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Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA)
A student who has started classes for the ninth grade or a student, regardless of grade, who has received financial assistance or other benefits not generally available to prospective students. An individual remains a PSA until one of the following occurs: 1) the individual officially registers and enrolls in a minimum full-time program of studies and attends classes in any term of a four-year collegiate institution or 2) the individual participates in a regular-squad practice or competition at a four-year collegiate institution.
Recruited Prospective Student-Athlete
A student who has been approached by a coach or representative of athletics interest about enrolling and participating in athletics. Actions that create a recruit are:
- Providing an official visit
- Scheduling an in-person, off-campus contact
- Initiating or arranging telephone contact on more than on occasion
- Issuing an Athletics Grant-in-Aid (GIA)
Communication
Is defined as an electronically transmitted human voice exchange, electronically transmitted correspondence, recruiting materials and written correspondence.
Contact
Any face-to-face encounter between a PSA or his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) and coach or representative of athletics interest in excess of a greeting.
Evaluation
Any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or ability of a PSA.
Official Visit
Any visit to campus financed in whole or in part by the university. Official visits shall not exceed 48 hours. Official visits may not be provided earlier than June 15 immediately preceding the PSA's junior year in high school A PSA is limited to one per university. Before the university can host an official visit, a PSA must:
- Present the institution with a transcript (official or unofficial) from the current or most recent institution of attendance.
- Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
- Be placed on the university's Institutional Request List (IRL) with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Unofficial Visit
Any visit to campus made at the PSA's own expense an unlimited number of times. The institution may provide complimentary admissions to a campus athletics event and meals for the PSA and anyone accompanying the PSA on the visit.
Athletics Aid
Is defined as Financial Aid awarded by the institution's athletic department that requires the recipient to participate in intercollegiate athletics.
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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 University of North Georgia
- been involved with the UNG athletics program in any capacity
- you are a parent of a UNG student-athlete
- you are the spouse of a UNG 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 UNG or another institution or to the parents, family and/or guardians of the prospects or student athletes.
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 accepted 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 UNG. 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 UNG students and their relative and/or friends. Therefore, please be aware of the following:
- A student-athlete cannot accept anything from an employee of UNG 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 UNG employee or booster/donor of UNG'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 UNG employee or booster/donor of UNG'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 UNG.
- On infrequent, special occasions (e.g., a birthday, Thanksgiving, etc.), a student-athlete may accept an invitation to the home of an employee of UNG 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 UNG 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 UNG or an athletics booster/donor.
- An UNG 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.
- An UNG employee may provide a student-athlete only reasonable and occasional local (i.e., within a 30 mile radius of the UNG campus) transportation. However, an UNG 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 UNG employees and/or Representatives will result in the prospective or enrolled student-athlete becoming immediately ineligible to represent UNG in intercollegiate athletics. A major recruitment violation can cause a prospect or current student-athlete to become permanently ineligible for intercollegiate athletics at UNG.
Therefore, UNG encourages all employees and representatives of UNG athletic interests to contact the Department of Athletics if there is doubt concerning their contact with potential or enrolled student-athletes. Should you, at any time, have a question please do not hesitate in directing these inquiries to:
Anna Claire Knight, Associate Athletic Director
Phone: 706-867-3275
Email: annaclaire.knight@ung.edu
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