FLORIDA A & M UNIVERSITY

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1 FLORIDA A & M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS COMPLIANCE NEWSLETTER Vol. I, Issue I April 5, FAMU RECEIVES FOUR YEARS PROBATION FROM NCAA After a long internal investigation, FAMU reported to the NCAA the following violations: 67 student-athletes competed even though they did not complete the required 24 credit hours in a given year; 34 student-athletes competed despite not meeting NCAA progress-toward-degree requirements; More than 100 student-athletes practiced and competed before completing required NCAA paperwork; Twenty-two (22) studentathletes practiced and competed before their high school transcripts were reviewed and they received certification of their academic eligibility; One student-athlete was allowed to compete despite not choosing a major in her third year of enrollment; and One student- athlete competed without meeting minimum grade-point average requirements. The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions announced the following penalties to be imposed on FAMU: Four years of probation, ending January 31, A reduction in grants-in-aid as follows: * Baseball, minus three in * Men s and women s basketball, bowling, softball and volleyball, minus one for ; Football, minus 6 in ; 2 for -2007; 3 for ; * Men s and women s swimming, minus 2 for 2005-; * Men s tennis, minus 1.5 for * Men s track, minus one for and * Women s track minus 2 for and one in Football practice time was reduced by 20 hours in All contests and records involving ineligible studentathlete in the sports of baseball, men s and women s basketball, bowling, softball, men s and women s swimming, men s tennis, men s and women s track and cross country, and volleyball between the and academic years shall be vacated. FAMU will develop a comprehensive educational and testing session on NCAA rules, and arrange for an NCAA compliance review within one year. In order to meet NCAA requirements, FAMU has hired two compliance officers and will hire an additional one this semester. Additionally, four athletics academic advisors have been hired and a director of academic support will be hired by the start of the next fiscal year. Coaches and academic advisors are required to attend bi-weekly compliance educational seminars. The athletics department will educate campus constituencies by this newsletter, compliance seminars for university departments that interface directly with athletics, including financial aid, admissions, registrar, international programs, housing continued on pg. 2

2 Continued from page 1 dining services and student accounts. Compliance information will be placed in the FAMU Today and the A&M Magazine, in addition to home football game programs. A Parents Guide to NCAA Rules will be distributed to all FAMU athletics parents beginning in the Fall. Student-athletes will meet with compliance officers PRIOR to any other meetings at the beginning of the academic year in August for certification purposes. Student-athletes will again meet with compliance for rules education sessions in September and April of each academic year; and, a studentathlete newsletter will be distributed to all student-athletes at least once each semester. As President Castell Bryant has said, The changes we have made and will make in the near future represent a new culture of compliance across the University. Nelson Townsend, director of athletics stated, the dreaded results that many of us hesitantly looked forward to have not become a reality, due to the leadership that the university s administration had taken. Being on probation means simply abiding by the rules without exception. And that is the culture that I announced when I accepted the athletics director s position in December. Townsend noted that even during the probationary period, Florida A&M will be able to fully compete for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in all sports, including the remainder of the school year and for the full extent of the period, which concludes on January 31, The Compliance Office will be required to file reports on its rules education efforts beginning March 30,. After the initial report, a report will be due each October 15th of the probationary period. The NCAA will also perform an audit of the athletics department s compliance operations within the next year NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNING DATES SPORT INITIAL FINAL SIGINING SIGINIG DATE DATE Basketball April 12, May 17, (late) Football February 1, April 1, (regular) All Other April 12, August 1, Sports (late) NLI s are not to be signed BEFORE 7:00 AM (local time) on the initial signing dates or after the final signing dated listed for each sport. A written offer of financial aid applicable for the entire academic year MUST accompany the NLI; and, it MUST list the terms and conditions of the award, including the amount and duration of the financial aid.

3 Q & A Question: How should I count Evaluations at a Tournament? Answer: Pursuant to NCAA Bylaw (tournament evaluations), the evaluation of prospects in each contest in a tournament held during the academic year counts as a separate evaluation except that (a) evaluation of multiple contests in a tournament that occurs on consecutive days (and normally at the same site) shall count as a single evaluation; and (b) evaluation of multiple contests in a single tier of a tournament (e.g., sectional, district, regional) shall count as a single observation. However, if a particular tier of a tournament is subdivided into identifiable segments (e.g., conducted on different weekends), evaluation of contests in each identifiable segment counts as a separate evaluation. For example, if a sectional tier of a high-school tournament is conducted on consecutive weekends, the observation of prospects on both weekends would count as two evaluations. If a tournament does not occur on consecutive days and each tier of the tournament occurs on different days, neither of the two exceptions in Bylaw apply. Therefore, the evaluation of prospects during the nonconsecutive days of such a tournament must count as separate evaluations. For example, in the case of a tournament that is formatted such that preliminary contests will occur on Wednesday, semifinal contests on Friday and the final contest on Saturday (no contests on Thursday), if a coach evaluates on each day of the tournament, two separate evaluations must be counted (i. e., one evaluation for Wednesday and one evaluation for the two consecutive days of Friday and Saturday). In addition, in basketball, pursuant to Bylaws (visits to prospect's educational institution - football and basketball) and (visits during evaluation period basketball), institutional staff members may visit a prospect's educational institution on not more than one occasion during a particular week within a contact period or an evaluation period that occurs during the academic year. Pursuant to Bylaw (tournament exception), visiting a prospect's educational institution on consecutive days during a particular week to observe a tournament or tier of a tournament shall count as a single visit. However, if a tournament that occurs at a prospect's educational institution does not occur on consecutive days, such as in the example above, institutional coaching staff members may only visit the institution on either the single day (Wednesday) or during the consecutive day portion of the tournament (Friday and Saturday). Question: I know I can t contact the prospect until he is released from the last game, but may I sit with his parents at the game? Answer: It would be ok for coaches to have contact with parents at the site of a prospect's competition - as long as it occurs during a contact period. [See Staff Interpretation below.] Date Issued: Jan 26, Contact with parents at site of competition: Confirmed that a recruiting contact may not be made with a parent at the site continued on pg. 4

4 continued from pg. 3 of a prospect's competition or practice outside of a contact period. [References: 1994 NCAA Convention Proposal Nos. 165 and (contact with parents at site of competition)] Question: What are the restrictions on sending note cards to prospects? Answer: The NCAA staff has indicated that it is permissible to run institutional note cards through an office printer to put a greeting (e.g., Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy Mother's Day, etc.) on the inside of the card as long as the note card is considered to be a "normal" institutional note card as determined by institutional policy. It remains impermissible to purchase any kind of greeting cards to send to prospects. Question: The women s softball team will be playing a game in Atlanta, GA. One of the team members is from Stone Mountain, GA, and her parents would like to provide a meal for the team after the competition. Is this permissible? Answer: Miscellaneous Benefits that are allowed under NCAA legislation include Bylaw (c) that states an institution may provide or arrange for the following benefits for a studentathlete (d) occasional meals to team members provided by the parent of a student-athlete at any location. Therefore, it is permissible for the parents of the women s soccer student-athlete to provide a meal after the competition described. Question: Can the coaches in fact send a prospect a text message on a cell phone and it not count as a contact? Answer: Yes, per Telephone Calls, all electronically transmitted human voice exchange (including videoconferencing and videophones) shall be considered telephone calls. All electronically transmitted correspondence (e.g., electronic mail, Instant Messenger, facsimiles, pages, text messaging) shall not be considered telephone calls (see Bylaw ) and are therefore not contacts. Question: Every week my teammate s family has a huge tailgate. party May I eat with them after each game? Answer: No. Bylaw (d) uses the phrase occasional meal so players should only do this on an occasional basis. To do so after each game would be regular and not occasional. Question: I m a football student-athlete and my girlfriend's parents want to take the two of us to dinner. Her dad is a graduate of FAMU and fan of Rattler sports. May he take me out to dinner? Answer: Yes if it can be defended that taking their daughter's boyfriend out to dinner is something that the parents would normally do, and they are not taking the student-athlete out to dinner because he is an athlete, then that is not something that is seen as an extra benefit. OR, he can take you to dinner as an occasional meal. See your head coach for more information on this. Question: How can a student-athlete prove that he has a pre-existing relationship with someone? Answer: The compliance office will need something on file that addresses the issues in the interpretation below. If a student-athlete feels that he has such a pre-existing relationship, he can come by the compliance office so that we can put a letter together for his file. Official Interpretation Benefits Resulting from an Established Relationship. Date Issued: Jun 06, 2000 The subcommittee reviewed the application of NCAA Bylaw as it relates to fac-

5 tual situations in which an individual (student-athlete or prospective student-athlete) has received benefits prior to or during collegiate enrollment from someone other than a family member or legal guardian, and agreed that the following objective guidelines generally should be used in determining whether such benefits are contrary to the legislation: 1. Did the relationship between the athlete (or the athlete's parents) and the individual providing the benefit(s) develop as a result of the athlete's participation in athletics or notoriety related thereto? 2. Did the relationship between the athlete (or the athlete's parents) and the individual providing the benefit(s) predate the athlete's status as a prospective student-athlete? 3. Did the relationship between the athlete (or the athlete's parents) and the individual providing the benefit(s) predate the athlete's status achieved as a result of his or her athletics ability or reputation? 4. Was the pattern of benefits provided by the individual to the athlete (or the athlete's parents) prior to the athlete attaining notoriety as a skilled athlete similar in nature to those provided after attaining such stature? The subcommittee, however, noted that the origin and duration of a relationship and the consistency of benefits provided during the relationship are key factors in determining whether the benefits provided are contrary to the spirit and intent of Bylaw The subcommittee determined that prior to initial full-time collegiate enrollment, a prospective student-athlete may receive normal and reasonable living expenses from an individual with whom the student-athlete has an established relationship (e.g., high-school coach, nonscholastic athletics team coach, family of a teammate), even if the relationship developed as a result of athletics participation, provided: 1. The individual is not an agent, 2. The individual is not an athletics representative of a particular institution involved in recruiting the prospect, and 3. Such living expenses are consistent with the types of expenses provided by the individual as a part of normal living arrangements (e.g., housing, meals, occasional spending money, use of the family car). The subcommittee noted that the above mentioned interpretation does not apply to individuals who have no logical ties to the prospect. It also noted that a current student-athlete who, prior to initial collegiate enrollment, has been receiving normal and reasonable living expenses from an individual with whom he or she has an established relationship may continue to receive occasional benefits (e.g., meals during campus visits, reasonable entertainment) from an individual or family with whom the student-athlete has an established relationship. Such expenses may not include educational expenses associated with a grant-in-aid (i.e., tuition and fees, room and board, and required course-related books). [References: Bylaws (preferential treatment, benefits or services); (financial aid from outside sources); (preferential treatment)] Question: I have a studentathlete who will enter FAMU Fall with six (6) hours of advancement placement credits. Is it true that she only has to complete 12 hours during the academic year in order to meet the 18 hour requirement to be eligible for next year? Answer: No. For studentathletes first entering college on or after August 1, 2003, credit earned via credit-by-examination and advancement placement courses completed prior to enrollment shall not be used to satisfy the 18 credit-hour requirement or the six credithour requirement. However, such credit may be used to satisfy the 24 hour credit-hour requirement and percentage of degree requirements (i.e. 40/60/80). continued on pg. 5

6 continued from pg. 4 After enrolling full-time at FAMU, credit earned while enrolled during the regular academic term via creditby-examination and advanced placement course may be used to meet all progress toward degree requirements. Question: What food may I provide the student-athletes during Spring Break? Answer: The athletics department may provide the cost of room and board for student-athletes during official vacation periods [that includes spring break] in the following circumstances: (1) Student-athletes who are required to remain on campus for organized practice sessions or competition during spring break. If the studentathlete lives at home during the vacation period, the cost of room and board may not be provided, other than to permit the student-athlete to participate in team meals incidental to practice sessions; (2) Students-athletes who return to campus during spring break from competition as outlined in Bylaws (a) through (e), room and board expenses may be provided beginning with the student-athlete s arrival on campus until FAMU s regular dormitories and dining facilities reopen. If the studentathlete lives at home during the vacation period, the costs of room and board may not be provided by FAMU. Question: I am changing uniforms next year and a couple of the student-athletes have asked to keep the current uniforms after the change. Is that permissible? Answer: Yes, ONLY IF they are in the last year of eligibility. Bylaw Retention of Athletics Apparel and Equipment states that a studentathlete may retain athletics apparel items (not equipment) at the end of the individual s collegiate participation. For all other student-athletes, the answer is No. NOTE: For Equipment: Used equipment may be purchased by the studentathlete on the same cost basis as by any other individual interested in purchasing such equipment. Question: My team won the MEAC Championship and I want to provide some type of award. What is permissible? Answer: For regular season and postseason conference championships, the maximum value of the award is $325. There may be only ONE award per student-athlete per championship. If your team wins both the conference regular season and the postseason championship, the combined value of both awards shall not exceed $325. Also, only FAMU or the MEAC or another organization recognized by FAMU or the MEAC to act in its place, may provide the awards. As long as your award does not exceed the value of $325, the particular item purchased is up to you. You may want to check with the business office to obtain names of potential vendors. Question: I want to provide a participation award for each senior on the team at the end of the year. What is permissible? Answer: As with championship awards, participation awards have a maximum value limit of $325. This award is permitted ONLY once per year per sport, and may only be provided by FAMU, not by another organization. Question: The City of Atlanta wants to provide a hometown recognition award for one of my junior student-athletes who graduated from high school in Atlanta. Will this award effect his eligibility? Answer: No, as long as the group sponsoring the award is located in the student-athletes hometown and is not a branch of the FAMU Booster Club AND the maximum value of the award is $80.

7 SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST DATES AND DEADLINES Test Dates Test Registration Deadlines * U.S. Late U.S. Regular International Early International Regular April 1, ** SAT only Feb. 24, Mar. 8, N/A N/A May 6, SAT & Subject Tests Apr. 3, Apr. 12, Mar. 15, Apr. 3, June 3, SAT & Subject Tests Apr. 28, May 10, Apr. 12, Apr. 28, * U.S. dates are postmark dates; International dates are receipt dates. ** On April 1, only the SAT is offered, and only in the U.S., U.S. Territories, and Puerto Rico. NOTES: Sunday administrations will occur the day after each Saturday test date for students who cannot test on Saturday for religious reasons. The Language Tests with Listening are offered in November only. The final administration of the ELPT was January 22, For students testing outside the U.S., U.S. territories, and Puerto Rico: Web registration, and telephone re-registration must be received by the international deadline dates listed above. Mailed registration materials must be postmarked by the U.S. deadlines. Mailed international registration materials must be received by the international deadlines. Test Fee SAT Reasoning Test $41.50 SAT Subject Tests (add the $18.00 Basic Registration Fee to the total fee for the Subject Tests): Language Tests with Listening All other Subject Tests $19.00 $ 8.00 Services Fee Late registration fee $21.00 Standby testing fee $36.00 Change test, test date, or test center fee $20.00 Scores by Web Free Scores by Phone $11.00 Extra score report to a college or scholarship program (in addition to four score reports included at no charge on the Registration or Correction Form) $ 9.00

8 The Compliance Office holds Rules Education Sessions for ALL coaches and administrators the first and third Wednesday of each month from 10:30 am NOON in the Conference Room at the Football Stadium. ATHLETICS COMPLIANCE OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION Second Floor Gaither Gymnasium Marlynn R. Jones Associate AD/SWA Room 206 TBD Director of Compliance Room 207 Faydre Hawkins-Brown Compliance Coordinator Room 205 Errin Singleton Graduate Assistant UNIVERSITY COMPLIANCE OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION Rufus R. Little, III, J.D. Vice President for Compliance and Audit 1610 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. University Commons PHONE: 850/ FAX: 850/ PHONE: 850/ FAX: 850/ FAMU Athletics Compliance Newsletter edited by: Marlynn R. Jones