Quick Reference Guide to NCAA Rules and Regulations

Whom Do I Contact?
If you have any questions about contact with a prospective or enrolled student-athlete, please direct these questions to:

TBA
Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Administration
Providence College Athletics
Alumni Hall
Providence, RI 02918
(401) 865-2518

Introduction
Providence College, as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), is responsible for ensuring that its various constituencies (e.g., PC staff and faculty, student-athletes, alumni and friends) abide by the NCAA Rules and Regulations. Under those rules, alumni and friends can be categorized as "Representatives of Providence College Athletics Interests."

This pamphlet is presented as a quick reference to the many NCAA rules that apply to our "Athletic Representatives." Since it does not include all applicable situations, please call us if you have any questions before having any contact with a prospective or enrolled student-athlete. We appreciate your interest and support, but remind you that an inappropriate contact or an inadvertent action on your part can jeopardize the eligibility of our student-athletes and prospects, as well as the compliance of Providence College with NCAA regulations.

Providence College is proud to have the loyal support of its alumni and friends. As we strive for excellence, we must always seek the highest standards of ethical conduct. With your assistance and cooperation, we are confident we can accomplish our goals.

Am I a "Representative of Athletic Interests?" Yes, if you:
• Are or ever have been a member of a particular sports support group at PC.
• Have ever made a donation to Providence College's men's or women's athletic programs.
• Have ever helped arrange or have provided summer employment for enrolled student- athletes.
• Have ever assisted in providing any benefit to enrolled student-athletes or their families.
• Have ever been involved in any way with the Providence College athletic program.

The NCAA stipulates that once you have become an "Athletic Representative" you retain that identity forever, even if you no longer contribute to the athletic program.

Important Information You Should Know

Who is a Prospective Student-Athlete?
A prospective student-athlete is a person who has begun classes for the ninth grade. However, it is possible for a younger student to be a prospect, so it is prudent that you treat ALL athletes as prospects.

Only coaches and athletic department staff members can be involved in the recruiting process. All "Athletic Representatives" who are not employed by the College are prohibited from contacting a prospective student-athlete or members of the prospect's family by the telephone, letter or in person (on or off campus) for the purpose of encouraging participation in the Providence College athletic program.

Extra Benefits for Prospective or Enrolled Student-Athletes
Providence College "Athletic Representatives" cannot provide an "extra benefit" or special arrangement to a prospect or to an enrolled student-athlete. Specific applications as they apply to the NCAA extra benefit rule to prospects and enrolled student-athletes, their relatives or friends, state that you:
May not:
• Give them cash or loans in any amount.
• Sign or co-sign a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan.
• Give them gifts of any kind (e.g., birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day) or free services (e.g., clothing, airline tickets, laundry, car repair, haircuts, meals in restaurants).
• Provide use of an automobile or provide payment of automobile expenses.
• provide them hospitality in your home other than for special occasions (e.g., Thanksgiving, birthday-i.e. non-athletic occasions).
• Invite them to your summer home to go water skiing, sailing, etc.
• Provide them transportation within or outside of the campus area (e.g., from the airport to campus, to summer job, etc.). The only exception is transportation to your home for an occasional meal. Your home must be within a 30-mile radius of the campus and it must be your own personal home. You may not provide transportation to another booster's home.
• Entertain or contact a prospect or prospect's family on or off campus.
• Provide rent-free or reduced-rent housing.
• Provide a benefit connected with on or off campus housing (e.g., individual television sets or stereo equipment, specialized recreational facilities).
• Provide tickets to an athletic, institutional or community event.
• Provide guarantee of a bond.
• Provide promise of financial aid for post- graduate education.
• Provide promise to a prospect of employment after completion of their college education.
• Allow a student-athlete or his or her friends or relatives use of your telephone to make free long distance calls.
• Provide room, board, or transportation costs incurred by friends or family of an enrolled student-athlete to visit campus or attend an away athletic contest.
• Provide an honorarium to a student-athlete for speaking to educational or charitable groups. All speaking engagements must be approved in advance by the Athletic Department.

Receipt of a benefit by a student-athlete or their relatives or friends, is not a violation of NCAA rules if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution's students and their relatives or friends. Please check with the Compliance Coordinator for interpretations of the above-mentioned rules.

Please feel free to invite a team for dinner or to meet with a group of alumni in a city where they are competing. The NCAA permits student-athletes to receive special benefits, AS A TEAM, which they are not permitted to receive as individuals. Arrangements for such events must be made in advance with the head coach and/or Athletic Department.

NCAA Rules Regarding Employment of Prospective and Enrolled Student-Athletes
• Do not employ relatives or friends of a prospect as an inducement for the enrollment of the prospect at Providence College.
• Do not employ or arrange for the employment of a prospective or enrolled student-athlete without checking first with the Providence College Athletic Department. Stringent rules apply in these instances and written records must be kept regarding employment.
• Do not provide transportation for prospects or student-athletes in your employ unless transportation is provided for all other employees. Please verify with the Athletic Department prior to allowing use of a vehicle.
• Do not provide employment for student- athletes during the academic year without contacting Providence College's Athletic Department first. The NCAA has strict rules about the amount and source of outside funds received during the academic year. This could directly impact student-athletes' scholarships.
• It is allowable to pay the student-athlete employed by you only for work actually performed at a rate commensurate with the going rate for similar services in the community and your own business.

Promotional Activities Regarding Student-Athletes
Please note that it is not permissible to use the name or picture of an enrolled student-athlete to directly advertise, recommend or promote sales or use of a commercial product or services of any kind. Even the sale of a picture of an enrolled student-athlete would jeopardize his/her eligibility.

Please be advised that there are additional rules regarding the use of a student-athlete's name, picture or appearance, as well as the athletic department providing institutional memorabilia to groups or organizations for fund raising activities. Questions pertaining to these areas should be forwarded to: Marketing/Promotions Office Providence College Alumni Hall Providence, RI 02918 (401) 865-2272

Please...Your Help is needed
If you have knowledge of improprieties, intentional or unintentional, please let the Athletic Department know immediately so that we can take corrective action.

The integrity of our program is the foundation on which our success must be built. Your cooperation and assistance is critical. Thank you for being an important part of Providence College athletics.

Intercollegiate Sports programs Sponsored At Providence College
Men's:
Basketball, Cross Country, Ice Hockey, Indoor Track, Lacrosse, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Swimming

Women's:
Basketball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball

Providence College Athletic Department Mission Statement
The Providence College Athletics Department, as part of a college with roots in the Dominican Tradition, strives toward the complete realization of all people regardless of race or gender as an intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual being.

In doing so, the Athletics Department inspires virtues of discipline, courage, honesty, duty, fairness and sportsmanship, and promotes the unique opportunity to influence and teach in an intercollegiate team, intramural or instructional environment. These qualities are displayed to the local and national communities in the area of sport.

Beyond physical development, athletics contributes to the community's welfare and spirit, providing opportunity for recreation and leisure to all. The Department acknowledges the contribution of the student-athlete to the community and recognizes the sacrifice and discipline involved in representing the College.

Mission Statement Of Providence College
Providence College is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts, Catholic institution of higher education. Committed to fostering academic excellence through sciences and humanities, the College provides a variety of opportunities for intellectual, social, moral and spiritual growth in a supportive environment.

The College actively cultivates intellectual, spiritual, ethical and aesthetic values within the context of Judaeo-Christian heritage. These values are nurtured by the unique tradition of the Dominican Order which emphasizes quality teaching and scholarship.

Providence College recognizes the unity of the human family that proceeds from its one Creator. It therefore encourages the deepest respect for the essential dignity, freedom and equality of every person and welcomes qualified women and men from all religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Providence College prepares its students to be responsible and productive citizens to serve in their own society and the greater world community.