Nov. 17
Q. Is it permissible for a collegiate coach to be involved in a Big Brother/Big Sister program with prospect-age participants?
A. Yes. PROVIDED the coach was involved with the prospect prior to the prospect entering the ninth grade and provided no recruitment takes place during related contacts.  Further, it would be permissible for the coach to continue to provide benefits incidental to participate in the program (e.g. rides, meals, movies) PROVIDED such benefits were provided prior to the individual becoming a prospect.

Nov. 10
Q. Would it be permissible for a member of the athletic staff to drive a current student-athlete to the airport, bus or train station for his/her trip home for YSU's Winter Break?
A. No. Transportation from the nearest bus or train station or airport may only be provided in conjunction with the occasion of the student-athlete's INITIAL arrival at the institution to attend classes.

Nov. 3
Q. Is there any way YSU can publicize a four-year transfer enrolling to our campus?
A. Yes. Since a four-year transfer is not able to sign a National Letter of Intent, the receipt of a room deposit would allow us to publicize the enrollment.

Oct. 26
Q. If a student-athlete begins a term full-time (e.g. fall 2008) and attends classes the first day, then decides to transfer to another institution in the same semester (e.g. fall 2008), does this student need to have passed a minimum of 6 credit hours in the most recent term of full-time attendance (e.g. fall 2008) in order to be immediately eligible?
A. No. A student-athlete who transfers to the certifying institution during the same regular academic term in which he or she was enrolled full time at the previous institution (e.g., fall semester to fall semester or quarter) is not required, upon transfer, to have completed six hours of academic credit during the same regular academic term at the previous institution.

Oct. 19
Q. Is it permissible for a collegiate coach to "friend" a prospect on Facebook?
A. Yes.  Although it is permissible for a prospective student-athlete's name and/or picture to appear on an athletics department staff member's profile page of a social networking Web site to identify the prospective student-athlete as a "friend" of the athletics department staff member, staff members may not initiate or accept such requests UNTIL such time that it is permissible to send electronically transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete. Institutions should note that the identification of the prospective student-athlete as a "friend" on an athletics staff members profile page confirms only the institution's potential recruitment of that individual. However, institutions are reminded they may not make any public comments about the prospective student-athlete's ability, the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution's team or the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete's signing with that institution.

Oct. 12
Q. A local high school approached our athletic ticket office to offer to sell YSU basketball tickets as a fundraiser for the high school, who would keep a small percentage of whatever they sold.  Would this be a permissible arrangement?
A. No. It is not permissible for a member institution to compensate a high school, preparatory school or two-year college for selling tickets to the institution's athletics contests. Specifically, the member institution may not provide such forms of compensation as a guarantee, a percentage of the income realized from the sale of the tickets or any other form of commission for providing such services.
This type of arrangement would be permissible for non-prospect age (e.g. eighth grade and lower) groups or non-profit groups (Boy/Girl Scouts).

Oct. 5
Q. Is it permissible to attach additional written conditions/agreements to a National Letter of Intent which provide some assurance that a release would be granted should circumstances change at the institution (e.g. coaching staff)?
A. No. Institutions are prohibited from establishing any additional conditions associated with the NLI agreement in advance of a prospective student-athlete signing an NLI.  Should such conditions be offered, the NLI is subject to being declared null and void along with possible institutional penalties.

Sept. 15
Q. A prospective foreign student-athlete who is being recruited by YSU to play basketball.  The prospect plays on a club team in her home country. One of prospect's teammates coaches another team in their league. This individual does get paid for her coaching activities.
Does the teammates coaching compensation have to be included when determining if any of the players on our prospect's team receives more than actual and necessary expenses, and is therefore, considered professional?
A. Yes. If an individual signs a contract or commitment with an athletics organization (e.g., club) in which the individual agrees to participate on a team and perform other duties (e.g., coaching the same or another team in the club system) and the contract or commitment does not specify the amount of compensation to be received for each activity, all compensation provided as part of the contract or commitment must be included when determining whether the team on which the individual participated provided any of its players more than actual and necessary expenses.

Sept. 8
Q. A coach has begun preparations for the 2010 summer camp. He would like to streamline the registration process by offering an online registration in addition to hardcopy through the mail.  To encourage campers to use the online registration option, the coaches have advertised a 5% discount to anyone that registers online.  Is this permissible?
A. Yes.  An institution may offer discounted admissions to its camps and clinics based on objective criteria unrelated to athletics abilities (e.g., registration prior to a specific date, online registration, attendance at multiple sessions), provided such discounts are published and available on an equal basis to all who qualify.

Aug. 24
Q. If a student is academically dismissed from a institution and transfers to YSU, would that student be able to receive athletic aid while completing a year of residence (without competition)?
A. No. In order to receive an athletic scholarship while fulfilling a year of residence, the student has to have been academically eligible to compete at the previous institution had the student returned there.