WELCOME to the Fall 2005 Compliance Corner!

Welcome to Compliance Corner - the official WBCA publication for Division I legislation! In collaboration with the NCAA, this publication will be distributed on a quarterly basis and will contain NCAA Division I legislative news and notes affecting women's basketball, recruiting basics, questions from our coaches, Q & A, and other legislative information you need to know. The primary purpose of this publication is to help our coaches navigate the complexity of NCAA bylaws and legislation and serves as a quick and convenient reference. In this issue, we cover the first four months of the new academic year (August, September, October, and November). Feel free to offer any suggestions or feedback to make this tool more useful. However, we encourage you to contact your compliance officers on campus with any questions.

Thank you,
WBCA

With the work of the WBCA Special Committee on Recruiting and Access completed, we must thank the Special Committee members, the Conference Captains, the NCAA representatives, and everyone that assisted in the success of this comprehensive package. Sixteen of the WBCA's 25 original proposals were adopted, while seven of 12 of the NABC's Recruiting and Access Package were adopted. Now, the focus has turned to a new legislative cycle, a new recruiting calendar, and examination of current practices.

· At the forefront of the NCAA's agenda is the creation of the Amateurism Certification Clearinghouse and more work on the Academic Progress Rate. Both initiatives are gaining momentum and are priorities for the association. The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee proposed at their June meeting that the certification of non-scholastic events during the academic year be eliminated. With the adoption of WBCA Recruiting and Access Proposal No. 2004-146 Recruiting - Evaluations During the Academic Year - Non-Scholastic Events - Women's Basketball, as amended by Proposal No. 2004-146-1, evaluations of non-scholastic women's basketball events conducted during the academic year are now limited to the last full weekend of the Fall Contact Period and the weekend during the Spring Evaluation Period. Thus, certification exists to only certify events for two weekends during the academic year. Please note that men's basketball does not have academic year certification and certification of summer events is still in place for both men's and women's basketball. Although the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet did not support this change, please provide us with any feedback or questions you may have on this topic.

· Another issue being examined is the use of male practice players for women's teams. The WBCA Spring 2005 legislative survey indicated overwhelming support to maintain the current opportunity for women's basketball. The Women's Basketball Issues Committee reiterated its support for the use of male practice players as well. The Committee on Women's Athletics, who were asked to examine this issue, met in July and a summary of their actions will be posted at a later date.

· The 2005-06 Division I Women's Basketball recruiting calendar will have a new look to the fall period - the weeks were shifted so that most coaches could be on campus at the start of school and a week prior to the official start of practice, which is 7:00 PM on October 14, 2005. Coaches should note that with the adoption of Proposal No. 2004-146, as amended by Proposal No. 2004-146-1, coaches are permitted to evaluate prospects at non-scholastic certified events October 1-2, 2005. Lastly, the July Evaluation Period this past summer had a new look as well with the 10-6-10 format. Let us know your thoughts on the new format and on any other issues that need to be addressed for next July. Good luck with the new school year!

1. Question: May our athletic department produce a separate media guide or recruiting brochure as a supplement to our media guide to be given to prospects?
Answer: No. An institution may not produce a separate media guide that is intended to supplement the one recruiting brochure or media guide that may be produced and given to prospects. Such supplemental information (e.g., historical information, records) may be posted on an institution's web site and may be printed in black and white and provided to the media. An institution may produce additional media publications for separate purposes (e.g., postseason media guide, practice guide), provided the additional publications are not given to prospects.
2. Question: When does my coach's certification actually expire?
Answer: In terms of coaches' certification, annual means that certification needs to be renewed by August 1 of every year. Officially, coaches' certification runs from August 1 through July 31. A staff member may take the exam in May or June and be certified for the upcoming year through July 31, as long as it is the exam representing that year. If a coach does not receive a passing grade, the coach is not permitted to re-take the exam for 30 days. So, please plan accordingly.
3. Question: We are going to be ordering some new equipment and uniforms this year. Are we allowed to give our student-athletes any of the old equipment?
Answer: No. While student-athletes are permitted to keep athletics apparel items at the end of the year (and their careers), institutions are not permitted to give away used equipment. However, equipment may be purchased by a student-athlete at the same cost basis as would be available to the general public. Equipment should not be sold/purchased without first checking with your institution's policies, the compliance office, and the business office to confirm the cost basis and business procedure.
4. Question: I recently received an e-mail from the parents of a sophomore-aged prospect. I know that I cannot contact the prospect or her parents, but can I at least respond to the e-mail to explain the NCAA rule?
Answer: Yes. You are allowed to respond to a letter or e-mail prior to September 1 of a prospect's junior year provided you only include information related to NCAA rules. Any information that could be construed as recruiting would be considered an NCAA violation. Please note that the bylaw does not permit you to return telephone calls to explain the bylaw.
5. Question: I am a coach, and my daughter loves to be around the team as much as possible. I am wondering if it is okay for her to tag along with me for a dinner off-campus during a prospect's official visit?
Answer: Yes. This would be permissible. She can tag along if she wished. The NCAA has determined that the same rules that apply to the spouse of a coach or staff member also apply to their dependant children. Therefore, dependant children of athletics department staff members are permitted to have off-campus contact with a prospective student-athlete during an official visit, within 30 miles of the institution's campus. Note that the exception is only for spouses and dependant children….not fiancés, significant others, etc.
6. Question: We received a request from one of our student-athlete's high school coach to provide an autographed basketball to auction off for their scholarship drive. Can we do this?
Answer: No. It is not permissible to provide donations or do promotional appearances that benefit prospects. In this case, the proceeds would go to the high school's scholarship fund. The donation would be impermissible since the funds raised/donated would benefit prospect aged individuals.
7. Question: May we e-mail a prospect a highlight video?
Answer: No. Because Bylaw 13.4.2.1 specifically states that an institution may show a highlight film/videotape/audio tape to a prospect or the prospect's coach, but may not send it or leave it with the prospect or coach. E-mailing a recruit would be the equivalent of sending or leaving a hard copy of the video with a recruit. However, it is permissible for an institution to post a highlight film/video on its website if it is available to the general public to view.

IN-HOME PRESENTATION MATERIALS

1. Is it permissible to bring a laptop into a prospect's home? What exactly can be shown?
NCAA regulations do not preclude a laptop from being taken into a home during an in-home visit. The coach may connect to the internet and show the institution's web site and other information that is available to the general public. Further, Bylaw 13.4.2 states that an institution may not produce video/audio materials to show or send to a prospect. The exceptions to this rule are:
*a highlight film/videotape/audio tape may be shown to a prospect or a prospect's coach but may not be sent or left with the prospect or coach. The highlight film/videotape/audio tape must be "game clips" that contain informational material related to a particular event or sports season. Additional restrictions relating to these highlight tapes are noted in Bylaw 13.4.2.1.
* video/audio tapes and electronically produced information (nonathletics) available to all students-official academic admissions and student-services videotapes/audio tapes/electronically produced information produced by the institution and available to all students may be provided to prospects. (See Bylaw 13.4.2.2.)
2. In addition to the media guide or recruiting brochure, what materials may you bring into the home (e.g., story boards, picture album)?
Bylaw 13.4.1 states that an institution may produce either a recruiting brochure or media guide (but not both) in each sport it sponsors and provide it to a prospect. The publication may have only one color of printing inside the covers and may not exceed 8 1/2 by 11 inches in size and 208 pages in length. An institution may not create a portfolio of information (e.g., pictures) to be shown to prospects during the recruiting process unless it is considered the institution's one permissible athletics recruiting publication. (See Bylaw 13.4.1.).
Therefore, an institution may not take any type of picture album or portfolio into a prospect's home. The creation of the scrapbooks or albums or other materials (unless they are considered to be the one recruiting brochure or the one media guide - but remember you can't have both) for use during a visit would be precluded.
3. I was told it is not permissible for an institution to create a portfolio of information (e.g., pictures) to be shown to prospective student-athletes during the recruiting process unless the portfolio is considered the institution's one permissible athletics recruiting publication, but was told I can bring in a stack of photos if not in a presentation.
Yes, that is correct. It is not permissible for an institution to create a portfolio of information to be shown to prospective student-athletes during the recruiting process. See answer No. 2 above. The legislation does not preclude a stack of photos being taken into the prospect's home to be shown.
4. Is it true I can bring storyboards and photo albums into the home to show a prospective student-athlete, but they must be black and white?
See Answer No. 2 above.
5. I know I can bring a media guide or a recruiting brochure but can we bring a highlight tape?
See the answer in Question No. 1.
6. Why can't the NCAA just list what we can bring into the home and eliminate the guessing?
The legislation does state what may be produced by an institution and provided to prospects (Bylaws 13.4.1 and 13.4.2). However, with all the new technological possibilities and the creativity of our own coaches, it is difficult to always anticipate and address in advance all of the various types of situations that may arise. Therefore, NCAA legislation may very well not address the many various ways of generating and creating information coaches may want to use in the recruiting process. In recent years, the Recruiting Subcommittee of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, through its deregulation effort, recommended legislation that would have deregulated the area of permissible recruiting materials and computer generated presentations (e.g., Power Point) used during the recruiting process, including in-home visits. Those proposals were not supported by the NCAA membership and were not adopted.

OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL VISITS
1. What is the earliest date that a prospect can make an official visit to an institution?
Opening day of classes her senior year in high school. Find out if the prospect's high school is on a quarter system because the high school may not start until September or later. Prior to the visit, the prospect must provide a high school transcript and ACT, PLAN, PSAT, or SAT test score.
2. How many visits may a prospect take?
A prospect may take a maximum of five official visits to NCAA Division I or Division II institutions, with not more than one permitted to any single institution. This restriction applies regardless of the number of sports in which the prospect is involved. Subsequent to October 15 following the prospect's completion of high school, the prospect may receive an additional five visits.
3. If you have a prospect arriving from California at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at 7:00 PM on Thursday, drive her directly to the Marriott and drop her off at 8:30 PM and then pick her up for breakfast at 9:00 AM on Friday. When does the official visit start?
Friday morning at 9:00 AM.

4. If you and the prospect stopped at the Olive Garden on the way to the Marriott from the airport on Thursday evening at 7:45 PM, when does the official visit start?
The official visit would begin at 7:45 PM on Thursday evening when the coach stopped on the way from the airport for a meal.
5. In both situations (with or without stopping to eat), when do you need to have the prospect back at the airport for her flight home?
An official visit shall not exceed 48 hours. With the stop to eat - by 7:45 PM on Saturday evening. Without the stop - by 9:00 AM on Sunday morning.
6. If the prospect's parents came along on the official visits, what expenses can the institution pay?
Entertainment, lodging, and three meals a day. Meals may take place on- or off-campus, not to exceed a 30-mile radius from campus. Further, official visit entertainment money that a student host may receive is to cover all actual costs of entertaining the prospective student-athlete (and the prospect's parents, legal guardians or spouse) and the entertainment of the student host(s) and/or the institution's athletics department staff members who accompany the prospect.
7. How much money can you give a student host each day to entertain a prospect?
Up to $30 a day.
8. What are some permissible examples and examples of what is not permissible as far as the use of the student host entertainment funds?
Permissible: bowling, movies, late night snack (e.g., pizza), and gas money. Non-permissible: Giving the money to the prospect, purchasing alcohol, or buying the prospect a souvenir to take home (e.g., t-shirt, sweatshirt, hat).
9. May one student-athlete get the student host entertainment money and another student-athlete receive a meal on the same day when the coach takes the prospect out to eat for a meal?
Yes. Make sure that there is only one student host per prospect being provided the meal. It does not have to be the same host as the one that received the entertainment money on that day. Other student-athletes may be present as long as they are paying for their own way for the meal.
10. May a faculty member at the institution that the prospect is interested in attending accompany the coach, the prospect, and her parents to a restaurant located off-campus?
Yes. New legislation adopted, which has an immediate effective date, does permit a faculty member to attend a meal on-campus or off-campus within 30 miles of campus during a prospect's official visit.
11. How many complimentary admissions may a prospect receive to attend an off-campus athletics event during her official visit?
Three - one for the prospect and two for any two people who have accompanied the prospect on the official visit. Complimentary admissions shall be provided only through a pass list; hard tickets are not permitted.
12. When and how often can a prospect make an unofficial visit?
Anytime and even prior to the start of the prospect's senior year, except during a dead period. There is no limit on the number of unofficial visits a prospect may take.
13. To what extent may a booster be involved in either an official or unofficial visit?
None. A booster may not be involved whatsoever.
14. Is it permissible for you to arrange for the prospect and her parents to meet the coaching staff at a restaurant off-campus during an unofficial visit, as long as the prospect and her parents pay their own way?
Yes. As long as it occurs during a permissible contact period and it occurs after July 1 with only prospects who have completed their junior year in high school. This also counts as an off-campus contact.
15. What entertainment may we provide to a prospect on her unofficial visit?
Three complimentary admissions to campus athletics events in which the host team is competing. The admissions are to be used by the prospect and any two people accompanying the prospect on her visit. Complimentary admissions shall be provided only through a pass list; hard tickets are not permitted.
16. Can a graduate assistant coach pick up a prospect and her mother and transport them back to campus for an official visit?
Yes. During an official visit, any member of an institution's athletics department staff may provide ground transportation for a prospect and the prospect's parents or legal guardians between the campus and any bus or train station or airport. If a prospect is transported by a member of the institution's athletic department from an airport, bus or train station other than the major airport, bus or train station nearest to the institution, the 48-hour official visit period begins with the initiation of the ground transportation by the member of the institution's athletics department staff upon the prospect's arrival at the airport, bus or train station.
17. May a prospect who is on campus for an unofficial visit stay overnight in a dorm room with a current student?
Yes. A prospect can stay overnight in an on-campus dorm while on an unofficial visit, as long as the arrangements are made through the athletic department or the admissions office. Further, the prospect must pay the rate the admissions office utilizes to furnish a bed for a night at the normal institutional rate.
18. Is it permissible for coaches on a prospective student-athlete's official paid visit to decorate hotel rooms as long as the accommodations are not upgraded?
Balloons, streamers, and towels with logos are not permissible. Any items in the hotel room may not be personalized. Snacks (e.g., fruit basket) are permissible in the hotel room, since a reasonable snack may be provided in addition to the three meals.
19. Is it permissible for the media to be present during a prospect's visit to campus on an official/unofficial visit?
No. A member institution may not permit a media entity to be present during any recruiting contact made by an institution's coaching staff member, which would include pre-game activities of prospects on the sideline prior to and after the game.

Women's Basketball Recruiting Calendar (www.ncaa.org)
August 1 - September 15, 2005:
Quiet Period.

September 16, 2005 - April 18, 2006: Evaluation Period.
Except:
Women's basketball staff members shall not exceed 85 recruiting-person days during the academic year. A recruiting person day is defined as one coach engaged in a off-campus recruiting activity of a women's basketball prospect on one day; two coaches engaged in recruiting activities on the same day shall use two recruiting days.

Those days from September 16, 2005 through April 18, 2006 not designated for evaluation purposes: Quiet Period

September 16 - October 6, 2005:
Contact Period.

*October 1-2, 2005:
Evaluations permitted at non-scholastic women's basketball
events.

November 7-10, 2005:
Dead Period

First Date of Practice
October 14, 2005 (7:00 PM)

First Date of Competition
November 18, 2005

National Letter of Intent Signing Dates (www.national-letter.org)
November 9, 2005 - November 16, 2005:
Early Signing Period
April 12, 2006 - May 17, 2006:
Late Signing Period

2005-2006 National Testing Dates (www.collegeboard.com)
SAT
October 8, 2005
November 5, 2005
December 3, 2005
January 28, 2006
April 1, 2006
May 6, 2006
June 3, 2006

ACT
September 24, 2005
October 22, 2005
December 10, 2005
February 11, 2006
April 8, 2006
June 10, 2006

•Adopted Division I Proposal No. 2003-83 Recruiting - Definitions and Applications - Prospective Student-Athletes, which states that an individual enrolled and receiving institutional athletics financial aid during the summer prior to initial enrollment is not a prospective student-athlete as it relates to NCAA Bylaw 13 contact restrictions only and all of Bylaw 16. Therefore, prospects are not permitted to work an institution's camps, cannot participate on a foreign tour, etc.

•The NCAA Division I Legislative Review/Interpretations Committee has issued an interpretation related to the adopted legislation that has eliminated the Baton Rule for all sports and the number of coaches who may engage in off-campus recruiting at any one time. The committee confirmed that, pursuant to NCAA Proposal No. 2004-132-B, if the limitation on the number of coaches who are permitted to contact or evaluate prospects off campus at any one time is reached, another coach in that same sport may leave campus to engage in off-campus contacts or evaluations at any time, provided he or she does not begin any off-campus recruiting activity until the coach being replaced has completed his or her recruiting activities. Further, the replaced coach may not engage in additional recruiting activities until after he or she has returned to the institution's campus. The legislative proposal goes into effect August 1, 2005. [References: NCAA Bylaws 11.7.4 (limitations on number - off-campus recruiting) and 11.7.4.3 (off-campus recruiting - at any one time) and Proposal No. 2004-132-B.]

•Last year, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved several recommendations by the NCAA Task Force on Recruiting aimed at preserving the welfare of student-athletes and eliminating the "celebrity atmosphere" that has developed among some recruiting visits. The measures adopted by the Board are currently in effect, and include the following:
--Campuses must develop written policies that specifically prohibit inappropriate or illegal behavior in recruiting.
--Institutions cannot use private or chartered airplanes when transporting prospects; instead, they must use commercial air travel at coach-class fare with no upgrades.
--Campuses must use standard vehicles to transport prospective student-athletes and those accompanying them on official visits.
--Prospects and their parents or legal guardians must be housed in standard lodging and offered standard meals similar to those offered on campus.
--Student hosts must be current student-athletes or students who conduct visits or tours as part of the admissions process. Gender-specific groups will be allowed if they are organized consistent with an institution's overall campus visit program.
--Institutions cannot use personalized recruiting aides (such as jerseys or scoreboard presentations) or game-day simulations during campus visits. Prospects can visit the locker room before or after a game or stand on the sidelines during pre-game activities.

•Use of outside consultants - Coaches are reminded that all individuals who assist with coaching student-athletes must be counted toward your limit of coaches. According to the NCAA, an athletics department staff member must count against coaching limits as soon as the individual participates (in any manner) in the coaching of the intercollegiate team in practice, games or organized activities directly related to that sport, including any organized staff activity directly related to the sport. Consultants include individuals who observe practice sessions and provide analysis of sessions to coaching staff members. The following sorts of individuals would be considered consultants who count against coaching staff limits and use of their services would be an NCAA violation unless they were recognized as part of the strength and conditioning staff: yoga and flexibility instructors, speed and agility coaches, biomechanics specialists. (This list is not exhaustive; consult with your compliance office if you have further questions.)

•This year's early signing period for the National Letter of Intent (NLI) begins on November 16, 2005, and a corresponding dead period runs from November 7 - 10, 2005. Below is a quick checklist of "Do's and Don'ts" during the signing period:
Do's:
You CAN express mail, courier, or fax the NLI and tender to a prospect.
You CAN hand-deliver the NLI and tender to a prospect if she is on campus for an official visit.
You CAN make phone calls to a prospect during the dead period.
Make sure the NLI is issued with a year-long financial tender.
Make sure the NLI and tender is signed by the prospect AND a parent within 14 days of being issued.
An institution CAN provide a pre-paid envelope to the prospect to mail the signed NLI back to the institution.
An institution CAN, following a prospect's signing of the NLI, release information related to the prospect's signing to any media outlet with no limitations on the number of times the information may be released.
Don'ts:
You CANNOT hand-deliver the NLI and tender to a prospect off-campus.
You CANNOT be present when the prospect signs the NLI.
You CANNOT announce the signing of a prospect to the media until both the NLI and tender are approved by the compliance office.

•Counting evaluations at tournaments - Institutions should note that pursuant to Bylaw 13.1.8.14 (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 13.1.8.14 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, institutions should note that in basketball, pursuant to Bylaws 13.1.5.1 (visits to prospect's educational institution-football and basketball) and 13.1.5.1.3 (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 13.1.5.1.3.1 (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 previous example, 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).