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Friends of University Athletics Department
The Brown Athletics Department is proud of your support of the Bears, but we caution you that inadvertent actions by our fans may jeopardize the department, current student-athletes or potential student-athletes.
Contained within these pages are links to our guides for parents, boosters, friends and fans as well as other important information regarding how the NCAA expects our supporters to interact with our athletes.
THE
RULES
As part of the team, you must know the rules of the game. Carrying on the Ivy tradition of excellence is hard work, and competition among the best institutions is intense. Searching for a competitive edge is part of the challenge, and meeting that challenge means playing by the rules. We know that you want to help Brown athletics and be part of a winning team; following these rules will help us achieve our goals.
Who is governed by the
rules?
Members of an institution's staff, student-athletes, and other
individuals and groups representing the institution's athletic
interests shall comply with the Association rules, and the member
institution shall be responsible for such compliance.
Interpretation: This means that
Brown is responsible for making sure that anyone involved with its
athletics program knows the rules that apply to them. Our school
will be held accountable for any rule broken by anyone representing
us.
Do NCAA rules apply to me?
You are considered a representation of Brown's athletic
interests just by being an alumnus, friend or donor.
Interpretation: This means that any contact you have with
current or prospective student-athletes at Brown can affect the
eligibility of your institution's individual student-athletes and
teams tom compete in NCAA and Ivy League competition.
PROSPECTS
All recruiting of prospective
student-athletes must be done by institutional staff members.
Who is a "Prospect"?
A "prospect" is any student who has started classes for
the ninth (9th) grade (except in men's basketball, where seventh
(7th) graders are considered prospects.
Interpretation: This means that recruiting any student who has
started classes for the ninth (or seventh) grade is subject to NCAA
rules.
Contacting Prospects
Representatives of an institution's athletic interests
are prohibited from having any contact with prospective
student-athletes.
Interpretation: You may not have contact with a prospect or
his or her parents, on or off campus, in person, by telephone or in
writing.
One Limited Exception: Student-athletes
do not have to be treated differently than other applicants in the
admissions process. If you are a member of a Brown Alumni Schools
Committees (BASC) and are assigned to interview students who are
also athletes, you may contact the student for these purposes, but
for these purposes only! BASC members may not have contact with
prospects whom they are not assigned to interview.
Another Limited Exception: If a family
friend or neighbor is a "prospect" then you may continue to
maintain this relationship. However, you may never have a
recruiting conversation.
A Final Exception: If you are a relative
of an enrolled student-athlete, you may have contact with a
prospect and his/her relatives while on campus at Brown.
EXTRA BENEFITS
NCAA rules prohibit prospective and
enrolled student-athletes from receiving extra benefits.
What is an Extra Benefit?
An extra benefit includes the provision of any
transportation, meals, housing, clothes, service, entertainment, or
other benefit not available to all students who are not
athletes.
Interpretation: This means that under no circumstances, may
you provide an individual prospect or enrolled student-athlete with
any of these benefits. You may never take an individual or small
group of athletes or prospects to a restaurant for a meal. However,
teams that are visiting your area for competition may be provided
with meals while on a team trip.
One Limited Exception: You may invite
enrolled student-athletes for a meal at your home, but not at a
restaurant. This may be done only infrequently and on special
occasions. It is also permissible for your to provide
transportation to student-athletes to attend a meal at your home.
Make sure you have the Athletic Director's permission before
extending an invitation.
Prospects' trips to campus must be financed by the athletic
department under very specific guidelines, and invitations for such
trips may be made only by coaches. Contact the Athletic Director if
you would like to contribute to a fund which is used for this
purpose.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
...
Join a Friends Group/Sport
Association
These groups provide support for teams through funding
for special team trips, recruiting, and hosting receptions for
teams at home and away contests. This is the best way to help your
team of choice, and you'll be kept up to date on their progress
throughout the year.
Identify Outstanding Student-Athletes
If you know of outstanding student-athletes in your area,
send information such as newspaper clippings to the coaches at
Brown, or give the coaches a call, and let them take it from
there.
Reminder: You may not contact prospects directly, nor may you
contact high school coaches or guidance counselors to get
information on prospects. There is no rule against attending their
contests.
Offer Assistance to the Coaching Staff
You may provide lodging, meals and transportation to
coaches when they come to your community to contact and evaluate
prospects.
Provide Summer Jobs and Internships
If you know of positions in your business or community
which might be filled by a student-athlete, you are encouraged to
contact the Athletic Director for names of those who might be
qualified.
Reminder: The pay for these jobs must be at the going rate for
the employment locale and type of position.
Resources
