The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- November 23, 1998

Legislative assistance

1998 Column No. 37Bylaw 16.8.1.5

Travel to NCAA championships, NGB championships in emerging sports and postseason bowl games during vacation period

NCAA institutions should note that an institution may provide team transportation for a student-athlete to travel from campus to the site of an NCAA championship, national governing body (NGB) championship in emerging sports or a postseason bowl game and back to campus. The following are exceptions to this principle:

1. Student-athlete does not use team transportation. If the student-athlete goes home during the vacation period, the institution may provide (in lieu of team transportation) the greater of the transportation cost for the student-athlete to travel from:

a. Campus to the event site and back to campus;

b. Campus to the student-athlete's home and back to campus; or

c. The student-athlete's home to the event site and back home.

[Note: Each of these options represents a formula, and the institution may utilize any of these alternatives at his or her discretion.]

2. Student-athlete uses "leg" of team transportation. An institution that provides one "leg" of actual team transportation (i.e., campus to the event site or from the event site back to campus) must deduct the value of the actual transportation cost of that "leg" from the allowance provided the student-athlete in (1) above.

3. Second trip home. If a student-athlete uses team transportation to travel from campus to the event site and back to campus, participates in a event that takes place in the institution's home community, and also has personally paid for a round-trip ticket home during that same vacation period, the student-athlete may be provided actual transportation expenses to travel between campus and home on a second occasion during that same period.

Bylaws 16.8.1.4.1 and 16.8.1.4.1.1

Travel to regular-season contests during vacation period -- NCAA Divisions I and II

NCAA Divisions I and II institutions should note that pursuant to Bylaw 16.8.1.4.1, an institution may provide team transportation for a student-athlete to travel from campus to the site of a regular-season contest that occurs during a vacation period and back to campus. In addition, pursuant to Bylaw 16.8.1.4.1.1, if a student-athlete travels to a site other than the event site (e.g., he or she goes home for the holidays) during the vacation period, the institution may provide the cost of round-trip transportation for the student-athlete to travel from campus to the event site and back to campus even if the student-athlete does not travel with the team (e.g., the student goes home for the holidays and travels to the event site from home). The student-athlete shall pay only the additional cost associated with traveling to a site other than the event site.

Expenses for regular-season competition during vacation period

NCAA institutions should note that it is permissible for an institution to purchase a ticket to cover any of a student-athlete's transportation expenses (e.g., expenses from home to the event and back to campus) in conjunction with regular-season competition during a vacation period, provided the student-athlete reimburses the institution the value of any portion of the trip from the campus to the student-athlete's home and back to campus for which the student-athlete has not paid. Under such circumstances, the student-athlete must reimburse the institution prior to his or her departure for the competition.

[Reference: November 29, 1994, NCAA Interpretations Committee.]

This material was provided by the membership services staff as an aid to member institutions. If an institution has a question or comment regarding this column, such correspondence should be directed to Kristen L. Davis or Lisa Roesler, membership services representatives, at the NCAA national office. This information is available on the College Sports Network.