Prospective Student-Athletes NCAA Compliance

Compliance Information for Prospective Student-Athletes
Thank you for your interest in Lycoming College Athletics. Together we can make your College recruiting process an informative and successful one. Please know that most of the College recruiting process is regulated by the NCAA. In order to compete as a student-athlete at Lycoming (or any other College) you must do your part to stay within the NCAA guidelines. Below are some frequently asked questions by prospective student-athletes (prospects):
 
What is an official visit?
An official visit to a member institution by a prospective student-athlete (prospect) is a visit financed in whole or in part by the member institution or by a representative of the institution’s athletic interests. A member institution may finance only one visit to its campus for each prospect. A prospect may not be provided an official visit earlier than the opening day of classes of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year in high school.
 
What is an unofficial visit?
An unofficial visit to a member institution by a prospect is a visit made at the prospect’s own expense. A prospect may visit a member institution’s campus at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. A prospect may make unofficial visits before his or her senior year in high school.
 
What is the “48 hour rule”?
An official visit to Lycoming College or any other NCAA-member institution may NOT exceed 48 hours. This 48-hour clock begins when you arrive on campus. At the completion of the 48-hour visit, a prospect must depart Lycoming College (or any other institution’s campus) immediately; otherwise, the institution is not allowed to pay any expenses incurred by the prospect upon departure from the campus, including the cost of the prospect’s transportation home. Please think of this when planning your visit.
 
What is the Lycoming coach and College allowed to do for me on an official visit?
On an official visit, a prospect may be provided on-campus lodging and meals as regular students normally do.

What is the Lycoming coach and College allowed to do for me on an unofficial visit? On an unofficial visit, an institution may provide a prospect with one meal in the institution’s on-campus dining facility. An institution may provide a meal in an off-campus dining facility when all on-campus dining facilities are closed, provided the institution can certify that it is the institution’s normal policy to provide such a meal under similar circumstances to all prospective students (including non-athletes) visiting the campus.

For an unofficial visit, all housing must be worked out through the admissions office, not the coaching staff.

I am not yet a senior. What kind of contact can I have with the coach? What should I send to the coach?
You may make your own unofficial visit to campus. Before your senior year you may:
1) Meet with the coach on campus
2) Meet with admissions
3) Do research on the web (www.lycoming.edu)
4) Fill out and return the questionnaire for your sport
5) Contact the coach and ask any questions you might have

In Division III, coaches can call, write or email you before your senior year. However, face-to-face, off-campus contact with a coach cannot occur until prospect has completed his/her sophomore year of high school. 

During the recruiting process, Division III coaches are allowed to make unlimited calls and emails to you. The use of social media is not allowed.

If you have questions about Lycoming College and our programs, please ask.
 
What do you need to do if you are coming to campus (admissions and athletics)?
As early as possible, please let the Office of Admissions) and the coach know of your visit. If you plan to stay overnight, the earlier you can make arrangements, the better. The coach and admissions can help you plan your visit. Coaches and admissions cannot host everyone. Please confirm your dates with the coach before you make plane reservations. You do not want to have reservations to visit campus when the team is away from campus. If this is an official visit, you also need to take into account the 48-hour rule.
 
What should my parents know about the recruiting process?
Parents are active participants in the College search and recruiting process. Parents should be involved, but you, the prospective student-athlete, should be the primary contact for the coaches and admissions.
 
What is the NCAA rule regarding texting, twittering, social network sites and chat rooms?
You can receive text messages and direct messages via Twitter and Facebook from Division III coaches. However, you cannot ‘be friended’ or “followed” on social networking sites by coaches. Electronic interactions with prospects regarding athletics are also permitted through e-mail and fax.
 
When a coach visits a prospective student-athlete during a competition, what is he or she allowed to do during that visit?
First, a College coach is only allowed to speak off-campus to those prospective student-athletes who have completed his/her junior year. Second, a College coach may only meet with the prospect after the competition is over when the prospect is finished with the tournament, game or meet. Contact shall not be made with the prospect from the time the prospect reports on call (at the direction of the prospect’s coach or comparable authority) and becomes involved in competition-related activity (e.g., traveling to an away-from-home game) to the end of the competition even if such competition-related activities are initiated before the day or days of competition. Contact shall not be made after the competition until the prospect is released by the appropriate coach and departs the dressing and meeting facility. If the competition is over multiple days, contact shall not be made with the prospect until after the prospect’s final contest is completed and he or she is released by the appropriate institutional authority and leaves the dressing and meeting facility.

The NCAA does not allow Division III student-athletes to receive “extra benefits” because they happen to participate on an athletic team. What is a non-permissible “extra benefit”?
An extra benefit includes any special arrangement by a Lycoming College employee or booster to provide prospective student-athletes, their relatives or friends, a benefit not expressly authorized by the NCAA. Examples of impermissible extra benefits include, but are not limited to:

a) Gifts or loans of clothing, electronics, money, food, beverages, sports equipment, etc.
b) Transportation
c)  Use of an automobile
d) Low interest or interest-free loans, telephone cards, credit cards, charge accounts, etc.
e) Gifts of more than the allowable number of complimentary admissions
f)  Special discounts on products or services
g) Special payment arrangements on personal purchases
h) Material benefits that are not available to the general student body
 
What do I do if I want to play a sport but have not been contacted by the coach?
Go to our Lycoming College athletics website, click on your sport. From there, you should be able to fill out a questionnaire and email the coach to express your interest.
 
How do I try out for a team?
Every team and coach’s tryout procedures are different. Contact the coach of the sport you would like to try out for. The coach can tell you the requirements for team participation.
 
Do I need to go through the NCAA Clearinghouse to be recruited by Lycoming?
No, you do not have to go through the NCAA Clearinghouse to be recruited and/or participate at Lycoming College, or any other Division III school.
 
If I want to transfer to Lycoming, how do I do it?
If you are currently at a Division III institution, you can complete the NCAA self-release form, then e-mail or fax it to the compliance officer at Lycoming College (Joe Guistina – guistina@lycoming.edu, 570-321-4158). This form will allow contact between you and the Lycoming coach for up to 30 days. After this 30-day window closes, a second self-release must be filled out and sent to Lycoming. Once the initial self-release form has been received, Lycoming College is not allowed to contact your current institution. After the 30-day window, Lycoming may contact your current school if you decide to pursue a transfer. Lycoming may not contact the current school if a second release to contact is sent and must wait for the expiration of the self-release form. Though a coach is not allowed to contact your current coach during this 30 or 60-day window, you are highly encouraged to talk to your current coach about a possible transfer to Lycoming, or any school of your choice.

If you are currently attending a Division I or II institution, you must obtain a written release stating that your current school grants Lycoming College permission to contact you. Please contact the head coach of the sport that you are interested in joining and if the coach is interested, Lycoming will reach out directly to your current institution to request permission to speak with you about transferring. After the paperwork has been completed and permission is granted, our coach will begin the recruiting process. If permission is not granted, we will not have the ability to speak with you about transferring.

If I have other questions about the NCAA rules and recruiting process, whom can I contact?
The information contained in this list of frequently asked questions does not represent every possibility or situation. If you have any questions regarding prospects, student-athletes, or NCAA rules and regulations, please contact the Director of Athletics.