MISSION STATEMENT
The University of Louisiana at Monroe recognizes the importance of and places great emphasis on compliance with the rules governing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In order to establish and maintain a certifiable compliance program, it is necessary to educate and monitor in an effective, comprehensive, organized, and understandable manner all effected persons and programs. Institutional Control must be maintained in all aspects of ULM Athletics.

There shall be a total commitment by the University, its President, its Athletic Department, and all internal and external influences of ULM to compliance and institutional control in this area. There shall be a determined commitment to both the letter and the spirit of all NCAA, Conference, and University regulations. At the same time, ULM shall do all things necessary to effectively ensure its commitment to the principles of fair play by all of its personnel, student-athletes, alumni, fans, and boosters.

ULM COMPLIANCE STAFF
Fax: (318) 342-5385

Tasha Fisher
Assistant Athletics Director/Academics and Compliance/Senior Woman Administrator
fisher@ulm.edu
(318) 342-5384



Official Visit Policy

An institution may provide a prospect with a paid visit, which includes roundtrip transportation for the prospect, meals and lodging for the prospect and his/her parents/guardians or spouse, and reasonable entertainment expenses for the prospect and his/her parents/guardians or spouse, including up to three complimentary admissions an institution's athletic event. A prospect may take a maximum of five expense-paid visits, with no more than one to any single institution. The official visit cannot exceed 48 hours and must be conducted within a 30-mile radius of the campus. A current student-athlete may act as your host providing you with a glance of campus life at ULM. The host is permitted to spend up to $30 per day to cover all entertainment costs for you and your parents/guardians or spouse. However, this money CANNOT be used to purchase souvenirs or mementos (e.g., T-shirts or other ULM memorabilia.)

The NCAA and Division I institutions have established new recruiting policies limiting certain activities for the student host and prospective student-athlete while on an official visit. You are prohibited from the following activities while visiting ULM:

Attending adult entertainment venues
Receiving expensive meals or transportation (limousines or hummers)
Consuming alcohol or tobacco products
Engaging in escort services or exotic dancers
Participating in gambling activities or other similar services


Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)

A student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC) is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and polices that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

History of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee: An Association-wide SAAC was adopted at the 1989 NCAA Convention and was formed primarily to review and offer student-athlete input on NCAA activities and proposed legislation that affected student-athlete welfare.

The initial national committee was comprised of student-athletes from all membership divisions for the purpose of ensuring that the student-athlete voice was one that accounted for the myriad of educational and athletics experiences of both female and male student-athletes at all NCAA member institutions. In August 1997, the NCAA federated along divisional lines. The federation caused the SAAC to expand to three SAACs representing NCAA Divisions I, II and III.

Each national divisional committee is comprised of both female and male student-athletes charged with the responsibility of assisting in the review of NCAA proposed legislation and representing the voice of the student-athlete in the NCAA governance structure. This is accomplished by providing student-athlete input on issues related to student-athlete welfare that are division-specific. (Federation has increased student-athlete participation in the governance process of intercollegiate athletics by increasing the number of SAAC members from the former Association-wide committee of 28 student-athletes to a sum total of 79 members serving on the national Divisions I, II, and III committees).

The input of the respective Divisions I, II and III SAACs continues to be sought by a variety of constituencies within the Association. Student-athlete committee members have the opportunity to speak with their respective NCAA Management Councils, and the Divisions II and III SAACs continue to speak to legislative issues on the NCAA Convention floor.

Mission Statement of the National SAACs
"The mission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image."

SAAC Brochure:http://www.ncaa.org/library/general/SAAC/saac_brochure.pdf




BOOSTER INFORMATION

Key Definitions:

Prospect: A prospective student-athlete "prospect" is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade.

Enrolled Student-Athlete: An enrolled student-athlete is a student who is presently participating in athletics or has completed his/her eligibility but is still enrolled at ULM.

Recruiting Contact: A recruiting contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or a prospect's parent or legal guardian and a University staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of a normal greeting.

Extra Benefit: The NCAA defines an extra benefit as any special arrangement by a ULM employee or a booster to provide an enrolled student-athlete, a prospective student-athlete, or his/her relatives and friends with a benefit not expressly permitted by NCAA rules.
Examples of extra benefits are:
1. Gifts, free or discounted services (meals, airline or bus tickets, rental or use of an automobile, telephone services, etc.);
2. Cash or loans of money;
3. Rent-free or reduced-cost housing;
4. Providing or arranging employment at a higher wage than normal; AND
5. Any other action deemed to be a benefit by NCAA review.

Representative of Athletics Interests: A "representative of the institution's athletics interests" is an individual, independent agency, corporate entity, or other organization who is known by a member of ULM's executive or athletics administration to:
(a) Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting ULM's intercollegiate athletics program;
(b) Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of ULM;
(c ) Be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospects;
(d) Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
(e) Have been involved otherwise in promoting ULM's athletics programs.
Once identified as a representative of athletics interests (per the NCAA definition) that identity is retained indefinitely. Representative of athletics interests are prohibited by the NCAA from making in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts, or written or telephonic communications with a prospect and his/her relatives. Further, during a prospect's official visit, no contact shall occur with the prospect.

Permissible Activities by Booster in Regards to a Prospective Student-Athlete:
- You may attend high school and two-year college athletic events.
- You may continue established family relationships with friends and neighbors. Contact with sons or daughters of such families is permitted as long as it is not made for recruiting purposes and is not initiated by any ULM athletic department staff members.
- You may attend a public event (e.g. a high school awards banquet or dinner) in which prospects are in attendance, but no attempt should be made to recruit the prospect.
- You may send ULM coaching staff members newspaper clippings or other information about prospects you think would be of interest. Your assistance in this way is very helpful. If permissible, the coaching staff member will initiate contact with the prospect.

NCAA Rules Regarding Contacts with Currently Enrolled Student-Athletes
- You may not provide a student-athlete any special benefits or arrangements.
- You may not provide room, board, or transportation costs incurred by friends or family members of an enrolled student-athlete to visit campus or attend an away athletic contest.
- You may not expand funds to entertain student-athletes, their friends or relatives. You are not permitted to buy a soda nor a snack.
- You may not use the name, picture or appearance of an enrolled student-athlete to directly advertise, recommend or promote sales or use of commercial product or service of any kind.
- You may not provide payment of expense or a loan of any automobile for a student-athlete to return home or to any other location for ANY reason.
- You may not provide awards or gifts directly to a student-athlete for his or her athletic performance. All awards financed by "boosters," must be approved by ULM and fall within the NCAA award regulations.
- You may provide an occasional family home meal to an enrolled student-athlete on infrequent and special occasions provided the meal is served at your residence.

ULM Student-Athlete Missed Class Policy (pdf)