FAQ - Athletic Representative's Involvement with Current Student-Athletes
Can student-athletes be
provided a benefit not available to the student body?
No. Under NCAA rules, an extra benefit is any special arrangement
by an institutional employee or a representative or the
institution's athletics interests to provide student-athletes or
their relatives or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by
NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their
relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation IF it
is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the
institution's students or their relatives or friends or to a
particular segment of the student body (e.g., foreign students,
minority students, etc.) determined on a basis unrelated to
athletic ability.
What are some examples of benefits an athletic representative may
not provide to a student-athlete, their relatives or
friends?
Types of extra benefits that are prohibited include, but are not
limited to the following: cash or loans; special discounts or
payment arrangements on loans; employment of relatives or friends
of student-athlete; involvement in arrangement for free or reduced
charges for professional or personal services, purchases or
charges; use of an automobile; providing transportation to or from
a summer job or to any other site; signing or co-signing a note for
a loan; the loan or gift of money or other tangible items (e.g.,
clothes, jewelry, electronic/stereo equipment); gifts or awards of
any kind; guarantees of bond; purchases of items or services from a
student-athlete or the student-athlete's family at inflated prices;
providing directly or indirectly transportation to enroll in
classes; any financial aid other than that administered by Northern
Arizona University; the promise of financial aid for post graduate
education; free or reduced cost housing arrangements; arrangement
for or payment of transportation or other costs incurred by
relatives or friends of a student-athlete to visit the
student-athlete or to attend any contest; entertainment of a
student-athlete's family on or off campus; benefits connected with
on or off campus housing (e.g., television sets or stereo
equipment, specialized recreational facilities); tickets or
admission to an athletic, institutional or community event;
educational expenses (e.g., typing costs, course supplies, use of
copy machine); payment of any registration fees (e.g., tuition and
fees, summer camps, etc.); payment to a student-athlete for use of
his or her complimentary admissions; or receipt of payment for
complimentary admissions sold to a third party when designated as
the recipient of a complementary admission by a student-athlete;
use of or pay for long distance telephone calls, or the purchase of
athletic apparel or awards for a student-athlete.
Is it permissible for anyone to use the name or picture of an
enrolled student-athlete to directly advertise, recommend or
promote the sales or use of a commercial product or service of any
kind?
No.
Is it permissible for a student-athlete to receive any expenses
for speaking to a booster club or civic organization?
A student-athlete may only accept transportation and meal expenses
in conjunction with participation in a luncheon meeting of a
booster club or civic organization, provided the meeting occurs
within a 30-mile radius of the institution's main campus and no
tangible award is provided to the student-athlete. If the luncheon
is outside the 30-mile radius, the student-athlete is not permitted
to accept any transportation of meal expenses.
Is it permissible for an athletic representative to provide an
honorarium to a student-athlete who has been approved for a
speaking engagement?
No. Student-athletes may only receive necessary travel expenses, as
stated above, and may not receive an honorarium. All speaking
engagements must be approved in advance by the Athletic
Department.
Is it permissible for student-athletes to be involved in any
type of promotional activities?
It is permissible for student-athletes to be involved in
promotional activities for institutional, charitable, educational,
or nonprofit agencies provided the Northern Arizona University's
Athletic Director approves the activity.
Is it permissible for an athletic representative to employ a
student-athlete during the academic year while he or she is
enrolled as a full-time student?
Yes, but student-athletes must register their part time job with
the compliance office to ensure all income is correctly tracked in
accordance with NCAA legislation. If you do employ a NAU
student-athlete, you will be contacted by the NAU compliance office
to ensure the student-athlete's eligibility is not in jeopardy.
