Oakland University Athletics

The purpose of this section is to provide coaches and Athletic Department staff a centralized resource for explaining and understanding NCAA Bylaws. Please look at the materials in this section to learn more about the issues that affect all Athletic Department staff at Oakland University. Please contact the Athletic Compliance Office if you have any questions regarding any of the information contained in this section.

RECRUITING CALENDARS
RECRUITING SOFTWARE

Recruiting Calendars:
Contact Period -- A period when it is permissible for authorized Athletic Department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations with prospective student-athletes.

Men's Basketball Recruiting Period (13.02.5.3) -- In men's basketball, a recruiting period is a period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations. 

Evaluation Period -- A period when it is permissible for authorized Athletic Department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with any prospective student-athletes during an evaluation period.

Quiet Period -- A period when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on an institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during a quiet period.

Dead Period -- A period when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off-campus or permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to an institution's campus. During a dead period, coaches may still place telephone calls to prospective student-athletes who are permitted to receive telephone calls. Coaches can write to PSAs as well.

13.02.5.5.1 Exception -- Women's Volleyball. In women's volleyball, an institutional coaching staff member may have incidental contact with a two-year college prospective student-athlete who is attending and being honored at the annual American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) awards banquet, provided no recruiting conversation occurs. [D] (Adopted: 10/30/03, Revised: 10/30/14)

13.02.5.5.2 Exception -- After Commitment. Except for the application of Bylaw 13.02.5.5.2.1, a prospective student-athlete is no longer subject to the application of a dead period after one of the following events occurs: 
(a) The prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent (NLI) or the institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid; or
(b) The institution receives a financial deposit in response to the institution's offer of admission.

Recruiting Shutdown (13.02.5.6) -- A recruiting shutdown is a period of time when no form of recruiting (e.g., contacts, evaluations, official or unofficial visits, correspondence or making or receiving telephone calls) is permissible.

Publicity and Recruiting
Prospect's Visit to Campus
Oakland University MAY NOT publicize a prospect's visit to campus. An NCAA interpretation expressly prohibits prospects from participating in team activities in public settings, such as film
review.

Publicity of Prospects Prior to Signing a NLI
A coach, staff member, or student-athlete:

• MAY comment publicly only to the extent of confirming recruitment of a prospect.
• MAY like, favorite, or re-tweet any social media post provided it is not generated by or references a recruiting or scouting service. Remember, CLICK, DON’T TYPE!
• MAY NOT comment generally about the prospect's ability or the contribution that the prospect might make to any of our athletic teams.
• MAY NOT comment as to the likelihood of the prospect's signing an NLI with us, or the prospect's intent to enroll at Oakland University.

Social Media and Recruiting
The NCAA restriction making it impermissible for a coach to publicize a prospective student-athlete’s recruitment also applies to a coach's use of social media. While it is permissible for a coach to post (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) about generic information and locations visited, it is impermissible for a coach to post the name, nickname, or other specific information about a prospective student-athlete. This includes rhymes, “sounds like,” hometowns, and/or any other identifiable information of a prospective student-athlete.

Coaches may correspond with prospective student-athletes via social media websites (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) so long as they are of age to receive permissible e-mail correspondence. All communication must be private and viewable by only the sender and recipient.

National Letter of Intent
Basics
The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution. With the agreement, a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters) and the institution agrees to provide athletically-related financial aid for at least one academic year (two semesters). If a student-athlete does not fulfill the NLI agreement, he or she must serve one year in residence (full-time, two semesters) at the next NLI member institution and lose one season of competition in all sports. For more information regarding NLIs, visit the NCAA website.

Signing Dates for prospective student-athletes:
Signing dates are posted for the current and immediately following academic years. You can find those signing dates HERE.

Prospects Who May Sign a NLI:
In order to sign an NLI, a high school or preparatory school prospective student-athlete must first register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, pay the fee, and complete the amateurism certification questionnaire.

The following prospective student-athletes may sign an NLI:

• Prospective student-athletes who will be attending a four-year institution for the first time as full-time students.
• 4-2-4 transfer student-athlete who is graduating from a two-year college.
• For more information on the NLI Guidelines and Interpretations, click here

4-2-4 transfers are permitted to sign an NLI. If a 4-2-4 transfer has a previously signed NLI for the initial four-year institution, he or she must graduate from the two-year college to satisfy the NLI if the NLI is still binding.

• 4-2-4 transfers who do not have a previously signed NLI or who have satisfied the NLI at the initial four-year institution, do not have to graduate for NLI purposes but may need to the graduate to meet applicable NCAA transfer rule.

Four-year college transfers are not permitted to sign an NLI; therefore, are not bound by NLI signing dates to sign an athletics aid agreement.

Financial Aid Requirement
An NLI must be accompanied by a financial aid agreement from the institution.

Dead Period Restrictions
The NLI initial signing date is surrounded by a dead period that starts at 12:01 AM on Monday prior to the initial date of signing and ends Thursday at midnight after the initial date of signing. Authorized Athletic Department staff may make unlimited telephone calls to prospects on the initial NLI signing date and the two days following the initial signing date.

Recruiting Ban After Signing
Once a prospective student-athlete signs a valid NLI, other institutions may not call, write, or have contact with the prospective student-athlete or their parents.

Official and Unofficial Visits

Official Visits

Number Permitted
Men’s Basketball: A prospective student-athlete may take a maximum of five expense-paid visits to Division I institutions from August 1 through July 31 of his junior year of high school, five additional visits from August 1 of his senior year of high school through October 14 following his completion of high school and five visits beginning October 15 following his completion of high school, including visits related to a possible transfer. 

Sports Other Than Men’s Basketball: A prospective student-athlete may take a maximum of five official (expense-paid) visits, with no more than one permitted to any single institution. A PSA can take five additional visits after October 15 following high school graduation, including visits related to a possible transfer.

First Opportunity to Visit

Men’s Basketball: A prospective student-athlete may take an official visit beginning August 1st of their Junior year in high school.

Women’s Basketball: A prospective student-athlete may take an official visit beginning the Thursday following the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship game of the prospect's Junior year in high school.
13.6.2.1.4.1 July Evaluation Periods -- In women's basketball, an institution may not provide an expense-paid visit to a prospective student-athlete during the July evaluation periods (see Bylaw 13.1.5.5.2), unless the prospective student-athlete has signed a National Letter of Intent or the institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid or the institution has received her financial deposit in response to its offer of admission. 

Sports Other Than sports other than basketball, football, lacrosse, and softball: A prospective student-athlete may not come on an official visit prior to August 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s Junior year in high school.

Baseball, Lacrosse, Softball: a PSA may not be provided an expense-paid visit earlier that September 1 of his or her Junior year of high school.

Requirements PRIOR to Visit

• Prospective student-athlete must provide a high school (or college) academic transcript and an ACT or SAT test score. If no test score is available, registration for a future exam is also acceptable.
• Prospective student-athlete must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and be placed on Oakland University’s institutional request list (IRL).

Length of Official Visit
An official visit may not exceed 48 hours.

Expenses Oakland University May Pay For
Travel expenses -- Airfare or mileage for the prospective student-athlete, provided he or she returns to the original point of departure, their home, educational institution, or competition site. Expenses may not exceed round trip transportation to/from the original point of departure. In sports other than basketball, only a prospective student-athlete's travel expenses may be paid. A prospect's friends or relatives may receive cost-free transportation to visit the campus only when traveling by automobile with either the prospect or a member of the coaching staff. An institution may only pay a prospect's actual costs for reasonable expenses (e.g., meals, lodging) incurred while traveling to and from campus for an official visit and may not pay any expenses for any of the prospect's friends or relatives. An institution may pay a prospect’s and their accompanying family members’ actual cost for meals and lodging incurred while traveling to and from campus for a prospect's official visit. In basketball, an institution may pay travel expenses for both a prospect and the prospect's parents or legal guardians (up to two people).

Lodging -- During the 48-hour visit period, lodging may be provided to the prospective student-athlete and up to four family members. In select instances, lodging may also be paid by the institution in the locale of campus prior to the visit for the prospect only.

Location Restriction -- Should include the 30-mile locale

Meals -- The prospect and up to four family members may be provided with three meals per day and an additional snack during the 48 hours of the visit. The prospect and his/her family must pay the cost of meals for additional persons not included in the four family members (e.g., friend).

Complimentary Admissions -- A prospect may be provided up to five complimentary admissions to a home athletics event on an official visit. Admissions must be administered through a pass list. A prospect may be provided two additional complimentary admissions.

Unofficial Visits

Men’s Basketball: A prospective student-athlete may visit an institution's campus at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. Unofficial visits may begin August 1 of their sophomore year of high school. 13.7.2.1 (PSA’s cannot take unofficial visits during the month of July unless he has signed).

Women's Basketball - Unofficial visits may occur at any time while taking into consideration recruiting calendar restrictions.
13.7.2.2 Exception - In women's basketball, a prospective student-athlete may not make an unofficial visit during the July evaluation periods (see Bylaw 13.1.5.5.2) unless she has signed a National Letter of Intent or the institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid, or the institution has received a financial deposit from the prospective student-athlete in response to an offer of admission. 

Sports Other Than Baseball, Basketball, Football, Men’s Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, and Softball: A prospective student-athlete may visit an institution's campus at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. Unofficial Visits may begin August 1 of their Junior year of high school for sports other than baseball, basketball, football, men’s ice hockey, lacrosse, and softball.

Baseball, Lacrosse, Softball -  Need to add that an unofficial visit for these student-athletes cannot take place before September 1 of their Junior years of high school.

Location Restriction -- While in the presence of coaches, prospects must remain on- campus or within a 1 mile radius of campus during an Unofficial Visit. A prospect may interact off-campus with currently enrolled student-athletes as long as the off-campus interaction is not at the direction of the coaching staff.

Meals -- A prospect must pay the actual cost for any meals he or she eats on an unofficial visit.

Complimentary Admissions -- A prospect may be provided up to three complimentary admissions to a home athletics event on an unofficial visit. Admissions must be administered through a pass list. A prospect may be provided two additional complimentary admissions should they come from a non-traditional family (divorce, separation). An institution may not reserve additional tickets to be purchased by the prospect or those accompanying the prospect on an unofficial visit.

Activities During Visits

• During both official and unofficial visits, prospects should be introduced to typical campus life and should not include any type of excessive entertainment (helicopter, limo).

During a campus visit, the following activities are impermissible:

• Personalized recruiting aids or gameday simulations.
• Any arranged activity revealing, demonstrating, or displaying a prospect's athletics ability in any sport (tryout or practice session).
• Receipt of free or reduced price gear (hats, sunglasses, t-shirts, polos, etc.).
• Access to automobile use.

During both official and unofficial visits it is permissible to conduct a medical examination through Oakland University’s regular team or other designated physician to determine a prospect's medical qualifications to participate in intercollegiate athletics. During the examination, no athletics department staff member other than the athletic trainer may be present. The examination cannot include any test or procedure designed to measure the athletics ability or skill of the prospect.

• 13.11.2.6.1.2  for basketball, it is permissible for athletics department staff members, including coaches, to be present during a medical examination of a PSA as part of an on-campus evaluation. These tests can include procedures designed to measure athletics agility or skill of the PSA.

Recruiting Materials
The following recruiting materials may be provided to a prospect (or his or her parents or legal guardians) at any time:

• Camp or Clinic Brochures
• Questionnaires
• NCAA Educational Material Published by the NCAA (e.g., NCAA Guide for College-Bound Student-Athletes)
• Non-athletics Institutional Publications (e.g., official academic and admissions publications)

General Correspondence
General correspondence may not be provided to a prospect until September 1 of a prospect's junior year in high school (or for men's basketball on June 15 after a prospect's sophomore year in high school).
For all other sports other than men’s ice hockey (1/1), general correspondence cannot take place until June 15 after sophomore year.
For baseball, women’s basketball, football, lacrosse, and softball, general correspondence cannot take place with a PSA or their family and friends until September 1 at the beginning of their Junior year.

Contacts and Evaluations
Contacts
A contact is a face-to-face encounter between a prospective student-athlete or their parents, relatives, or legal guardians and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange or greeting.

Any face-to-face encounter that is prearranged is considered contact. For example, a staff member positioning themselves at the site of a prospect's competition and then having a face-to-face encounter is considered a contact.

In sports other than basketball, coaches may not make off-campus contact with a prospect until August 1 at the beginning of Junior year of high school. 
In men's basketball, coaches may make off-campus contact with a prospect after the prospect's opening day of his Junior year of high school.
In women's basketball, coaches may make off-campus contact with a prospect beginning March 1 of her Junior year of high school.
First off-campus recruiting contact for baseball PSAs cannot be made before July 1 following the completion of his Junior year in high school.
Off-campus recruiting contact for softball PSAs cannot be made before September 1 of her Junior year in high school.


Evaluations
An evaluation is defined to include multiple different scenarios, including:

• Watching a prospect practice, compete or lift weights at any site
• Meeting with a prospect's high school counselor to review transcripts
• Talking to a prospect's high school/junior college coach or instructors at the prospect's education institution.

Many sports are limited in the number of evaluation or recruiting person days they may use per year, all subject to the recruiting calendar restrictions.

Evaluations that occur during the academic year count against the permissible number of recruiting opportunities. Outside the academic year, evaluations do not count against the annual number of recruiting opportunities. Contacts with a prospect count against the permissible number of total recruiting opportunities regardless of whether they take place during or outside the academic year. All contacts and evaluations are subject to recruiting calendar restrictions.

Countable Athletically-Related Activities
A student-athlete's participation in countable athletically related activities (CARA) shall be limited to the following:
 

During the Playing Season	Outside the Playing Season
Daily Limit: 4 Hours	Daily Limit: 4 Hours
Weekly Limit: 20 Hours	Weekly Limit: 8 Hours
At least one (1) day off per week	At least two (2) days off per week

Coaches are required to log their team's weekly playing/practice hours through ARMS
 

Countable Athletically Related Activities	Noncountable Athletically Related Activities
Practices	Compliance meetings
Athletics meetings with a coach initiated or required by a coach	Meetings with a coach initiated by the student-athlete
Competition	Drug/alcohol educational meetings, or Life Skills meetings
Field, floor, or on-court activity	Study hall, tutoring or academic meetings
Required weight-training and conditioning activities	Voluntary weight training not conducted by a coach or staff member
Required participation in camps/clinics	Traveling to and from the site of competition
Participation outside the regular season in individual skill-related instructional activities with a member of the coaching staff	Recruiting activities (e.g., student host)
Discussion or review of game films	Meals
	Community service, promotional or public relations activities including media activities
	Physical rehabilitation

Definition of a Week -- Any seven (7) consecutive days to be determined by the individual sport's discretion. Once the "week" is defined, it shall not change for the duration of the season.

Competition Day -- All competition and any associated athletically related activities on the day of competition shall count as three (3) hours regardless of the actual duration of these activities. Countable athletically related activities may not be conducted at any time (including vacation periods) following competition, except between contests, rounds or events (e.g., double-headers
in baseball).

In-Season -- The time between the team's first officially recognized practice session and the last practice session or competition. Seasons can be separated into 2 distinct segments: championship and non-championship.

Out-of-Season -- Outside the playing season, from the institution's first day of classes of the academic year or September 15, whichever occurs earlier, to one week prior to the beginning of the institution's final examination period at the conclusion of the academic year, only a student-athlete's participation in required weight training, conditioning and skill-related instruction shall be permitted. A student-athlete's participation in such activities per Bylaw 17.02.1 shall be limited to a maximum of eight hours per week with not more than four hours per week spent on skill-related workouts. All countable athletically related activities outside the playing season are prohibited one week prior to the beginning of the institution's final examination period for the applicable academic term through the conclusion of the institution's academic term.

Vacation Periods and Between Terms -- Hour limitations do not apply during official institutional break periods when classes are not in session (i.e., fall, winter, spring break). This includes hour limitations during preseason practice prior to the first day of classes.

Travel Day -- A travel day related to athletics participation may be considered a day off, provided no countable activities occurred.

Final Exam Period -- When in-season, limitations do apply during final-examination periods and preparatory days leading up to final exams. When out-of season, all athletically related activities are prohibited one (1) week prior to the beginning of final exams through the conclusion of each student-athlete's exam.

Safety Exception -- A coach may be present during voluntary activities (noncountable) in a practice facility when students are using equipment in the sports of swimming/diving and track (field events only jumping hurdles or the jumping element of the steeplechase).

Voluntary Activity -- All of the following conditions must be met:

• Student-athletes are not required to report back to a coach any information related to the activity. Staff members observing activities may not report back to a coach any information related to the activity.
• Activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete.
• Attendance and participation in the activity (or lack thereof) may not be recorded for the purpose of reporting to coaching staff or other student-athletes.
• Student-athletes may not be subjected to penalties should they not participate and no recognition or incentive may be awarded based on attendance or performance.

AWARDS AND BENEFITS
Occasional Meals
NCAA regulations permit a coach or staff member to provide a student-athlete or an entire team with an occasional meal (and transportation to attend the meal) at any location in the Rochester Hills area (e.g., home, campus, restaurant).

A booster (or representative of athletics interests) may also provide a meal on infrequent and special occasions, but these meals must take place at the individual's home, on campus, or at a facility that is regularly used for home competition. Boosters may provide transportation to the meal only if it takes place at their home.

Awards Limitations
Student-athletes may not sell, trade, or upgrade any item they receive due to their participation in athletics.

Who May Receive Awards -- All members of a team may receive participation awards and special attainment awards (i.e., scholar-athlete, team leader award). However, only student- athletes who were eligible to compete in conference, NCAA or other post-season tournaments or events may receive awards in conjunction with those events.

Awards for Participation in Special Events -- NCAA rules permit the management of an established meet or tournament and/or the institution to provide an award or combination of awards that do not exceed $375 in value.

Value of Awards -- Only retail value may be used in calculating the value of an award provided to a student-athlete, even if the awards were received free of charge or at a reduced price. However, if a vendor offers a volume discount that is offered to all purchasers of similar volume, the value of the award may be based on the discounted price.

Student-Athlete Contributing to Award Purchase -- It is impermissible for student-athletes to contribute money, even voluntarily, to cover the cost of an award.

Combining Awards -- All awards must be treated independently. Thus, it would not be permissible to combine the value of a $325 participation award with a $175 MVP award to purchase a $500 award for a student-athlete.

Uniformity of Awards -- NCAA rules require that all awards provided to members of a team be uniform. One exception to this rule allows more than one type of award to be provided to groups of student-athletes within a team (i.e., all seniors get rings, all underclassmen get watches).

Game balls -- It is permissible to provide a game ball or other memento of nominal value (e.g., t-shirt, hat, etc.) to a student-athlete in recognition of an accomplishment in a particular contest or event as a benefit incidental to participation.

OTHER IMPORTANT RULES
Summer Activities
Summer Workouts -- Coaching staff members may not organize, observe or participate in a team's workout during the summer except as noted below for the safety exception and individual sports, as well as required summer athletic activities in basketball. Student-athletes may not be required to submit summer work-out logs and progress reports. In addition, a student-athlete may not be subjected to penalty if he or she elects not to participate in a summer activity.

Strength and Conditioning Coaches -- Student-athletes may participate in voluntary conditioning activities in the presence of a strength coach, who may monitor, conduct, supervise or assist student-athletes in these activities.

Sport Specific Staff Members -- Staff members with sport specific responsibilities (operations directors, etc.) may not observe or direct student-athletes participating in voluntary activities
during the vacation period.

Permissible Summer Conditioning Activities -- Summer conditioning drills may simulate game activities provided no offensive or defensive alignments are set up and no equipment related to the sport is used.

Student-Athlete Facility Use -- Student-athletes may use institutional facilities during the summer vacation period on a complimentary basis for voluntary activities.

Prospective Student-Athletes -- Incoming student-athletes who have signed an NLI or scholarship agreement, or are enrolled in summer school may participate voluntary weight lifting and conditioning workouts conducted by a strength and conditioning coach.

Team vs. Individual Sports -- In individual sports, a coach may participate in individual workout sessions with a student-athlete during the summer, provided the request for the assistance is initiated by the student-athlete. Team sport participants are not permitted to be involved in any countable athletically related activities during the summer.

Safety Exception -- In the sports of swimming/diving and track (field events only), a coach may be present during voluntary individual workout sessions in an institution’s regular practice facilities when the student-athlete uses equipment associated with their sport. While the coach may provide safety instruction and skill instruction, the coach may not conduct the individual's workouts.

Outside Competition
Student-athletes must receive approval from the Athletic Compliance Office prior to participating in competition as a member of an outside sports team or as an individual. Pending compliance approval, student-athletes in all sports may compete in non-collegiate amateur competition during select time periods (e.g., summer break, official vacation periods when team is out-of-season). It is unlimited for Olympic/national team competitions for basketball.

The number of student-athletes on any one outside team shall not exceed the following limitations:
Baseball – 4
Soccer – 5
Track and Field – Unlimited
Basketball – 2
Softball – 4
Volleyball – 2
Golf – Unlimited
Swimming – Unlimited
Cross Country – Unlimited
Tennis – Unlimited

Gambling
NCAA rules prohibit all student-athletes, coaches, and staff from wagering on any intercollegiate and professional sport, at any level, that is sponsored by the NCAA. This ban also applies to pools or fantasy leagues in which an entry fee is required and there is an opportunity to win a prize or money.

The NCAA strictly prohibits student-athletes, coaches and staff from engaging in the following activities:

• Soliciting a bet on any intercollegiate or professional team.
• Accepting a bet on any team representing the institution.
• Soliciting or accepting a bet on any intercollegiate or professional competition for any item (e.g., cash, shirt, dinner) that has tangible value.
• Participating in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate athletics or professional athletics, through a bookmaker, a parlay card or any other method employed by organized gambling, including pools, auctions and fantasy leagues.
• Knowingly providing information to individuals involved in any type of organized gambling activities concerning intercollegiate athletics competition.