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Guide to NCAA Rules for Alumni, Faculty, and Friends
"Institutional control" of Athletics is a fundamental requirement of NCAA rules. The NCAA Constitution provides that each institution shall be responsible for ensuring that student-athletes, members of the institution's staff, and other individual or group that represent the institution's athletic interests comply with all applicable NCAA regulations.
Because of the complexity of NCAA rules, this page does not include all applicable situations and should not be relied upon exclusively. We need your help complying with these rules.
What is a "booster"?
A "booster" is known in NCAA terms as a representative of the institution's athletic interests. You become a booster if:
- You have ever been a member of any organization promoting OSU Athletics.
- You have ever made any type of donation to OSU Athletics or any other OSU booster organization.
- You have ever assisted in evaluating or recruiting prospective student-athletes.
- You have ever assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families.
- You have promoted OSU athletics in any other manner.
NCAA Bylaw 13.02.12.1 mandates that when you become a booster, you retain that identity for the rest of your life. As a representative of OSU's athletic interests, you are bound by NCAA rules. OSU is responsible for your actions.
Boosters can:
Provide an occasional meal to a student-athlete or an entire team. The meal must be provided at the booster's home and must be restricted to infrequent or special occasions. Only the booster who is hosting the meal may provide transportation to student-athletes. Please approve such a meal with the appropriate coach.
Provide employment to a student-athlete (not recruits) at a rate commensurate with the normal wage for such employment in the locality and for work actually performed. You cannot give the student-athlete employment without approval from OSU Athletics.
Provide housing to student-athletes at a rate commensurate for similar housing in the locality. Please do not ever provide housing to a student-athlete without approval from OSU Athletics.
Continue to maintain contact with student-athletes and their families with whom the booster has a tangible, verifiable pre-existing relationship. Inform OSU coaches of recruits by sending the coach newspaper clippings or other information regarding the recruit.
Boosters cannot:
Contact recruits, either in-person, by telephone, in writing or by any other methods.
Contact the recruit's coach, principal, or counselor in any manner. Please leave this to our coaches.
Provide any type of benefit (money, services, items) to recruits or student-athletes, unless such a benefit is readily available to the public in general and such a claim can be easily demonstrated.
Limited Exceptions for Faculty and Staff:
OSU faculty and staff members are permitted to have in-person contacts with recruits within a 30-mile radius of OSU.
OSU faculty and staff members, at the direction of a coach, may begin to write to recruits after September 1st at the start of the recruit's junior year of high school.
OSU faculty and staff members can provide recruits information that is available to the public in general.
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