WELCOME to the Winter 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 serve as a quick and convenient reference. In this issue, we cover the beginning of the 2005-2006 season (December, January, February). 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

October marks the beginning of the basketball season with on-court practice, but it also begins the review of legislative proposals that could affect Division I programs on and off the court in the future. On October 17th, the NCAA Division I Management Council received an update regarding the proposals in the annual legislative cycle. No action was scheduled to be taken during this meeting. November 15th marked the date when the Division I Official Notice was made available to the Division I membership. This publication contains al the proposals that will be considered as part of the 2005-2006 legislative cycle. During the NCAA Convention in January, there will be an open forum to debate legislation. The WBCA will be in attendance representing the membership. The Management Council will then meet to start taking initial action on proposals. Due to new voting procedures there may be some proposals adopted during the January meeting. January 1 - March 13, 2006 is the 60-day comment/amendment period, then the Management Council and the NCAA Board of Directors take final action in April. During this period, the WBCA may call upon the membership to speak in support of, or opposition to certain basketball related issues. Wbca.org/Legislation/DI will keep you updated on the basketball-related legislative proposals, and we encourage you to be actively involved with your administrators who represent your votes.

• UPDATES on Items in our Last Issue:
NCAA's focus on the creation of the Amateurism Certification Clearinghouse:
--The Amateurism Clearinghouse timeline has been adjusted. It will be up and running in early 2006, but the incoming students of 2007 will be the first certified under the new initiative, instead of the 2006 incoming class. (Proposal #2005-37)

The Work on the Academic Progress Rate:
--The NCAA Board of Directors discussed an incentives package for success in the classroom. The package recommends $10 million in funding annually, which would come from the NCAA television-rights agreement. They also agreed to sponsor a legislative proposal in the 2005-2006 Legislative cycle to require institutions to include Graduation Success Rate and NCAA DI Academic Progress Rate (APR) data in the recruiting material provided to prospective student-athletes. (Proposal #2005-172)

The Use of Male Practice Players:
--The use of male practice players is still on the agenda for the Committee on Women's Athletics, and we are expecting a survey to be distributed by this committee in the coming months. This survey may be directed to student-athletes, not coaches.

• The 2005-2006 Division I Women's Basketball recruiting calendar changes are in effect, and the WBCA is asking all institutions to carefully monitor the use of Recruiting-person Days for evaluation in the spring. Eight-five recruiting-person-days are permitted between September 16, 2005 and April 18, 2006. A "Recruiting-person Day" is defined as: one coach engaged in an off-campus recruiting activity of a women's basketball prospect on one day (12:01 a.m. to midnight). Two coaches engaged in recruiting activities on the same day shall use two Recruiting-person Days. Initial feedback following the contact period (September 16 - October 6) indicated coaches have used on average 20-25 Recruiting-person Days. If you have not responded to the request of days used during this timeframe please do so at your earliest convenience. There are two proposals in the current legislative cycle that ask for an increase in Recruiting-person Days for women's basketball. On behalf of the Recruiting and Access Committee, the WBCA urges you to oppose this increase until the current 85 days can be evaluated appropriately. The 85 days were established to create balance in the lives of coaching staffs, commitment to being on campus with student-athletes and eliminating "baby-sitting" of prospects.

1. Question: Is the April Evaluation Period of non-scholastic events going to be April 15-16, 2006, which is Easter weekend?
Answer: Yes. This was not intentional but based on the legislation, recruiting calendar and National Letter of Intent signing dates, the April evaluation of non-scholastic events will be April 15-16, which in 2006 happens to be Easter Weekend.
2. Question: Is there anything that can be done now to change these dates for 2006?
Answer: The deadline has passed for proposed legislation to be considered in the 2005-206 legislative cycle. Following the DI Conference Captains call on October 3rd, some conferences discussed internally "recommending a legislative change". Following the spring survey there may be legislation proposed in the 2006-2007 legislative cycle to eliminate the possibility of this evaluation period occurring on Easter weekend in the future.
3. Question: Are we allowed to evaluate prospects at "open gyms"?
Answer: Bylaw 13.12.3-(b) specifically allows coaches during prescribed evaluation periods to attend "non-institutional, non-organized events (e.g. pick up games)". Bylaw 13.1.8.8-(b)-(1) also specifically allows for "evaluation during the academic year to occur at regularly scheduled high-school, preparatory school and two-year college contests/tournaments, practices, pick up games and open gyms". Bylaw 13.1.8.8-(b)-(1) also defines the only evaluation at nonscholastic events during the academic year shall occur during the last full weekend of the fall contact period and the weekend of the spring evaluation period.
4. Question: Do the prospects in attendance at an "open gym" have to be from that high school only?
Answer: No. The women's rule is different from the men's rule that specifies, "Only students enrolled at that school". Please note, based on the spring survey, women's basketball may follow the men's rule and become more restrictive.
5. Question: May I go to an "open gym" that may advertise who will be in attendance and/or has a schedule, sets up drills, organizes the players into teams?
Answer: No. This would not be an "open gym". "Open gym" is supposed to mean a non-organized event. The gym is open, and anyone who wants to play can play or shoot. It cannot be organized in any way, or set up specifically for coaches to come and watch.
6. Question: May I watch a prospect workout with their non-scholastic coach as long as it is at the prospect's institution and the high school coach is in the gym?
Answer: No. Per Bylaw 13.1.8.8-(b)-(1) this would not be considered a regular high school practice.
7. Question: May I watch a prospect involved in individualized practice sessions with her high school coach?
Answer: Yes. Only if the sessions is part of the prospect's team's normal practice session and the college coach does not direct the prospect or the prospect's coach to perform any specific drill or activity because of the presence of the college coach.
8. Question: May a prospect come to our institution on an official or unofficial visit over the December holiday?
Answer: Yes. But not from December 24-26 which is now a dead period for women's basketball.
9. Question: May a prospect come to our institution on an official or unofficial visit over the December holiday?
Answer: May our school pay for a senior student-athlete, who wants to pursue a coaching career, to attend the Nike "So You Want to be a Coach" program hosted by the WBCA during the WBCA National Convention?
10. Question: Is it okay to give our team a school polo shirt to wear when we travel?
Answer: Yes. An institution may provide a student-athlete with one shirt (e.g. polo, oxford style) bearing the institution's logo to be used for team travel or other events at which they are representing the institution. Bylaw 16.8.1.9
11. Question: Can it be an outfit?
Answer: No. An institution may not provide to student-athletes team travel outfits, blazers or other items of clothing that are not sports-related practice or competition apparel. Bylaw 16.8.2.1
12. Question: Am I allowed to coach my son's non-scholastic basketball team?
Answer: No. In basketball, a member of an institution's coaching staff or an institutional staff member with basketball-specific duties (e.g. director of ops, manager, administrative personnel) may not participate in coaching activities involving non-scholastic-based basketball teams, regardless of the age or gender of the participants. Furthermore, coaching staff members or an institutional staff member with basketball-specific responsibilities may not participate on such teams that include individuals with eligibility remaining or that include individuals prospect-age or younger. Bylaw 13.11.1.4
13. Question: May I evaluate a high school tournament being hosted by a non-scholastic operator?
Answer: Yes, as long as all participants are playing on their scholastic teams for their scholastic coach and there are no non-scholastic teams participating in the event.

RECRUITING MATERIALS (BYLAW 13.4.1)

1. When can recruiting materials be provided to a prospect?
September 1st at the beginning of the prospect's junior year in high school.
2. What printed recruiting materials may be provided?
General correspondence, including letters and postcards issued by the U.S. postal service and institutional note cards, business cards, camp brochures, questionnaires, non-athletic institutional publications, NCAA educational material published by the NCAA and an athletics publication. The athletics publication provided to the prospect may be a recruiting brochure or media guide, but not both. A game program (without posters) may be provided only during official and unofficial recruiting visits.
3. What about additional recruiting materials not listed above?
Any other materials not specified may be posted on the institution's web site, but may not be printed and sent to prospects and may not be provided as attachments to electronic mail. It is permissible to send black and white attachments (e.g. copies of newspaper articles) with general correspondence, provided such attachments are not already posted on the site.
4. Is it permissible to attach recruiting materials not listed in Bylaw 13.4.1 (e.g., schedule cards, student-athlete handbook) to general correspondence (as black and white attachments) and/or electronic mail sent to prospects if such materials are posted on the institution's web site pursuant to Bylaw 13.4.1.3?
No. The legislation specifically precludes an institution from providing any materials posted on the institution's web site to prospects, unless the material appears in the list in Bylaw 13.4.1. This includes providing such items as black and white attachments to general correspondence and as attachments to electronic mail.
5. Is it permissible to include the institution's schedule in the text of general correspondence or electronic mail?
Yes. The legislation precludes an institution from sending an actual schedule card to the prospect in such a manner, but does not preclude the institution's schedule from appearing in such correspondence. However, it is not permissible to print out a schedule that appears on the web site and attach it to general correspondence or electronic mail.
6. Is it permissible to print information obtained from non-institutional web sites (e.g., media web sites) and provide such materials to prospects as black and white attachments to general correspondence or as attachments to electronic mail?
Yes. Materials from other sources (e.g., newspaper or web site articles) may be provided in such a manner, provided the materials are not also posted on an institution's web site. If such materials are posted on the institution's web site, the materials may not be printed in black and white and sent to prospects or sent as attachments to electronic mail.

7. Is it permissible to include an electronic link(s) to recruiting, or other, materials posted on the institution's web site in electronic mail sent to prospects? Further, is it permissible to provide electronic links to articles or materials located on non-institutional web sites?
Yes. The provision of electronic links to prospects is permissible. Such links may be included in general correspondence or electronic mail.
8. In the event an institution posts its camp brochures and other items listed in Bylaw 13.4.1 on its institutional web site, is it permissible to send such materials directly to prospects?
Yes. Camp brochures and other materials specifically listed in Bylaw 13.4.1 may be provided directly to prospects. All items listed in Bylaw 13.4.1, except game programs, may be provided directly to prospects via mail or may be provided electronically.
9. What are the restrictions pertaining to materials not listed in Bylaw 13.4.1 and that are also not posted on the institution's web site?
Not posting particular recruiting materials on the institution's web site does not necessarily permit the institution to send any item as an attachment simply because the institution chooses to not place the item(s) on its web site. In those instances, the institution needs to continue to apply the legislation as it has in the past to make sure the attachment could not be construed as a separate tangible recruiting item, such as a second athletics publication
10. Is it permissible for an institution to post a PowerPoint presentation on its web site?
Institutions should note that during its April 21, 1998, meeting, the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations clarified that it is not permissible for members of an institution's coaching staff to show prospects computer recruiting presentations (e.g., using presentation software) during the recruiting process. As a result, unless the presentation meets the provisions of Bylaw 13.4.2 (video/audio materials), it is not permissible for an institution to post a recruiting presentation on its web site.
11. What are the restrictions on delivery services of recruiting materials?
An institution is not permitted to use an express mail delivery service. They may use only first-class mail or a lesser rate of service (e.g. parcel post) with no extra services. You may use express mail delivery services when mailing the National Letter of Intent or other written admissions and/or financial aid commitment.

Women's Basketball Recruiting Calendar (www.ncaa.org)
September 16, 2005 through 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 an off-campus recruiting activity of a women's basketball prospect on one day (12:01 a.m. to midnight). Two coaches engaged in recruiting activities on the same day shall use two Recruiting-person Days.

A "Quiet Period" is defined as: those days from September 16, 2005 through April 18, 2006 not designated for evaluation purposes.

November 7-10, 2005:
Evaluation Period.

December 24-26, 2005:
Dead Period

*January:
RULES SURVEY is issued. Complete by March 1, 2006

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

ACT
December 10, 2005
February 11, 2006
April 8, 2006
June 10, 2006

• October 2005 Legislative Review/Interpretations Committee: Non-coaching Athletics Department Staff Member with Sport-Specific Responsibilities Participating in Voluntary Athletics with Student-Athletes. (I) The committee determined that a non-coaching staff member (e.g. administrative assistant, director of operations) with sport-specific responsibilities may not participate with or observe student-athletes who are engaged in non-organized, voluntary, athletically related activities (e.g. pick-up games) in the staff member's sport . Bylaw 11.7.1.1.1, 11.7.1.1.1.1, 17.02.1 and 17.02.13.

• Due to new legislation, which prohibits evaluation of nonscholastic events during the academic year except on two designated weekends, the WBCA is beginning to compile a list of high school tournaments taking place over the holidays. These events do not need to be NCAA certified therefore there will not be a list of permissible events on the NCAA website. Tournaments will be listed under the HS section on WBCA.org and updated frequently.

• THE NCAA DIVISION I OFFICIAL NOTICE, WHICH PROVIDES A LIST OF ALL PENDING LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS, IS NOW AVAILABLE. LISTED ON THE WBCA WEBSITE AND ACCESSIBLE BY THIS LINK ARE BASKETBALL RELATED PROPOSALS FOR YOUR REVIEW. PLEASE DISCUSS AREAS OF INTEREST WITH YOUR ADMINISTRATORS AND HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD.