A recruit's experience on a college visit should mirror what his or her experience would be as a student-athlete at that school and provide a realistic look at the academic and athletics programs offered on that campus.

That's the message the NCAA Task Force on Recruiting will advocate with new rules regarding college visits and new requirements for institutions to develop their own guiding principles and best practices for what should and should not take place on an official college visit.

The task force met in person March 29 in Indianapolis. It was established in February after allegations at some member institutions of a lack of moral and ethical judgment during the recruitment of some prospective student-athletes.

The task force is charged with reviewing current NCAA rules and recruiting practices related to official campus visits. It also is responsible for proposing changes to ensure an adequate opportunity for recruits to evaluate both the academic and athletics components of a school while also requiring standards of appropriate conduct and accountability.

The task force is chaired by David Berst, vice-president for Division I. The group's work will be presented to the Management Council later this month and will be considered by other constituencies -- such as conferences, coaches associations and faculty groups -- in May and June. Final recommendations from the task force will then be reviewed in July by the Management Council and in August by the Board of Directors. It's expected that the Board will use its authority to adopt emergency legislation in August and that new rules will be in place for the next recruiting season.

"We do not intend to go through another recruiting season without new standards in place," Berst said to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection in March. "And when those standards are in place, violations will be investigated and adjudicated swiftly. In the long run, success will come only when those involved in the operation of intercollegiate athletics programs sincerely believe and support the principle that doing the right thing is at least as important as getting the right recruits."

NCAA President Myles Brand addressed the task force and asked members to look at the issue as a blank slate in order to design the best recruiting program. He said they should work on principles, rather than details, in deciding what they hoped to accomplish.

He said a recruiting trip should be enjoyable for the prospective student-athlete, but also provide him or her with a realistic view of what it might be like to attend that institution. The program also should include an expectation of proper behavior from all involved in the visit -- everyone must be accountable for what happens during the recruiting trip.

The task force discussed the need to change the current recruiting culture, noting that the pressure to win can be overwhelming, which in turn can produce more pressure to gain good recruits at any cost. Members also said some prospective student-athletes come to college visits with a sense of entitlement, an attitude that should be curtailed.

Preliminary recommendations

The task force looked at the following areas of a recruiting visit: transportation, meals and lodging, game-day activities, number and duration of visits, required activities during a visit, entertainment and accountability for behavior and violations.

The group voted to recommend that institutions limit air transportation to commercial coach class and no longer use limos or similar vehicles to transport recruits.

Though members acknowledged that some schools may be two or three hours away from the closest commercial airport, the task force felt it was important that prospective student-athletes know what they would be facing if they went to that college. By eliminating the use of private or charter aircraft, the student would get a realistic idea of how long it would take to get from their homes to campus.

The task force also recommended that institutions provide only standard meals and lodging for prospective student-athletes, rather than luxury accommodations or high-priced meals that are excessive. While most members of the task force agreed that providing meals and lodging on campus is the best practice, they realized this was not always possible and felt their recommendation takes that into consideration.

In addition, members recommended that personalized promotions of game-day activities be prohibited. These would include a simulation of a game-day scenario or even showing a prospect a personalized jersey. The group also recommended that special host programs for athletics be prohibited. Task force members said student-athletes from the recruit's prospective team or student ambassadors who work through the university's usual admissions process should be used as hosts for visits.

The group did not believe that changing the number of official visits allowed or decreasing the length of visits was appropriate or necessary. Currently, five official visits are allowed for a recruit, though members noted most actually take fewer. These visits may currently be 48 hours, but there was some discussion of reducing that to 24 or 36 hours.

Rather, the task force believes that institutions themselves should have the primary responsibility to develop a "best practices" model for visits and that the NCAA should be empowered to take action when institutions, or those involved, fail to meet their obligations.

The task force will recommend that the NCAA require each institution to develop a set of best practices and that specified topics be addressed such as alcohol policies; entertainment of prospects; and responsibilities of hosts, coaches and administrators. This recommendation is intended to recognize the institution's obligation to set standards, but also establishes a clear statement of policies that also can be enforced by the NCAA when failures or abuses occur.