email protected]/361-825-2858 Josh King, Compliance & Student-Athlete Services Coordinator [email protected]/361-825-6388 The Compliance Corner—Page 1
Compliance Quiz Test your compliance knowledge!! Q1. As a booster, you may provide transportation expenses for a student-athlete banquet once per year. A. True B. False Q2. Which of the following is true concerning student-athlete scholarships and financial aid? A. Boosters may give student-athletes money towards books and essential school supplies. B. Boosters may donate money for scholarships and name the scholarship after a current student-athlete. C. Boosters may pay for a PSA’s summer school classes at a local community college. D. Boosters may not do ANY of the above. Q3. Which of the following may a booster contact concerning the evaluation of a prospect? A. High school counselor B. TAMUCC coach C. Prospect’s parents D. None of the above
Tip 1: S-A Preferential Treatment Preferential Treatment A student-athlete may not receive any preferential treatment based on his or her athletics reputation or skill. Preferential treatment is very similar to extra benefits but preferential treatment does not involve institutional staff member’s or booster’s knowledge. Examples of preferential treatment given to a student-athlete are: Any service or benefit mentioned above given to the studentathlete based on his or her athletic skills or reputation or payback potential as a professional athlete. Free or reduced-cost personal training. Receipt of money from an agent or someone associated with an agent. Any person or company giving special discounts or reduced-cost services that student-athletes benefit from must make the same offer available to the general public and provide the general public information to reasonably know and be aware of the same services offered which student-athletes are aware of.
Penalties for Extra Benefits and Preferential Treatment Extra benefits and preferential treatment are violations which could render a student-athlete ineligible and could also constitute an institution violation. The punishments for extra benefits are greater than the punishments for preferential treatments of the same dollar amount. Staff members and boosters are held to a higher standard in regards to extra benefits then other members of the community not associated with TAMUCC who provide preferential treatment to student-athletes. A staff member’s or a booster’s knowledge of an extra benefit increases the severity of the violation.
Q4. Former TAMUCC student-athletes may provide extra benefits to current TAMUCC studentathletes, even if they played together in the past and were teammates. A. True If you are unsure if an activity consists of an extra benefit or preferential treatment, do not hesitate to ask a staff member of the B. False Compliance Office before providing any benefits to studentathletes, prospective student-athletes, or family members of student-athletes.
Quiz Answers: 1. A. 2. D 3. B 4. B
What can you do for TAMUCC student-athletes? Contact a current student-athlete regarding employment opportunities in which the student-athlete will be paid the going rate for work performed. Student-athletes are to be hired based on their qualifications and not on their status as a student-athlete. Provide a student-athlete an occasional meal in your home or on TAMUCC’s campus. Occasional meals must be ap-
proved in advance by Compliance. Please refrain from offering current student-athletes, their families, and friends anything that is not available to the general public or the TAMUCC student body. This includes any benefit or special arrangement such as free or reduced cost lodging, meals or services.
ASK BEFORE YOU ACT! The Compliance Corner—Page 2
