Bucknell University Athletics
Compliance Corner (June 2001)
10/1/2001 8:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 1, 2001
NCAA VIOLATIONS
You may at one time or another have read in the newspaper about the NCAA reporting that an institution has committed an NCAA rules violation. There are two types of NCAA violations: Secondary and Major.
A secondary rules violation is one that provides only a limited recruiting or competitive advantage, and is isolated and inadvertent in nature. Secondary violations are normally self-reported by the institution to the NCAA. The report to the NCAA will contain the results of the institution's investigation into the violation, and the steps taken to prevent such a violation from occurring again. The report can also contain self-imposed penalties the institution chooses to rectify any advantage gained by the secondary violation. The NCAA can accept the institution's findings or impose other penalties.
A major rules violation can be one where a staff member intentionally and knowingly violated an NCAA regulation to the point where an obvious advantage was obtained. Repeated secondary rules violations can also be considered a major violation. Major rules violations usually occur when an institution does not take proper steps to monitor and educate those associated with its athletic program, or when those associated with the program ignore or circumvent the rules. When you read about an institution being placed on NCAA probation, it is due to a major NCAA rules violation. If you have questions regarding NCAA violations, or any other compliance issue, please check with the Bucknell University Office of Athletic Compliance.
From the Bison Interpretation Files
Q.Can a Former Student (booster) of Bucknell help the coaches recruit by picking up a prospect's game films or transcripts from the high school?
A.No. This would be considered booster involvement in recruiting activities, and only those coaches who have been certified by the NCAA are permitted to recruit on behalf of Bucknell.
Q.Can a booster of BU make a donation to a high school athletic program?
A.Yes, provided the booster is acting independent of their affiliation with Bucknell, funds are distributed by channels established by the high school and are not earmarked for a particular athlete, and the donation is not intended to help a Bison recruit specifically.
Initial Eligibility Standards- A Recent Historical Review On March 8, 1999 a Pennsylvania Judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the case of Cureton v. NCAA. The case was brought before the court by four student-athletes who were denied eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics as freshmen because they failed to achieve the minimum test score required (820 on the SAT).
This initial ruling said the use of a standardized test score minimum in determining a student-athlete's initial eligibility is discriminatory. A three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals granted the NCAA's motion for a stay in the Cureton v. NCAA case on March 30, 1999 which allows the NCAA to utilize their existing standards.
The effect of the panel granting the stay is a restoration of the provisions of the initial eligibility standards while an appeal can be considered. The purpose of this stay was to eliminate the confusion in the recruiting process that would have been caused by the NCAA not having any initial eligibility standards at all. As you may know, in Spring 2001, the appeal was heard and judgment was entered for the NCAA and the standards. Ultimately, this reversed the earlier "discriminatory" finding by the Pennsylvania judge in large part because the NCAA acts as a "private association" rather than as a "state actor" (legal terms).
Currently, the NCAA has standards in place that utilize a prospect's score on the ACT or SAT and compare that to their grade-point-average in 13 core courses on a floating scale. For example, a prospect with a 2.5 GPA would need a score of 820 on the SAT, whereas a prospect with a 2.0 GPA would need a 1010 on the SAT. For more information on the initial eligibility standards, check the Bucknell Bison website.
