According to NCAA rules, neither an institution, its staff members nor its boosters may offer, provide, or arrange financial assistance or other such benefits for a prospective student-athlete, which under NCAA legislation includes any individual in high school, regardless of whether that person is being recruited by the University of Miami or even plays a sport.

While the University is permitted to provide certain benefits to prospective student-athletes, including tickets to University of Miami games, provided the tickets have been verified by the Compliance Office, institutional staff members and boosters are not permitted to provide any type of “pre-college expenses” to anyone who is a prospective student-athlete. Therefore, it is impermissible for any institutional staff member to donate or give away their tickets to high school-age individuals.

Additionally, donating tickets or other items to be auctioned off for a high school is specifically prohibited, as the funds raised by these auctions go directly to prospective student-athletes, even if they are not earmarked for specific individuals.

It is of utmost importance that UM boosters and employees refrain from providing any benefits to our student-athletes and prospective student-athletes unless and until they have contacted the compliance office for guidance on what benefits are permissible.

As always, your efforts to help the University of Miami maintain a culture of compliance are greatly appreciated. For more compliance information, follow the UM athletics department on Twitter (@UCompliance), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/UCompliance), or contact them via email, [email protected].

All individuals who perform work for the University of Miami, whether they are full-time or part- time employees, or volunteers, are considered institutional staff members. As institutional staff members, we are obligated to comply with NCAA and institutional policies regarding collegiate athletics and student-athletes.

With this shared representation comes a shared responsibility that we all owe to the University of Miami, and thus to each other, too. This shared duty includes a responsibility to act ethically and to hold ourselves and our colleagues accountable for the high standards associated with honesty and sportsmanship.

As a University of Miami employee, coach, student-athlete, or student, we all share the responsibility of reporting unethical conduct to ensure our NCAA eligibility as a Division I member-institution. To truly be accountable for such a responsibility, we must show selflessness and maturity. This is an issue of protecting the reputation of the University, and most importantly protecting your reputation.

As always, your efforts to help the University of Miami maintain a culture of compliance are greatly appreciated. For more compliance information, follow the UM Athletics Department on Twitter (@UCompliance), like them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UCompliance), or contact them via email, [email protected].

Throughout the academic year, many University of Miami student-athletes work in various internships and different types of employment opportunities. While it is permissible for representatives of athletics interests (boosters) to employ UM student-athletes, there are a few NCAA regulations that boosters, including faculty and staff, must abide by to protect the eligibility of the University’s student-athletes.

Student-athletes must be paid only the going rate in the field and locale of their employment. This means, for example, if the going rate for employment in a given field in Miami is $20 an hour, it would be impermissible to pay a student-athlete $50 an hour for the same work.

Additionally, student-athletes may be paid only for work actually performed. There have been many NCAA violations concerning student-athletes who received money without actually performing the work they were paid to do. To ensure work is actually completed before payment, student-athletes should not be paid in advance. Student-athletes who receive payment without performing work would jeopardize their eligibility and put UM in the position of having to seek their reinstatement, or possibly face other penalties.

Student-athletes may, however, receive the same employment benefits available to other employees performing the same type of work at a given job. For example, if all employees at a given company receive a company T-shirt and business cards, it would be permissible for a student-athlete to receive the same.

The UM Athletics Department asks all University staff, alumni, boosters, and supporters who may employ a student-athlete to complete an employer verification form (available on the compliance website) and to contact the compliance office with any questions concerning student-athlete employment. As always, your efforts to help the University of Miami maintain a culture of compliance are greatly appreciated.

For more compliance information, follow the UM Athletics Department on Twitter (@UCompliance), like them on Facebook, or contact them via email, [email protected].

Special to UM News

There have been numerous national media reports about sports agents having impermissible encounters with collegiate student-athletes. The actions of an agent are governed by the professional players’ associations (NFLPA, MLBPA, etc.) so NCAA rules primarily outline what kind of relationship a student-athlete may have with an agent, which in a word is none. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions to help faculty and staff gain a basic understanding of NCAA rules governing agent contact.

Q: Would prospective or enrolled student-athletes jeopardize their amateur status and become ineligible for intercollegiate athletics if they retain an agent?
A: YES. The basic rule is that student-athletes are ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if they have ever agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing their athletic ability or reputation in that sport.

Q: How would the NCAA find out if a student-athlete did sign with an agent?
A: Information comes to the NCAA from a variety of sources. For example, it may come from the student-athlete or the institution, the student-athlete’s ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, a disgruntled teammate, or a competing agent or runner. If the NCAA receives credible information that suggests a violation may have occurred, it will follow up.

Q: What benefits can agents provide to enrolled or prospective student-athletes without jeopardizing their amateur status?
A: NONE. Any benefits (i.e., cash or other gifts or services) that agents or their firm or agency provide to student-athletes would constitute compensation for their athletic talent and abilities, regardless of the value of the benefit or whether the benefit is used.

Q: Can an agent send a gift to a student-athlete’s mother or girlfriend?
A: NO. A student-athlete’s friends or relatives cannot receive any benefit that would be an impermissible benefit if received by the student-athlete, without jeopardizing the student-athlete’s amateur status.

Staff members of the UM Athletics Department should also be aware of the following NCAA guidelines:

• No athletics department staff member of an NCAA member institution may serve as an agent, or represent, directly or indirectly, any individual in the marketing of athletic ability or reputation to a professional sports team or a professional sports organization, unless that staff member is acting in his or her capacity as a member of the institution’s professional sports counseling panel.
• An athletics department staff member may not receive benefits for facilitating or arranging a meeting between a student-athlete and an agent, financial advisor, or a representative of an agent or advisor.

Maintaining compliance is essential to the success of the University’s athletics programs and the UM Athletics Department asks for your help in making sure the U is operating within the rules. As always, your efforts to help the University maintain a culture of compliance are greatly appreciated. For more compliance information, follow the UM Athletics Department on Twitter (@UCompliance), like them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UCompliance), or contact them via email, [email protected].

The Internet has provided the opportunity for ’Canes fans and supporters from all over the world to communicate with each other in ways not possible before. The UM athletic program has passionate fans who follow the recruitment and progress of our prospective student-athletes. The following regulations regarding the interaction with prospective student-athletes are very important for all ’Canes to know:

Message Boards: University of Miami fans participating on a message board are not permitted to write, call, instant-message, text, chat with, or email a prospect. Further, as soon as someone on a message board emails or sends a message out to a recruit, they automatically become a booster and are subject to the NCAA rules prohibiting such contact.

Social Networking: Boosters are not permitted to use social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to contact or otherwise attempt to correspond with prospects. This includes, but is not limited to, posting on a wall, using the inbox/email feature, instant messaging, “@replies,” “mentions,” or direct messaging.

As electronic communication technology continues to advance, the opportunity for the supporters of an athletics program to have impermissible contact with a prospect or the prospect’s family is greatly increased; however, the institution’s responsibility for that contact remains the same.

UM Athletics asks that all ’Canes fans and supporters assist us in following the guidelines listed above. As always, your efforts to help the University of Miami maintain a culture of compliance are greatly appreciated.

For more compliance information, follow the UM Athletics Department on Twitter (@UCompliance), like them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UCompliance), or contact them via email, [email protected].