American University is responsible for the actions of its
student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, friends, and
booster/donors. As a NCAA member institution, AU is committed to
the integrity of its athletic programs and adherence of all
regulations governed by the NCAA and the University. Please take
time to read this website and familiarize yourself with all rules
and regulations. We understand there are always questions that will
arise as a result of specific situations. If you feel unclear about
how to operate within the NCAA guidelines, please contact the
Compliance Office at (202) 885-3039.
Important Terms &
Definitions
Who is a Representative of Athletic Interests
(Booster/Donor)?
NCAA rules indicate that all alumni, friends, and employees of the
University are categorized as "representatives of athletics
interests". The NCAA stipulates that once an individual has been
identified as a representative or "booster/donor" of the
University's athletics programs, he or she retains this status
forever even if the individual is no longer associated with the
athletics program. Furthermore, the NCAA states that it is possible
to be a representative of athletics interest at more than one
university at the same time.
A representative of athletics interests is anyone who has
ever:
• made any type of contribution to the athletics department
or to a booster club
• joined the institution's booster club or any sport specific
support group
• provided or helped arrange employment for a
student-athlete
• provided benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their
families
• assisted in any manner in the recruitment of prospective
student-athletes
• promoted the institution's athletics program in any
manner.
• purchased season tickets from the University.
As a representative of athletics interests
(booster/donor), you may not:
• contact a prospect's coach, principal or counselor in an
effort to evaluate a prospect
• visit the prospect's institution to pick up film or
transcripts pertaining to the evaluation of the prospect's
•academic eligibility or athletic ability
• contact a prospect, his/her parents, legal guardians or
spouse on or off campus
• contact a prospect by telephone or by letter
• make special arrangements for entertainment for recruiting
purposes
• provide extra benefits to a prospect, student -athlete at
AU or another institution or to the parents, family and/or
guardians of the prospects or student athlete's.
Who is a Prospective
Student-Athlete?
• NCAA rules stipulate that a prospective student-athlete is
a person who has started classes for the ninth (9th) grade,
regardless of his/her athletics ability and /or participation.
• A prospective student-athlete remains a prospect even after
he or she has signed a National Letter of Intent or accepts an
offer of financial aid to attend an institution.
• The prospect remains a prospect until he/she reports for
the first day of classes for a regular term (fall or spring) or the
first official day of practice (whichever comes first).
Don't forget about the Transfer
Student!
As a representative of athletics interest you are not permitted to
contact any student-athlete or the family member/guardian of a
student-athlete who is or has enrolled at another institution for
the purposes of recruiting and/or to determine the possibility of
transferring to AU. The same rules apply to these students as they
do for prospective student-athletes.
What is an "Extra
Benefit"?
The NCAA defines an extra benefit as any special arrangement by an
institutional employee or a representative of the institution's
athletics interest ("booster/donor") to provide a student-athlete
(or a student-athlete's relative or friend) a benefit that is not
generally available to other AU students and their relative and/or
friends.
Therefore, please be aware of the
following:
• A student-athlete cannot accept anything from an employee
of AU or athletic booster/donor (e.g., use of a car, hair cut,
clothing, gifts, money, tickets for any kind of entertainment,
payment of long distance telephone calls).
• A student-athlete cannot accept free or reduced cost room
and/or board from any AU employee or booster/donor of AU's athletic
programs. This includes in on or off campus, in the
student-athlete's home city or any other location. This would
preclude a student-athlete from "house sitting" without paying
rental costs at a comparable rate for similar housing in that
locale.
• A student-athlete may not accept free or reduced cost
storage room for personal belongings for the summer months from any
AU employee or booster/donor of AU's athletic programs.
• A student-athlete cannot accept free or reduced merchandise
or services from any merchant unless that free or reduced cost item
is also available to the general public.
• A student-athlete cannot eat at a restaurant as the guest
of an athletic booster/donor or an employee of AU.
• On infrequent, special occasions (e.g., a birthday,
Thanksgiving, etc.), a student-athlete may accept an invitation to
the home of an employee of AU or an athletic booster/donor for a
meal.
• A student-athlete cannot use a Department of Athletics copy
machine, fax machine or make long distance phone calls using
departmental equipment or the long distance access code of an
employee of AU or athletic booster/donor.
• Members of the Department of Athletics staff or an athletic
booster/donor are not permitted to type reports, papers, letters,
etc., for a student-athlete.
• A student-athlete cannot receive a special discount,
payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (e.g., airline ticket,
clothing), or service (e.g., laundry, dry cleaning) from an
employee of AU or an athletic booster/donor.
• An AU employee or a booster/donor cannot provide a
student-athlete with a loan of money, a guarantee of bond, the use
of an automobile or the signing or co-signing of a note to arrange
a loan, or pay or provide other compensation for work not performed
or at unreasonable levels for work performed.
• An AU employee may provide a student-athlete only
reasonable and occasional local (i.e., within a 30 mile radius of
the AU campus) transportation. However, an AU employee may not
utilize a University vehicle for purposes of assisting a
student-athlete's move from one residence to another.
What are the consequences of NCAA
violations?
• A currently enrolled student-athlete being declared
ineligible to participate.
• The eligibility of a prospective student-athlete(s) being
jeopardized.
• Violations of NCAA regulations and sanctions placed on the
University and its athletics programs.
What are the consequences to athletic
representatives (boosters/donors) for NCAA
violations?
American University is required by the NCAA to notify boosters of
consequences regarding rules violations. Boosters found in
violation of NCAA rules are subject to losing benefits and
privileges, including but not limited to disassociation from
American University and/or loss of ticket privileges.
Promotional/Charitable
Activities
American University student-athletes are often asked to
participate in promotional activities (e.g., speaking engagements).
However, student-athlete involvement in a promotional activity is
also subject to specific NCAA rules and is limited to
institutional, charitable, educational and/or non-profit
activities.
Permissible Activities 12.5.1.1 Institutional,
Charitable, Education or Nonprofit Promotions
A member institution or recognized entity thereof (e.g.,
fraternity, sorority or student government organization), a member
conference or a non-institutional charitable, educational or
nonprofit agency may use a student-athlete's name, picture or
appearance to support its charitable or educational activities or
to support activities considered incidental to the
student-athlete's participation in intercollegiate athletics,
provided the following conditions are met:
(a) The student-athlete receives written approval to participate
from the director of athletics (or his or her designee who may not
be a coaching staff member), subject to the limitations on
participants in such activities as set forth in Bylaw 17;
(b) The specific activity or project in which the student-athlete
participates does not involve co-sponsorship, advertisement or
promotion by a commercial agency other than through the
reproduction of the sponsoring company's officially registered
regular trademark or logo on printed materials such as pictures,
posters or calendars. The company's emblem, name, address and
telephone number may be included with the trademark or logo.
Personal names, messages and slogans (other than an officially
registered trademark) are prohibited;
(c) The name or picture of a student-athlete with remaining
eligibility may not appear on an institution's printed promotional
item (e.g., poster, calendar) that includes a reproduction of a
product with which a commercial entity is associated if the
commercial entity's officially registered regular trademark or logo
also appears on the item;
(d) The student-athlete does not miss class;
(e) All moneys derived from the activity or project go directly to
the member institution, member conference or the charitable,
educational or nonprofit agency;
(f) The student-athlete may accept actual and necessary expenses
from the member institution, member conference or the charitable,
educational or nonprofit agency related to participation in such
activity;
(g) The student-athlete's name, picture or appearance is not
utilized to promote the commercial ventures of any nonprofit
agency;
(h) Any commercial items with names, likenesses or pictures of
multiple student-athletes (other than highlight films or media
guides per Bylaw 12.5.1.8) may be sold only at the member
institution at which the student-athlete is enrolled,
institutionally controlled (owned and operated) outlets or outlets
controlled by the charitable or educational organization (e.g.,
location of the charitable or educational organization, site of
charitable event during the event). Items that include an
individual student-athlete's name, picture or likeness (e.g., name
on jersey, name or likeness on a bobble-head doll), other than
informational items (e.g., media guide, schedule cards,
institutional publications), may not be sold; and
(i) The student-athlete and an authorized representative of the
charitable, educational or nonprofit agency sign a release
statement ensuring that the student-athlete's name, image or
appearance is used in a manner consistent with the requirements of
this section.
If your organization would like to utilize AU
student-athletes to participate in an event,
please contact the Compliance Office
at 202-885-3039.
