Student Athlete General Information Student Athlete Employment Student-athletes are allowed to work both during and outside the academic year. However, studentathletes must only be paid: for work they actually performed, and at the going rate for similar type jobs in the area in which they are working. Student-athletes should not be paid based on publicity, reputation, or fame they have gained because of their athletic ability. Before engaging in any work activity all student-athletes are to inform the athletic department of where they are working and must fill out a Student-Athlete Employment Form via JumpForward. Fee-for-Lesson Instruction Any student-athlete who wishes to teach lessons in his or her sport may do so provided: SMC facilities are not used; Playing lessons shall not be permitted; SMC obtains and keeps on file documentation of the recipient of the lesson(s) and the fee for the lesson(s) provided during any time of the year; and The compensation is paid by the lesson recipient (or the recipient's family) and not by another individual or entity. Instruction provided to more than one individual at-a-time is comparable to the instruction that each individual would be provided during a private lesson. The student-athlete is paid at a rate commensurate with the on-going rate in the area for similar services. The student-athlete does not use his or her name, picture, or appearance to promote or advertise the availability of fee-for-lesson sessions. A student-athlete must complete a Fee for Lesson form via JumpForward prior to teaching any lessons. Extra Benefits NCAA Dictionary Extra Benefit --noun 1. any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interests (booster) to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. 2. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution's students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g., foreign students, minority students) determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability. Examples of Impermissible Extra Benefits Extra benefits that could cause a student-athlete to become ineligible include, but are not limited to:
Cash or gifts Use of personal property (e.g., boats, summer homes, cars, phones) Discounts on purchases (e.g., tickets, clothing) Discounts on services (e.g., dental/medical services, automotive services, laundry) Arranging, providing or co-signing on a loan Meals at restaurants or groceries Clothing or equipment Free or reduced cost housing Complimentary Admissions to SMC Athletic Events SMC student-athletes may receive complimentary admissions to SMC athletic events under the following conditions: Student-athletes are allowed a maximum of four complimentary admissions to both home and away contests in their own sport. Student-athletes are allowed a maximum of six complimentary admissions for post season contests in their own sport The complimentary admissions are provided through a pass list only (no hard tickets may be provided). A student-athlete may not sell or exchange their complimentary tickets for any item of value. Occasional Meals Student-athletes may be invited to the home of a booster on an infrequent basis to have an "occasional meal." These meals may only be provided in the home of a booster (as opposed to a restaurant) and may be catered. All occasional meals must receive prior approval by the SMC Compliance Office. Financial Aid Terms and Conditions SMC offers grant-in-aid, scholarships, and/or financial aid to select student-athletes which can cover some or all of tuition, room & board, and/or books. Student-athletes must meet all SMC, WCC and NCAA eligibility requirements in order to receive financial aid for athletics. Tuition: If a student-athlete is awarded full-tuition, they do not need to make any payment for tuition. If the student-athlete receives partial tuition, they are required to pay the balance of their tuition to the Cashier's Office on campus by the tuition deadline for each semester. Room and Board: If a student-athlete is awarded a room and board amount and they are living on campus, the Athletic Department will pay that amount directly to the housing office. If the studentathlete is living off campus, they will receive the amount in equal monthly payments payable on the first school day of each month. Books: If a student-athlete is awarded books, Student Services will provide a class schedule to the Campus Bookstore. The bookstore then gathers and boxes all required books for each accepting student-athlete. Boxes are retrieved by the student-athlete. At the end of each semester, studentathletes are responsible to return books to the Student Services Center. Failure to return textbooks can result in the student-athlete s account being charge the cost of the books.
In general, student-athletes on a full or partial athletics scholarship may receive their scholarship for one year; however, multi-year athletics scholarships are permissible. Each year, student-athletes must sign a receipt acknowledging acceptance of their athletics aid for that year. A student-athlete must be notified whether their athletics award is renewed or cancelled by July 1. Student-athletes may have their scholarships reduced or cancelled, but NCAA Bylaw 15 requires a student-athlete be notified in writing of the opportunity for a hearing when financial aid is reduced or cancelled during the period of the award. Athletics scholarships may be reduced or canceled during the period of the award if a student-athlete: Renders himself or herself ineligible for intercollegiate competition in any manner, which may include failure to meet academic requirements, signing with an agent, or any other act which would make a student-athlete ineligible. Voluntarily quits the team. Provides any fraudulently information on an application, letter of intent, or financial aid agreement. Engages in serious misconduct in violation of the law, NCAA rules, WCC rules and/or St. Mary s rules. Athletics scholarships may not be reduced or cancelled during the period of the award on the basis of: A student-athlete's athletics ability, performance, or contribution to a team's success. An injury that prevents the recipient from participating in intercollegiate athletics. Any other athletics related reason. Fifth-year athletics aid may be available to scholarship student-athletes who have completed their eligibility in four years. For more information regarding fifth-year financial aid, please contact the Compliance Office. Countable and Non-Countable Aid What is countable' aid? Every sport is given a scholarship limit by the NCAA, and there are several instances in which an athlete's financial aid can count' against that limit. An athlete's aid counts against the team's total scholarship limit if: He/she receives grant-in-aid from the athletic team. He/she receives outside aid for which athletics was a major criterion and the awarding individual is a booster of St. Mary s Athletics or the awarding individual restricts the college choice of the recipient. He/she receives an institutional scholarship that is not solely based on academics. He/she receives education expenses from an Olympic committee or national governing body. TE: There are exceptions when the aid listed above wouldn't count against a team, such as when an athlete is considered medically unable to participate; however, in most cases these rules hold true. What is non-countable' aid? Federal financial aid, such as Pell, SMART and ACG grants, along with federal (Stafford) loans, do not count against a team's limit. Institutional scholarships (i.e., awarded by the SMC Financial Aid or individual colleges/departments) that are solely based on academics.
Parent-tuition benefits, available to children of St. Mary s employees, have the potential to count until the parent has been employed at St. Mary s for 5 years, depending on whether the athlete is receiving aid from his/her athletic team. Awards from outside organizations, such as a local Elks club or a corporation, even if they are based on athletics in any degree are considered non-countable as long as the individual donating the aid is not a booster and they do not restrict the choice of institution for the recipient. Given the various circumstances and exceptions, it is important that athletes accurately report all sources of financial aid. Can non-countable' aid ever become countable' aid? In a word, yes. There are times when aid that normally wouldn't count such as a scholarship from a department will count because an athlete is receiving aid from the team. Again, a number of factors are included in determining the countability' of any type of aid, so coaches & athletes should always check with the Compliance Office before assuming that any kind of aid will or will not count. Outside Competition Student-athletes cannot participate in outside competition during the academic year. If they do, they will render themselves ineligible for intercollegiate competition. This includes seemingly insignificant competition such as organized city league games. During official (including the summer), it may be permissible for a student-athlete to participate in outside competition (i.e., summer leagues). However, all outside competition must be approved by the Compliance Office prior to participation. Student-athletes risk losing eligibility if they do not have it approved beforehand. *Outside competition is not permissible with the sport of basketball year round except through a certified summer league approved by the Compliance Office prior to participation. In order to avoid any unnecessary consequences, student athletes should contact the Compliance Office when competing in any non-smc competition and complete an Outside Competition Form via JumpForward. Components Teams are regularly formed Competition is scheduled in advance Official score is kept Individual or team standings are maintained Permissible for Basketballanytime* Permissible for Other Sports
Components Official timer or game officials are used Team uniforms are used Admission is charged Commercial sponsor is involved Permissible for Basketballanytime* Permissible for Other Sports For all sports, the following exceptions exist: A high school alumni game; Olympic Games; Official Pan American Games tryouts and competition; U.S. National teams; Official World championships, World University Games and World Cup tryouts and competition; and Multi-sport events.