What is a Booster (Athletic Representative)?
A "representative of the institution's athletics interests" is an individual who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:
- Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization, including corporate entities promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
- Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
- Be assisting or to have been requested to assist in the recruitment of prospects;
- Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families;
- Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program. Once an individual is identified as such a representative, the person retains that identity indefinitely
What Can a Booster Do?
- Provide employment for prospective or currently enrolled student-athletes during permissible periods. All compensation paid to a student-athlete must be for work actually performed and given at a rate equal to the going rate for a similar job in the local area.
- Attend games where prospects are competing, as long as no contact is made with the prospect or prospect's parents.
- Invite an individual student-athlete or an entire team in a sport for an occasional, occurring from time-to-time, meal provided the meal is in the individual's home (as opposed to a restaurant). The meal may be catered. Arrangements for these activities should be made through the head coach in the sport and the Athletic Compliance Office at VSU.
- Notify the Athletics Department or a member of the Valdosta State University coaching staff about outstanding prospects.
- Check with the VSU Compliance Office before you do anything that may jeopardize a current or prospective student-athlete's eligibility.
What is a Booster Prohibited from Doing?
- Providing a prospective student-athlete, his/her parents, relative, friends, or coaches with any material benefit.
- Make recruiting presentations to groups of prospective student-athletes.
- Entertain or provide awards or gifts for a current student-athlete, or his/her family and friends.
- Use a student-athlete's name, picture, or appearance to promote sales or advertise the use of a commercial product or service.
- Pay a student-athlete for a speaking engagement.
- Make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with a prospect or the prospect's relatives or legal guardian(s).
What is an Extra Benefit?
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interests ("booster") to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Specifically prohibited financial aid, benefits and arrangements include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Employment arrangement for a prospect's relatives
- Gifts of clothing or equipment
- Co-signing of loans or providing loans to a prospect's relatives or friends
- Cash or similar items
- Any tangible items, including merchandise
- Free or reduced-cost services, rentals or purchases of any type
- Free or reduced-cost housing
- Use of an institution's athletics equipment
