University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

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Are you a Booster?

Helpful Information:

• Boosters Did You Know?
• Do's and Don'ts for Boosters
• Violation Scenarios
• NCAA Rules: Giving to Prospects & Student-Athletes
• Tip Sheet
• Booster Guide to NLI
• NCAA Booster Information

Boosters (referred to by the NCAA as "representatives of athletics interests") are individuals that:

• Participate in or have been members of Koa Avenue or any other booster group that supports athletics;
• Have made financial contributions to the University of Hawaii Athletics Department;
• Have assisted in the recruitment of student-athletes;
• Provide or have helped arrange benefits for enrolled student-athletes or their families;
• Participated as a student-athlete of the University of Hawaii, Manoa; or
• Have been involved in promoting University of Hawaii Athletics in any other way.

If you fit into any of these groups, you are a booster. According to the NCAA, once an individual has been identified as a UHM booster, that person is a booster of UHM for life. UHM Athletics is ultimately responsible for the actions of all boosters in relation to NCAA rules and regulations.

Booster Regulations

The NCAA has specific regulations on what is and is not acceptable of boosters towards prospective student athletes (PSA) or enrolled student-athletes. 

A booster may:

• Continue to maintain contact with a PSA and their family as long as the booster is an established friend or neighbor and there is no attempt to recruit the student-athlete.
• Have incidental contact – not prearranged by the athletic department – with a PSA.
• Talk to a PSA via telephone only if the PSA initiates the conversation and the call is not for recruiting purposes.
• Watch a recruit's athletic contest, but may not have contact with that recruit.
• Contact a PSA to discuss summer job arrangements once that recruit has signed a National Letter of Intent.
• Provide an occasional family home meal to a student-athlete or an entire team if the meal takes place in the home – as opposed to a restaurant.  Meals must be restricted to infrequent and special occasions.  A booster may provide transportation to the student-athlete or team only if the meal takes place in the booster's home.  Requests of this type should be directed to the specific team, and in turn, to the Compliance Office.

A booster may not:

• Have face-to-face contact with a PSA or their parents, legal guardian(s), or relatives to encourage them to enroll at UHM or have any face-to-face contact in excess of the exchange of a greeting.
• Telephone or write to recruits or their parents, encouraging them to enroll at UHM.
• Mail anything to PSAs, including newspapers, clippings, posters, programs, etc.
• Pick up videotapes or transcripts relating to a prospective student-athlete at his/her high school or junior college.
• Contact a recruit's counselor, principal, or coach in an attempt to evaluate that recruit.
• Provide a prospective/enrolled student-athlete any benefit or special arrangement. Examples of "benefits" include but are not limited to: special discount payment arrangements; a loan of money in any amount; the use of a car; the purchase of meals or services at commercial establishments; selling or giving a student-athlete tickets to athletic, institution, or community events; the use of personal property; and providing holiday or birthday gifts.
• Provide, arrange, or pay for transportation, for any UHM student-athlete.
• Use the name, picture, or appearance of an enrolled student-athlete to advertise, recommend, or promote sales or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.  Even the sale of a picture of a current student-athlete would place their eligibility in jeopardy.
• Use the name, picture, or appearance of an enrolled student-athlete to promote an educational or charitable cause until it has been approved by UHM's Compliance Office.
• Allow a student-athlete, his/her friends, or relatives to use your telephone to make free local or long-distance calls.
• Employ student-athletes at a wage that is greater than the standard rate for jobs in the area.

A good "rule of thumb" to remember is that if you do something special for the entire student body, you can also do it for the student-athlete.  Always make arrangements for such activities through the head coach or the Compliance Office.  Please, ASK BEFORE YOU ACT. 

High School Fundraisers/Promotional Activities

UHM Athletics is prohibited from providing any tangible support to high school fund-raising events aimed at raising money for any facet of the high school, including the athletics program.

An individual booster can provide funding to support a high school athletics program located in the booster's community provided that he/she acts independently of UHM.  The contributed funds must be channeled through normal fund-raising procedures and the funds cannot be earmarked for a specific student-athlete.  UHM Athletics can support fund-raising projects that involve schools where students are 8th grade and younger.  UHM Athletics can also support charitable community fund-raising projects where the proceeds will not benefit students 9th grade and above. 

Can Boosters Recruit?

Only UHM coaches who have passed the NCAA Recruiting Rules Examination may be involved in recruiting student-athletes.  There may be no recruiting contacts made by boosters.  This includes email & computer interaction, letters, telephone calls, or face-to-face interaction on or off campus.  Boosters may help by forwarding information on prospective student athletes to the appropriate coaching staff. 

Five important rules:

1. Only coaches and athletic department staff members are permitted to be involved in the recruiting process. Alumni, friends and "other representatives of athletics interest" who are not employed by your university are not permitted to contact a prospect (or members of the prospect's family) by letter, telephone or in-person (on or off-campus) for the purpose of soliciting their participation in the athletic program. University faculty members are permitted to have contact with the prospects, but only while on campus.
    
2. A prospect remains a prospect even after (s)he signs an NLI or financial aid agreement to attend your university. The prospect does not lose his/her prospect status until the start of classes during a regular term or the beginning of official team practice prior to the start of classes.
    
3. The prohibition of contact with a prospect is intended to relate to unavoidable incidental contacts with a prospect by representatives of a member institution's athletics interest. It is understood that such a contact is not prearranged by the athletics representative or an athletic department staff member; is not made for the purpose of recruitment of the prospect; and involves only normal civility. For example, if you meet a high school student or junior college student-athlete, you can talk with them about anything except your athletics program. If you are attending a public function and find yourself talking to the parents of a prospect, you can talk about anything that doesn't relate to the athletic department.
    
4. If a student-athlete accepts any benefits or special consideration based on his or her status as an athlete or because of athletic skill, the student-athlete will lose all eligibility for intercollegiate athletic participation. All individuals associated with your athletics program (Including but not limited to: Coaches, athletics staff, university personnel, parents, and boosters) should not do anything for prospective or enrolled student-athletes without specific authorization from the compliance office.
    
5. Representatives of athletic interests are reminded that NCAA rules regarding enrolled student-athletes remain in effect throughout the entire year, including summer breaks. When student-athletes complete their final season of eligibility, they must abide by NCAA rules until the end of that academic year and/or until they are not longer receiving athletics financial aid.

Q & A for Boosters

Q: Can a booster make contact with a PSA and his/her legal guardian(s) on an official visit to campus? 
A: No. 

Q: Can boosters entertain PSA's, relatives and friends at a UHM home or away game? 
A: No. 

Q: Does the no contact rule mentioned above apply to established family, friends or neighbors of a PSA? 
A: No.  However, it must be understood that such contacts may not be made for recruiting purposes and may not be initiated by a UHM coaching staff member. 

Q: May a booster attend a public event (e.g. high school awards banquet) at which PSAs are in attendance? 
A: Yes, but any contact with PSA's may not be prearranged by a UHM Athletics staff member and no attempt may be made to recruit the prospect. 

Q: Is it permissible for a booster to provide enrolled student-athletes with professional services (for which a fee would usually be charged) for personal reasons?
A: No.  Professional services provided to a student-athlete at less than usual charge, or no charge, is considered an extra benefit which is prohibited. 

Q: May a booster "evaluate" a PSA on behalf of UHM Athletics? 
A: Legislation does not preclude a booster from watching a PSA's contest on the booster's initiative, as long as the booster does not contact the prospect.  However, the booster is prohibited from contacting a PSA's coach, principal, or counselor in an attempt to evaluate the prospect, as well as from visiting a high school or junior college campus to pick up film or transcripts pertaining to the evaluation of a PSA's academic or athletic ability. 

Q: How long is a PSA considered a PSA? 
A: A PSA remains a recruit even after signing a National Letter of Intent to attend UHM.  Both UHM Athletics and the recruit continue to be governed by NCAA recruiting legislation until:

• The PSA reports for regular squad practice;
• The Registrar or Director of Admissions certifies that a PSA is officially enrolled at UHM on the first day of classes; or
• The PSA attends a class in any regular term (Fall or Spring)
• A PSA who signs an NLI, attends the summer term prior to Fall enrollment and the institution pays the summer session tuition.

Q: Is it permissible for a booster to provide an honorarium to a student athlete for a speaking engagement? 
A: No.  Student-athletes may receive only necessary travel expenses when speaking to educational or charitable groups. All speaking engagements must be approved in advance through UHM's Student Development by calling 808-956-0725 or faxing 808-956-5042, or the Compliance Department by calling 808-956-4501 or faxing 808-956-5042.