University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Fans & Boosters
| APPEARANCE REQUESTS | EXTRA BENEFITS | OCCASIONAL MEALS | RECRUITING | STUDENT-ATHLETE EMPLOYMENT |
Louisiana's responsibilities related to NCAA and Sun Belt regulations extend beyond entities within the Athletics Department. In addition to its coaches, staff, and student-athletes, Louisiana is also responsible for the actions of its fans and boosters. Therefore, it is important that all of these individuals understand NCAA rules related to their actions. Under NCAA legislation, a Louisiana booster, also known as a "representative of athletics interest," includes anyone who has:
- Provided a donation in order to obtain season tickets for any sport at the university.
- Participated in or has been a member of an organization promoting the university’s athletics programs.
- Made financial contributions to the athletic department or to a university booster organization.
- Arranged for or provided employment for enrolled student-athletes.
- Assisted or has been requested by university staff to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.
- Assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student athletes or their families.
- Been involved otherwise in promoting university athletics.
| APPEARANCE REQUESTS |
All requests for UL student-athlete appearances must be made through the Compliance Office by emailing Tom Burke at tburke@louisiana.edu.
Per NCAA regulations, appearances may only be granted to educational, charitable and non-profit organizations, and the following conditions apply:
- The appearance may not involve co-sponsorship, advertisement or promotion by a commercial agency other than through the reproduction of the sponsoring company's officially registered regular trademark or logo on printed materials such as pictures, posters or calendars.
- Student-athletes may not miss class;
- All moneys derived from the appearance must go directly to the charitable, educational or non-profit agency;
- Student-athletes may only accept actual and necessary expenses related to their participation in the activity (and these expenses must be documented); and
- The student-athletes’ appearance is not used to promote the commercial ventures of any nonprofit agency.
| EXTRA BENEFITS |
As a fan/booster of Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics, it is essential that you are aware of NCAA “extra benefit” regulations, which – if violated – may jeopardize a student-athlete’s eligibility and subject our institution to NCAA penalties.
Student-athletes are prohibited from receiving “extra benefits” from individuals who have come to know them as a result of their achieved status, reputation or participation as an athlete. Specifically, a discounted or special purchase, rate, payment arrangement or credit should not be provided to a prospective or enrolled student-athlete (or their family members) unless it is unrelated to athletics (i.e., non-athletically-related group discount) and advertised to the general student body or public. If a student-athlete or his/her family accepts any benefits or special consideration/discount, he/she may be declared ineligible and suspended from competition.
| OCCASIONAL MEALS |
As a fan/booster of Ragin’ Cajun Athletics, you are permitted to provide a meal to a student-athlete or the entire team on an infrequent basis under the following conditions:
- The meal may only be provided in an individual’s home, on campus or at a facility that is regularly used for home competition and may be catered; and
- A representative of the institution’s athletics interests may provide reasonable local transportation to student-athletes to attend the meal function only if the meal function is at the home of that representative.
| RECRUITING |
As a fan/booster of Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics, you are prohibited from any involvement in recruiting prospective student-athletes. The only individuals who are permitted to be involved in the recruiting process are UL coaches and athletics department staff members. If a fan/booster is involved in the recruiting process, UL may be subject to NCAA penalties.
Fans and boosters MAY NOT make contact with UL prospects or their relatives, coaches, teachers or school administrators for the purpose of recruiting. Boosters may only speak with prospects (or their families) if it is unavoidable, incidental contact, and the discussion does not include anything related to UL Athletics.
Reminder: A prospect does not lose his/her prospect status until he/she signs a National Letter of Intent (or UL’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid) or UL receives his/her financial deposit in response to UL’s offer of admission, and he/she completes all high school graduation or transfer academic eligibility requirements.
NCAA Bylaw 13.1.2.4 Other Restrictions, Athletics Representatives. The following are restrictions that apply to athletics representatives (i.e., boosters):
(a) Telephone Conversation. An athletics representative of a member institution may speak to a prospective student-athlete via the telephone only if the prospective student-athlete initiates the telephone conversation and the call is not for recruiting purposes. Under such circumstances, the representative must refer questions about the institution's athletics program to the athletics department staff;
(b) Observing Prospective Student-Athlete's Contest. An athletics representative may view a prospective student-athlete's athletics contest on his or her own initiative, subject to the understanding that the athletics representative may not contact the prospective student-athlete on such occasions;
(c) Evaluation of Prospective Student-Athlete. An athletics representative may not contact a prospective student-athlete's coach, principal or counselor in an attempt to evaluate the prospective student-athlete; and
(d) Visiting Prospective Student-Athlete's Institution. An athletics representative may not visit a prospective student-athlete's educational institution to pick up film/videotape or transcripts pertaining to the evaluation of the prospective student-athlete's academic eligibility or athletics ability.
| STUDENT-ATHLETE EMPLOYMENT |
The Compliance Office is required to maintain written records of all student-athlete employment activities in order to ensure continued compliance with NCAA regulations.
As a potential employer of a student-athlete, it is important for you to know and understand the following NCAA rules regarding student-athlete employment:
- A student-athlete may be compensated only for work actually performed at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services;
- Such compensation may not include any remuneration for value or utility that the student-athlete may have for the employer because of the publicity, reputation, fame or personal following that he or she has obtained because of athletics ability;
- Transportation to work or any other benefits (e.g., meals) may not be provided unless the benefit is provided for all other employees.
