Division III Recruiting Case Studies

Division III Recruiting Case Studies 2007 NCAA Regional Rules Seminars Matt Banker Membership Services/Division III Governance Case Study No. 1 • Prospective student-athlete visits campus in spring during soccer team’s nontraditional segment. • Prospective student-athlete is admitted to school and will enroll in fall term. • Prospective student-athlete rides along with soccer team to competition site and competes for school. Case Study No. 1 • Is this permissible? • No. • The prospective student-athlete may only compete prior to enrollment during the official vacation period immediately before initial enrollment. • See NCAA Bylaw 14.1.8.2.1.1. Case Study No. 2 • Head men’s swimming coach evaluates at high school swim meet. • The coach speaks to three prospective student-athletes between preliminary races during the meet. • The three prospective student-athletes qualified for the final heats later that day. Case Study No. 2 • Is this permissible? • No. • Coaches may not speak to prospective studentathletes at competition sites until the prospective student-athletes’ competition has concluded and they are released from their coach. • See Bylaw 13.1.4.2. Case Study No. 3 • Your women’s soccer team is participating on a foreign tour August 1-10. • The first date of practice for your women’s soccer team is August 14. • Three incoming women’s soccer prospective student-athletes practice with your team in late July before the foreign trip. Case Study No. 3 • Is this permissible? • No. • Incoming prospective student-athletes may participate only in practices leading up to a foreign tour if the practices occur on or after the first permissible date of practice or the first day of classes. • See Bylaw 30.7.2. Case Study No. 4 • Baseball prospective student-athlete signs a written offer of admission with your institution. • Your institution then issues an announcement on the athletics department Web site that the prospective student-athlete has signed an admission offer. • One month later, your institution issues a second announcement recognizing the prospective student-athlete’s all-state softball honor. “Simpson earns all-state in football, basketball and swimming.” -www.DivisionIIISuperCollege.edu Case Study No. 4 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • Provided the prospective student-athlete has signed a written offer of admission and/or financial aid agreement, an institution may release publicity on a signed prospective student-athlete at its discretion. • See Bylaw 13.10.7. Case Study No. 5 • The parents of a basketball prospective studentathlete (who has signed a financial aid offer with your school) want to host a “signing announcement” at the prospective studentathlete’s high school. • The prospective student-athlete, prospective student-athlete’s parents, high school coach and local reporters will be in attendance. • Your head basketball coach plans on attending the signing announcement. “Hey Coach, come join us as Lisa announces her signing with a Division III school…” Case Study No. 5 • Is this permissible? • No. • Institutional staff members may not be present at such an announcement when media are present. • See Bylaw 13.10.7.1. Case Study No. 6 • A local high school basketball team wants to rent out your basketball gym at the going rental rate. • The high school team is comprised of prospective student-athletes. • Your men’s golf coach is the designated facilities supervisor and will be present in the gym while the high school team practices. Case Study No. 6 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • Your institution may rent out its facilities at going rate to groups that include prospective studentathletes. • Athletics department staff (aside from staff with facilities oversight) may not be involved in activity. • See Bylaw 13.11.3.2. Case Study No. 7 • Your women’s field hockey team has a recruiting brochure it provides to prospective student-athletes. • Your institution contracts out with a publishing company to produce and print the brochure. • Your institution has complete control over the content and design of the brochure. 2007-08 Field Hockey Team Brochure Case Study No. 7 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • Sport-specific recruiting materials that are published or produced by Division III institutions, even if the actual production is contracted out, is permissible. • See Bylaw 13.4.1. Case Study No. 8 • Your coaches want to aggressively recruit prospective student-athletes by using email, instant messaging and text messaging. • Your coaches want to send text messages to prospective student-athletes on weekdays while they are at school. Case Study No. 8 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • Division III’s definition of “telephone call” encompasses phone calls, text messaging, instant messaging, etc. • There is no limit on when and how often you make telephone calls. • See Bylaws 13.02.8 and 13.1.3. Time out! • Even though the timing and frequency of telephone calls, e-mails and text messaging is unregulated, coaches and staff should use good judgment as to when they communicate with prospective student-athletes. Case Study No. 9 • Your institution is hosting a prospective student-athlete and her parents for an official visit. • Your coach wishes to take the prospective student-athlete and parents to a local restaurant for dinner. • The dinner will count as one of the three official-visit meals that day. Case Study No. 9 • Is this permissible? • Maybe. • Official-visit meals must be on campus unless all on-campus dining facilities are closed. • Institution may purchase meals from an offcampus vendor to be delivered on campus. • See Bylaw 13.6.5.6.3. Case Study No. 10 • A group of 50 area high school students attend a two-day Model U.N. competition at your school. • The group includes prospective studentathletes you are recruiting. • Each participant in the competition will receive a polo shirt, notebook and atlas. Case Study No. 10 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • Prospective student-athletes may receive benefits from a Division III institution when the benefits are provided to a particular nonathletics subpopulation and campus visit is unrelated to athletics. • See Bylaws 13.2.1 and 13.7.2.5. Case Study No. 11 • A prospective transfer student-athlete from another Division III institution calls your coach and wants to talk about transferring. • The transfer student-athlete has officially withdrawn from his previous institution. • The transfer student-athlete has not issued a self-release to speak to your staff. Case Study No. 11 • Is it permissible? • Yes. • A transfer student-athlete who has officially withdrawn from his or her previous institution does not need permission to contact or self-release. • See Bylaw 13.1.1.2.3. Case Study No. 12 • Your institution is hosting several prospective student-athletes on official visits next weekend. • All prospective student-athletes and their families are driving to your campus for a visit. • Your coaches want to arrange for special oncampus parking near your athletics facilities for all prospective student-athletes making the visit. Case Study No. 12 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • An institution may arrange for special oncampus parking for prospective studentathletes during an official visit (not unofficial visit). • See Bylaw 13.6.5.3. Case Study No. 13 • Several football prospective student-athletes recruited by your institution are employed at the campus facilities and maintenance division of your campus. • The prospective student-athletes are employed part time and earning $9 per hour. • The prospective student-athletes’ job requirements include athletics facility maintenance. Case Study No. 13 • Is this permissible? • Yes. • Prospective student-athletes may be employed in any department outside of the athletics department, provided employment is arranged through normal institutional employment procedures. • See Bylaw 13.2.4.1. Case Study No. 14 • Your institution is located in an area with several high schools. • Your institution’s athletics department plans on advertising in the yearbooks for local high schools. Case Study No. 14 • Is this permissible? • No. • Departments other than athletics may advertise in nonathletics high school publications (e.g., yearbook, prom program, theatre program). Case Study No. 15 • Your part-time assistant soccer coach is involved with a club team near his hometown, which is 75 miles from your campus. • Prospective student-athletes on this club team live within 50 miles of the soccer club headquarters. • Prospective student-athletes on this club team live beyond 50 miles of your institution. Case Study No. 15 • Is this permissible? • No. • All prospective student-athletes on a local sports club that your institution’s coach is involved in must be legal residents within 50 miles of your institution’s campus. • See Bylaw 13.11.2.3. Questions?