Morgan State University Athletics

COMPLIANCE
(THE NCAA, MORGAN STATE & YOU)

It is important that student-athletes have an understanding of the additional responsibilities they accept when they become members of an athletic team. Such responsibilities include:

Performing to the best of your ability academically and athletically; contributing your best efforts toward successful team performance; contributing on and off the field in a manner that reflects credit to you, your team, the Athletics Department and the University. Student-athletes are held accountable by the same policies and procedures as other university students as outlined in the MSU Student Handbook. Additionally, student-athletes are subject to the rules and regulations of the NCAA governing unsportsmanlike behavior, non-therapeutic drug use, gambling and bribery, and the acceptance of non-permissible awards, benefits and expenses, as well as other forms of misconduct.

The following sections outline information about your eligibility to compete in intercollegiate athletics. Please read each section carefully. If you have any questions stop by the Compliance Office located in Hill Field House Room 117.

ETHICAL CONDUCT
You must compete with honesty and sportsmanship at all times so that you represent the honor and dignity of fair play. Student-athletes, coaches and all others associated with intercollegiate athletics adhere to fundamentals of sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is a set of behaviors that are based upon values, including respect, civility, fairness, honesty and responsibility.

You are not eligible to compete if you:
* knowingly provide information to individuals involved in organized gambling activities concerning intercollegiate athletics competition;

* knowingly solicit a bet on any intercollegiate team;

* knowingly accept a bet on any team representing the institution or participate in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate athletics.

* have shown dishonesty in evading or violating NCAA regulations.

AMATEURISM
You are not eligible to compete if you have ever:

* taken pay, or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport;

* agreed (orally or in writing) to compete in professional athletics in that sport;

* played on any professional athletics team as defined by the NCAA in that sport, or used your athletics skill for pay in any form in that sport;

* accepted money, transportation or other benefits from an agent or agreed to have an agent market your athletics ability or reputation in that sport;

* since you became a student-athlete, accepted any pay for promoting a commercial product or service or allowed your name or picture to be used for promoting a commercial product or service;

* been paid for work you did not perform, been paid at a rate higher than the going rate or were paid for the value an employer placed on your reputation or fame because of your athletic ability.

FINANCIAL AID
Athletic scholarships are issued on a yearly basis. Refunds will not be given to student-athletes who receive an institutional grant (ie AGIA, honors). The athletic scholarship is based on on campus housing. If an athletic scholarship recipient decides to move off campus, the recipient will forfeit the room allowance on the scholarship. Additionally, if the recipient resides in the Northwood Complex, the room allowance on the scholarship will be changed accordingly.

The board is based on a 14 meal plan. Therefore, if a recipient decides to change his/her meal plan then the balance becomes their responsibility.

You are not eligible to compete if you receive financial aid other than the financial aid that

MSU provides. Except

* money from anyone upon whom you are naturally or legally dependent;

* financial aid that has been awarded to you on a basis other than athletics ability;

* financial aid from a program outside MSU that meets the requirements specific in the NCAA manual (Bylaw 15.01.3).

ATHLETIC GRANT IN AID (AGIA)
If a student-athlete’s AGIA is reduced or cancelled, the student-athlete must appeal in writing to the Athletic Grant in Aid Appeals committee no later than July 15, prior to the subsequent academic year. Supportive documentation must be submitted with appeal.

NCAA SPECIAL ASSISTANCE FUND
The Special Assistance Fund was established by the NCAA in 1991 to assist student-athletes with specific unmet financial needs. There are eight types of expenses for which student-athletes may receive funding. They include:

* Medical and dental expenses, except those covered by another institutional or personal insurance policy;

* Purchase of hearing aid;

* Vision therapy;

* Off-campus psychological counseling;

* Travel expenses for parents or student-athletes related to family emergencies;

* Purchase of expendable academic course supplies (e.g. notebooks, pens, etc.)

* Clothing and shoes (total not to exceed $500)

* Rental of non-expendable course supplies required for all students enrolled in the course. A student-athlete who is Pell Grant eligible or receives a Pell Grant, whether on partial, full or no athletics aid may qualify for Special Assistance Funds to meet any of the eight expenses listed above. There is no dollar limit, except for the clothing limit of $500. A student-athlete (foreign or domestic) who has a full athletic grant-in-aid, but no Pell Grant, may receive for the first five categories listed above for up to $500 annually. Non-qualifiers are not eligible for the fund during their first academic year of residence. Payment of medical expenses for a student-athlete’s spouse and children are not permissible. Disbursement dates are available from the athletics compliance coordinator.

5TH YEAR FINANCIAL AID
An Athletics-Grant-In-Aid (AGIA) may be available for student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility. This 5th year award is granted to financially assist the student to fulfill requirements for graduation. In granting the award, the following principles will apply:

1. Awards will be granted for the cost of tuition and fees only.

2. Awardees are expected to work 20 hours per week in the athletics department as assigned by the Director of Athletics.

3. Awards for students receiving less than the full cost of the AGIA at any time during the previous years of attendance will be prorated to equal the percentage of the total previous AGIA awards received. For example, if the total awards presented during the period of participation equal 75% of the full AGIA, the 5th year award will equal 75% of the cost of tuition and fees.

OTHER ELIGIBILITY REGULATIONS

* You may participate in only four seasons of competition per sport unless you have been approved for an extension.

* If you have received a bachelor’s degree and have eligibility remaining, you may compete seeking a second bachelor’s degree, or graduate degree at the same institution you attended as an undergraduate.

* You are not eligible to compete if during the academic year you competed as a member of any outside team in any noncollegiate, amateur competition. Olympic Games tryouts and competition and other specified NCAA Council-approved competition is permitted.

* You are not eligible if five calendar years have passed from the date you first registered as a full-time student at a collegiate institution and attended your first day of classes for that term, except for time spent in the armed services, on official church missions or with recognized foreign aid services of the U.S. government.

All-Star Football and Basketball Only
* You are not eligible if, after you completed your high school eligibility in your sport and before your high school graduation, you participated in more than two high-school all-star football and/or basketball games.

Basketball Only
* You are not eligible if, after you became a student-athlete, you participate in any organized basketball competition except while representing the institution in intercollegiate competition. Competing in the Olympic Games tryouts and competition and other specified NCAA Council-approved competition is permitted. It is also permissible to participate as a member of a basketball team in an NCAA-sanctioned summer basketball event.

One Time Transfer Exception Appeals
An exception which grants a qualified student-athlete the opportunity to transfer to a 4 year institution and to compete without having to fulfill a residence requirement. If such a request is denied, the student-athlete has the right to appeal.

PLAYING AND PRACTICE SEASON LIMITATIONS

DEFINITION OF PLAYING SEASON
The playing season for a particular sport is the period of time between the date of an institution’s first officially recognized practice session and the date of the institution’s last practice session or date of competition, whichever occurs later.

The playing season for a particular sport is the only time within which institutions are permitted to conduct countable athletically-related activities.

Now you say... What are countable athletically-related activities???

Listed below are the activities considered to be athletically -related and thus must be counted toward daily and weekly time limitations.

* Practice

* Competition

* Required weight training and conditioning activities held at the direction of, or supervised by, an institutional staff member.

* Participation in a physical-fitness class conducted by a member of the athletics staff;

* Film or videotape reviews of athletics practices or contests required, supervised or monitored by institutional staff members;

* Required participation in camps, clinics or workshops;

* Meetings initiated by coaches or other institutional staff members on athletically-related matters;

* On-court or on-field activities called by any member or members of a team and confined primarily to members of that team that are considered as requisite for participation in that sport (e.g. captains practices);

* Visiting the competition site in the sport of cross-country;

* Individual workouts required or supervised by a member of the coaching staff except as listed below:

If a coach is present during any voluntary individual workout during the institution’s academic year, it is considered a countable athletically relatedactivity and must be calculated in the weekly countable hours (in-season or out -of-season);

It is not permissible for a team sport coach (i.e. football, basketball) to Be present during any voluntary individual workout outside of the institution’s academic year (i.e., summer). Upon the student-athlete’s request, however, it is permissible for an individual sport coach (i.e tennis, track) to be present during a voluntary individual workout outside of the institution’s academic year (i.e., summer).

SEASON OF COMPETITION
Qualifiers have four (4) seasons of competition. Partial/non-qualifiers have three (3) seasons of competition. Eligibility is only used when the student-athlete competes in that sport. When you enroll in any college or university as a full-time student, your eligibility clock begins. You have five (5) years from that point to complete your intercollegiate athletics eligibility.

TIME LIMITS FOR ATHLETICALLY-RELATED ACTIVITIES
1. A student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically-related activities shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day and 20 hours per week.

2. Outside of the playing season a student-athlete’s participation in required weight training and conditioning activities and participation in a physical-fitness class conducted by a member of the athletics staff shall be limited to a maximum of 8 hours per week.

3. When computing and recording the hour limitations, the following should be noted:

(a) A “day” is defined as a calendar day (i.e., 12:01 am to midnight)

(b) All competition activities on the day of competition shall count as three hours regardless of the actual duration of these activities. Practice may not be conducted following competition.

(c) Countable hours must be recorded on a daily basis for each student-athlete regardless of whether the student-athlete is participating in an individual or a team sport.

(d) Any countable individual or group athletically-related activity must count against the time limitation for each student-athlete who participated in the activity but does not count against time limitations for other team members who do not participate in the activity.

(e) Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically-related activities occurring during preseason practice prior to the first day of classes or the first scheduled contest, whichever is earlier.

(f) Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically-related activities occurring during the academic year in periods between academic terms when classes are not in session.

(g) Daily and weekly hour limitations apply to countable athletically-related activities during final-examination periods and to all official preparatory periods leading to final examination periods.

4. During the playing season, all countable athletically-related activities shall be prohibited during one calendar day per week.

5. A travel day related to athletics participation may be considered a day off, provided no countable athletically-related activities occur during that day.

6. No class time shall be missed for practice activities except when a team is traveling to an away-from-home contest and the practice is in conjunction with the contest.

STUDENT HOST INSTRUCTIONS/RECEIPT
Acting as a student host is an important service to Morgan State University and the Athletics Department. Appropriate conduct is required of you by institutional, conference and NCAA standards:

1. The host must be enrolled at this institution. If a freshman student, the host must have been a high school qualifier.

2. A maximum of $30 per day may be provided to cover the entertainment expenses of the host, the prospect, and the prospect’s parents, legal guardians or spouse. An additional $15 per day for each additional prospect entertained may be provided.

3. No cash may be given to the visiting prospect or anyone else.

4. A host may not use entertainment funds to purchase, or other wise provide the prospect with gifts of value (e.g., souvenirs or clothing).