What is a Booster (Athletic Representative)?
A "representative of the institution's athletics interests" is an individual who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:
• Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization, including corporate entities promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
• Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
• Be assisting or to have been requested to assist in the recruitment of prospects;
• Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families;
• Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program. Once an individual is identified as such a representative, the person retains that identity indefinitely. What is an Extra Benefit? An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interests ("booster") to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Specifically prohibited financial aid, benefits and arrangements include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Employment arrangement for a prospect's relatives
• Gifts of clothing or equipment
• Co-signing of loans or providing loans to a prospect's relatives or friends
• Cash or similar items
• Any tangible items, including merchandise
• Free or reduced-cost services, rentals or purchases of any type
• Free or reduced-cost housing
• Use of an institution's athletics equipment

What Can a Booster Do?
• Provide employment for prospective or currently enrolled student-athletes during permissible periods. All compensation paid to a student-athlete must be for work actually performed and given at a rate equal to the going rate for a similar job in the local area.
• Attend games where prospects are competing, as long as no contact is made with the prospect or prospect's parents.
• Invite an individual student-athlete or an entire team in a sport for an occasional, occurring from time-to-time, meal provided the meal is in the individual's home (as opposed to a restaurant). The meal may be catered. Arrangements for these activities should be made through the head coach in the sport and the UWF Athletic Compliance Office.
• Notify the Athletics Department or a member of the UWF coaching staff about outstanding prospects.
• Check with the UWF Compliance Office before you do anything that may jeopardize a current or prospective student-athlete's eligibility.

What is a Booster Prohibited from Doing?
• Providing a prospective student-athlete, his/her parents, relative, friends, or coaches with any material benefit.
• Make recruiting presentations to groups of prospective student-athletes.
• Entertain or provide awards or gifts for a current student-athlete, or his/her family and friends.
• Use a student-athlete's name, picture, or appearance to promote sales or advertise the use of a commercial product or service.
• Pay a student-athlete for a speaking engagement.
• Make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts with a prospect or the prospect's relatives or legal guardian(s).

Definitions You Should Know
• Prospective Student-Athlete - A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. A prospect is also any student who is enrolled at a two-year college or at a four-year institution other than Valdosta State University. A prospective student-athlete remains a prospect (even after he or she has signed a National Letter of Intent) until he/she reports for the first day of classes for a regular term or begins official practice immediately prior to the start of classes.
• Recruiting - Any solicitation of a prospect or the prospect's family by a University staff member or by a representative of the University's athletics interests for the purpose of securing the prospect's enrollment at the University and/or participation in the athletics program. All recruiting must be done by designated athletics department staff members.
• Contact - Any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or the prospect's parent or legal guardian and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such face-to-face encounter that is prearranged or that takes place on the grounds of the prospect's educational institution or at the site of organized competition or practice involving the prospect or the prospect's high school, preparatory school, two-year college or all-star team shall be considered a contact, regardless of the conversation that occurs.
• Evaluation - Any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or athletics ability of a prospect, including any visit to a prospect's educational institution (during which no contact occurs) or the observation of any practice or competition at any site at which the prospect participates.

NCAA rules and regulations are very complex. Due to this complexity, this information should not be relied upon exclusively. Please contact the Compliance Office at UWF with any questions or concerns you may have relating to such issues. A student-athlete's eligibility is a precious commodity and should not be taken lightly. Compliance with NCAA and GSC rules is of the highest priority for our athletics department and institution.