The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- November 8, 1999

Interpretations

Telephone Conference No. 6

September 30, 1999

Acting for the Division I Management Council, the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations issued the following interpretations:

"4-2-4" College Transfers/One Calendar Year Requirement

1. "4-2-4" College Transfers/One Calendar Year Requirement. The calendar year requirement specified in NCAA Bylaw 14.5.6, which must elapse after a "4-2-4" transfer student-athlete's departure from his or her previous four-year institution, begins on the date that the student-athlete takes formal action with the appropriate institutional authorities (as required for all students) at the previous four-year institution to indicate that he or she is leaving the institution and no longer will be attending classes. [References: Bylaw 14.5.6 ("4-2-4" college transfers) and former Interpretations Committee 11/5/92, Item No. 3.]

Recruiting Materials/Web Sites

2. Web Site Information. It is permissible for an institution's Web site or an athletics department staff member's personal Web site to include information related to the institution's athletics programs and a hyperlink to the institution's athletics Web site, provided neither the institution's Web site nor the athletics department staff member's personal Web site contains: (1) information regarding prospective student-athletes, except as permitted under Bylaw 13.11.8; (2) any hyperlink to the Web site of a recruiting/scouting service or a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program; (3) recruiting videos or other audio/video materials, except as permitted under Bylaw 13.4.2.1. [References: Bylaws 13.4.1 (printed recruiting materials) and 13.4.2.1 (highlight film/videotape/audio tape).]

Equivalency Computations/Academic Honor Awards

3. Criteria for Exempting Academic Honor Awards from Equivalency Computations. It is permissible for an institution to exempt an academic honor award from its equivalency computation if the student-athlete qualifies for the award under minimum institutional criteria and meets any of the four qualifying criteria set forth in Bylaw 15.5.3.3.1, regardless of whether the institution considered any of the four qualifying criteria in making the award. [References: Bylaws 15.5.3.3 (equivalency computations) and 15.5.3.3.1 (exception).]

Financial Aid/Varying Meal Plans

4. Providing Stipends to Student-Athletes for Meals Not Received in Institutional Dining Facilities. A student-athlete who resides on or off campus and receives a board plan as part of a grant-in-aid may be provided a cash stipend in an amount equal to the on-campus value of meals covered by the student-athlete's board plan that are not received at the institution's dining facility, provided institutional policy would permit any student at the institution who receives a board plan to receive such cash stipend.

In determining the amount of the cash stipend, the institution must adhere strictly to its own policies for calculating the value of the meals received at institutional dining facilities (i.e., if it categorizes and assigns different values to its breakfast, lunch and dinner meals). For example, if a student-athlete is awarded a 21-meal board plan but elects to receive a 14-meal board plan that specifically includes seven lunch meals and seven dinner meals, then the cash stipend must be calculated based on the actual on-campus rate for the seven breakfast meals the student-athlete would not be receiving at institutional dining facilities.

If the institution does not categorize or assign different values to the meals to be received under the 14-meal board plan (i.e., the student-athlete is not restricted to receiving a specified number of breakfast, lunch and dinner meals), the institution may provide a cash stipend equal to the difference between the cash value of the full 21-meal board plan and the cash value of the 14-meal board plan. [References: Bylaws 15.02.5.1 (full grant-in-aid) and 15.2.2 (room and board).]