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2014-15 Student-Athlete
Handbook and Planner
Dear Student-Athlete,
Welcome to Rutgers University! Whether you are a returning student or in your first year On the
Banks, we are thrilled that you are here to continue your life’s journey. You are now part of a family
that includes over 600 student-athletes participating in 24 sports as well as over 200 staff
members.
All of us in the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics are proud to be part of Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey, one of the top public research institutions in the nation in one of the most
diverse and dynamic regions on the planet. With all that Rutgers has to offer, you will have
opportunities to get involved in countless academic, community and extracurricular activities. We
encourage you to embrace these opportunities and be a part of something special.
Throughout your journey, the University and the Athletic Department will strive to provide you with
the highest quality support system in which to foster your success in the classroom, in competition,
in life during your college years, and in preparation for life after college. You will not be alone and
you will be best served by utilizing the support provided for you.
We have high expectations for all of you. Our number one expectation is that you earn your
degree. This will take hard work. You will probably need to work harder than you have ever worked
before. From your hard work you will feel great satisfaction and enjoy the rewards that come from
such efforts. We expect you to pursue your academic work and career as intensely as you pursue
your athletic career. We expect you to demonstrate a winning attitude at all times – in the
classroom, in practice, in competition, in community service, in career development and in personal
development. The right attitude is necessary to achieve the best results.
This planning guide/handbook is given to you to help manage your time and calendar, and it will
also serve as an excellent reference for important University and Athletic Department contacts and
phone numbers plus NCAA, University and Athletic Department policies that you must know. Even
if you are a returning student, please review this material. In fact, we encourage you to re-read the
guidelines on a regular basis in conjunction with the other information provided to you throughout
the year by your school of enrollment, academic department, and your team.
Lastly, please remember that no matter who you are or where you are from, once you are part of
the Rutgers family, you are Jersey StRong. The Rutgers family will always support one another to
achieve success and make a difference in both our community and in the world. Wear your school
colors with pride no matter where you are and good luck for much success in 2014-15!
All the best,
Rutgers Athletics
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Letter
Athletics Mission Statement
Important University Phone Numbers
Who to Call
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5
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UNIVERSITY SERVICES
Office of Student Conduct
Title IX Compliance
Bias Prevention & Education Committee
Office of Victim Assistance & Violence Prevention Office of Student Conduct
Center for Social Justice Education and LGBTQ Communities
University Ombudsperson
Employment Equity
Rutgers University Police Department
Rutgers Code of Conduct
Equipment Issue & Supplies
Exit Surveys
Faculty Mentoring Program
Grievance Procedures
University Policy on Discrimination & Harassment
Hazing
Housing
Parking
Travel Safety
Sportsmanship & Ethical Conduct
The Department of Athletic Development
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12-13
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ACADEMICS
Academic Support Services for Student-Athletes
Academic Advisor Responsibilities
Study Hall Policy
Tutoring Services
Missed Tutoring Policy
Registration Policy
Travel Policy
Missed Class Time Due to Travel and Home Events
Enrollment in Independent Study Courses
Enrollment in Online Courses
Enforcement Policy
Class Check Policy
Use of Social Networking Websites in Athletics Computer Labs
Plagiarism
Academic Fraud
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CAREER & PERSONAL
Rutgers Leadership Academy
Career Services
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
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24
24
NCAA
NCAA Rules
Reporting NCAA Violations
Academic Eligibility Standards
Freshman/Initial Eligibility Standards
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25
25
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Continuing Eligibility Standards
Eligibility Requirements for All Student-Athletes
Agents
Athletic Eligibility
NCAA Definition of Intercollegiate Competition
Red Shirting
Medical Hardship Waiver
Awards
Boosters and Benefits
Extra Benefits for Prospective and Enrolled Student-Athletes
Benefits from Rutgers Staff Members
Complimentary Admissions
Employment
Financial Aid
Scholarships
Financial Aid Limit
Student Loans/Grants
Outside Scholarships
Student-Athlete Responsibility for University Charges
Book Policy
Cancellation, Reduction, Renewal, and Nonrenewal of Financial Aid
Financial Aid for Fifth-Year Student-Athletes
Financial Aid for Student-Athletes with Career-Ending Injuries
Summer School Financial Aid Policy
Summer School Financial Aid Policy for Incoming Student-Athletes
NCAA Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund
Gambling
Practice and Competition Limits
Daily/Weekly Limits - In Season
Daily/Weekly Limits - Out of Season
Practice/Competition Logs
Missed Classes
Definition of Countable Athletically-Related Activity
Voluntary Summer Workouts
Outside Competition
Promotional Activities and Public Service
Recruiting - Student-Athlete Involvement
Transfer Regulations
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43-44
COMMUNICATIONS
Athletic Communications and Media Relations
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MEDICAL SERVICES
Athletic Training Services
Emergency Procedures
Emergency Plan for Practice and Competition
Physician Services
X-Ray, Laboratory, and Pharmacy Procedures
Pre-Participation Physical Examination
Alcohol and Drug Education/Testing
Rutgers Substance Abuse Program
NCAA Banned Drug Classes
Athletic Insurance Coverage & Procedures
Responsibilities of Student-Athletes
Consequences of Unsettled Medical Expenses
Special Medical-Related Services
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58-59
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Department Awards & Recognition
15 Social Media Tips
How to Meet Your Professors
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ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is to reflect, reinforce, and enhance
the educational mission of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey by creating an
environment of excellence where student-athletes will develop the life skills, academic
skills, and athletic skills that will enable them to earn degrees, become leaders, and win
championships. In all areas of its operation, the Division’s student-athletes, coaches, staff
and programs shall embody the core values of accountability, respect, integrity, academic
achievement, community service, fairness, diversity, and sportsmanship.
UNIVERSITY RESOURCES FOR QUESTIONS, ISSUES AND
CONCERNS
From time to time, you may encounter a problem, issue or concern that you cannot resolve on your
own. Rutgers University has many resources to assist students, faculty and staff in resolving
issues, questions and concerns. Below is a list of many of the resources that are here to help you.
If you have a question, concern or complaint, your coaching staff can generally assist you by
helping you resolve the issue or by referring you to someone who can assist you. In the event that
your coaching staff cannot assist you or you cannot take the issue to your coaching staff, please
refer to the below resources available to you within the athletic department and the university,
depending on your specific situation. If you still do not find a resource that can assist you, please
refer to the www.rutgers.edu for information about additional resources available to you at Rutgers.
Athletic Department

Within this handbook are contained select policies and procedures of the athletic
department and the university along with numerous contacts.

Your sport’s administrator is a resource who may assist in resolving issues, questions
or concerns. If he/she cannot provide resolution, he/she will refer you to an individual
or office who can aid in resolution.

You may also confer with your athletic trainer, academic advisor, the Leadership
Academy staff, the Faculty Athletic Representative, or anyone else within the Athletic
Department that you feel comfortable with.
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Office of Student Affairs
Office of Student Conduct – The Office of Student Conduct administers the student disciplinary
system, investigating and adjudicating alleged incidents of student misconduct and academic
dishonesty. It enforces the University Code of Student Conduct and the Academic Integrity Policy.
It can assist in situations that involve disputes between students.

General website: http://studentconduct.rutgers.edu

Phone: 732-932-9414

Link to online complaint reporting:
https://publicdocs.maxient.com/incidentreport.php?RutgersUniv
Title IX Compliance – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits
sex discrimination in education. It reads: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of
sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual assault. While it is often thought of as a
law that applies to athletics programs, Title IX is much broader than athletics and applies to many
programs at Rutgers. While compliance with the law is everyone’s responsibility at the university,
listed below are the staff members who have primary responsibility for Title IX compliance:
Complaints Concerning Gender Equity in Athletics
Kate Hickey, Title IX Coordinator, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Olympic Sports
(732-445-7899), or [email protected].
Complaints Against a Student
Jackie Moran, Title IX Coordinator, Office of Student Affairs
(848-932-8576), or [email protected])
http://compliance.rutgers.edu
Bias Prevention and Education Committee - The Bias Prevention and Education Committee is a
two-tiered body comprised of the Deans of Students Bias Response Team and the Bias Prevention
Education Advisory Panel working in concert to monitor, prevent, report, respond, and restore
environments in the aftermath of bias incidents.

http://deanofstudents.rutgers.edu/bias-prevention

Co-Chair: Michelle Jefferson, 732-932-3625 or 732-932-3029

Co-Chair: Mostafa Khalifa, 848-445-3215
Office of Victim Assistance & Violence Prevention – The Office of Victim Assistance and
Violence Prevention is committed to creating a community free from violence -provides services
designed to raise awareness of and respond to the impact of interpersonal violence and other
crimes.

http://vpva.rutgers.edu

Phone: 732-932-1181
Center for Social Justice Education and LGBTQ Communities – The Office of Social Justice
Education and LGBTQ Communities provides educational, social and leadership development
programs and activities for LGBT students, allies, and staff/faculty liaisons for LGBT students.

http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/

848-445-4141
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University Ombudsperson
The University Ombudsperson is a confidential, neutral, independent, and informal office where
students have access to high-level assistance in dealing with difficult and complex issues related to
academics, student life, and other concerns.

http://ombuds.rutgers.edu

848-932-1452
University Human Resources
Office of Employment Equity – The Office of Employment Equity, within University Human
Resources, supports the university’s commitment to preventing discrimination and advancing equal
opportunity. This includes providing services aimed at preventing and resolving complaints of
discrimination and harassment.

http://uhr.rutgers.edu/equity

Phone: 848-932-3979
Rutgers University Police Department
RUPD is committed to providing law enforcement and security services to enhance the quality of
life for all students, employees, and visitors.
o
http://rupd.rutgers.edu
o
Phone: 732-932-7111 or 2-7111 from any campus phone
CODES OF CONDUCT
Rutgers’ Code of Student Conduct
All Rutgers students are obligated to follow the university’s Code of Student Conduct. The Code
specifies behaviors and actions that are not acceptable and will result in university disciplinary
action. All students are expected to be fully informed of the behaviors that will bring about
disciplinary actions by the university. Some prohibited behaviors and actions include academic
dishonesty, assault, hazing, harassment, alcohol and drug use and other offenses of the law. The
full text of the University’s Code of Student Conduct as well as information on the student conduct
process may be found via the university’s Office of Student Conduct website
(http://judicialaffairs.rutgers.edu/). When a student-athlete is found to have violated the university’s
Code of Student Conduct, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will determine if athletics-related
sanctions are also appropriate, up to and including termination of athletic scholarship and dismissal
from the team.
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
As a Rutgers student-athlete, you represent the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and the
university at all times. You must take this responsibility seriously and conduct yourself with the
highest standards of honesty, integrity and class. Your conduct and appearance must reflect well
on the university, the division and your team, whether you are on-campus, off-campus or on the
internet/on-line. Conduct that does not reflect these high standards may result in disciplinary
action including suspension from practice or competition activities, termination of your athletic
scholarship, or dismissal from your team.
Your Team
Each Head Coach will establish his/her team’s Code of Conduct. The team code of conduct will
reflect what is expected of you as a student-athlete in your specific sport. The standards in your
team’s code of conduct will address such issues as: training and practice criteria, class
attendance, academic responsibility, punctuality, dress code and behavior on team trips, and
standards of behavior and discipline. A written copy of your team’s code of conduct will be
provided to you at the beginning of the academic year. Failure to comply with your team’s code of
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conduct may result in suspension, termination of your athletic scholarship, and dismissal from your
team in addition to any other consequences outlined in your team’s code of conduct.
EQUIPMENT ISSUE AND SUPPLIES
Student-athletes are eligible to receive equipment ONLY when the following are completed and on
file with the Equipment Manager:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Athletic Physical Form
Athletic Insurance Form
Listed on team roster by coach
Included on team Eligibility Certification List by Office of Compliance
A student-athlete record card is provided for all items issued by the equipment manager for your
sport. Each student-athlete must sign the card indicating that equipment is in his/her possession
and he/she is fully responsible for its care and return. All issued equipment is to be returned at the
conclusion of the season to the Equipment Manager. Missing/not returned equipment will be
reported to the Office of Compliance and Business Office for billing and a hold placed on the
student-athlete’s student account until either the equipment is returned or payment is made.
EXIT SURVEYS
Each year the athletics department asks all senior student-athletes to complete an exit survey in
regard to their athletic, academic and other experiences at Rutgers. NCAA rules require that
institutions conduct exit interviews with a sample of student-athletes who have exhausted their
eligibility to gain feedback on their experiences as student-athletes. All senior student-athletes
have the opportunity to participate in an in-person exit interview with their sport administrator in
addition to completing the exit survey. Feedback from the surveys and interviews is used in
evaluating whether the athletics department is providing the best possible environment and
opportunities for all student-athletes. Questions regarding exit surveys and interviews should be
directed to Kate Hickey.
FACULTY MENTORING PROGRAM
The Rutgers University Faculty Mentoring Program for Student-Athletes (RU FacMenSA) aims to
foster understanding between the university's faculty members and staff, and student-athletes, and
to provide student-athletes
with role models outside
their normal academic and
athletic environments. The
program is designed to be
flexible in its scope and
encompassing in its vision,
so that both studentathletes
and
Faculty
Mentors
may
garner
maximum benefit from the
program. Each team is
assigned a faculty mentor.
The mentor may be
incorporated
in
team
activities as determined by each head coach. Student-athletes may ask Faculty Mentors to serve
as informal career counselors, general life advisors, mature adults in whom to confide in loco
parentis, or in other appropriate functions.
The RU FacMenSA website is
http://mentoring.rutgers.edu/.
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GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES
Rutgers University is committed to an environment of fair and equitable treatment of all studentathletes while also holding student-athletes accountable to standards of conduct as outlined in the
Rutgers Student-Athlete Handbook, individual team codes of conduct, and any other standards of
conduct made known to Rutgers students and/or student-athletes.
On the occasion you feel you have not been treated fairly and equitably, you have the opportunity
to bring forward any grievances you have that arise from actions concerning you by your coach
and other staff members of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Division has put the
following procedure in place to hear grievances arising from your participation in intercollegiate
athletics and give you the opportunity to contest an action taken against you.
You may use this grievance procedure for actions such as the following by members of the
Athletics staff: being subject to abusive language or threats; unreasonable disciplinary actions,
unwarranted expulsion from team activities, or unreasonable threats to withdraw your grant-in-aid,
scholarship, etc. (also see note included below this policy). If you wish to contest an action, please
follow the process outlined below:
1.
You should seek a meeting, within 10 business days, with the person whom
you believe has taken the action against you, to discuss your complaint
and attempt to resolve the matter with this person. It shall be acceptable
for you and/or the person whom you believe has taken the action against
you to request that a third party be present for this meeting (e.g., you may
request the presence of an assistant coach or teammate be present, your
coach may request his/her administrator be present). All parties shall be
notified in advance of the meeting if a third party will be attending.
2.
If you are unable to resolve your complaint in this manner, then within 10
business days of the meeting (or, if the other party refuses to meet with
you, then within 10 business days of notification of refusal to meet),
submit a written request (including an explanation of the situation) to meet
with your sport’s administrator to discuss your grievance and seek a
resolution with your sport’s administrator. In addition to any verbal
decision provided to you following this meeting, a written finding will be
provided to you by your sport’s administrator.
3.
If you are unable to resolve your grievance with your sport’s administrator, you
may meet with the Director of Athletics. You must submit a written
request (including an explanation of the situation) to meet with the Director
of Athletics within 10 business days of the date of the written finding
provided to you by your sport’s administrator. In addition to any verbal
decision provided to you by the Director of Athletics, a written finding will
be provided to you by the Director of Athletics.
4.
If you are unable to resolve your grievance with the Director of Athletics, you
may request a meeting with the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR).
You must submit a written request (including an explanation of the
situation) to meet with the FAR within 10 business days of the date of the
written finding provided to you by the Director of Athletics. After
discussing your grievance with the FAR, he/she will make a judgment on
the merits of your grievance and inform you of the decision in writing. The
decision of the FAR will be final.
a.
If the FAR determines that your grievance is without merit, you shall
be so informed in writing. The reasons for this determination shall
be stated. The matter shall be ended at this point unless you
should choose to pursue this matter through other established
University procedures.
b.
If the FAR determines that your grievance has merit, he/she is
required to arrange a meeting with the Director of Athletics and the
other party to your grievance in an attempt to resolve the grievance.
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You shall be informed by the FAR in writing about the outcome of
this meeting.
Note: If you are complaining about sexual harassment, or harassment based on race, religion,
color, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, disability, marital or veteran status, you
may consult the University’s Policy Prohibiting Harassment. This Policy may be found in University
Regulation 60.1.8 (http://policies.rutgers.edu/contents_index.shtml).
If your complaint of
harassment arises from actions of an employee or student employee, you may follow the Rutgers
University Harassment Complaint Process (see below section of this Handbook).
If your complaint of harassment arises from actions of another student, you should follow the
process set forth in the University Code of Student Conduct (http://judicialaffairs.rutgers.edu/) and
the University Student Life Policy Against Verbal Assaults, Defamation and Harassment
(http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/resources/bias-prevention/policy-against-verbal-assaultdefamation-and-haras
UNIVERSITY POLICY PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT
Harassment of students by persons associated with Rutgers, including those who do business with
the university, that is based on membership in certain protected categories, is a violation of the
Rutgers University Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment. Harassment is a form of
discrimination, and is particularly troublesome in an education environment, which is based on trust
and the free exchange of ideas. In the context of athletics programs, harassment limits the ability of
athletes to develop their full potential in sports and academics.
Rutgers University's Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment has been developed and
implemented to make the benefits and services of its education program available to students
without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex,
pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic information,
atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership
status, military service, veteran status or any other category protected by law.
Complaints concerning student-to-student sexual harassment, sex discrimination, or sexual
assault, should be made to Jackie Moran, Director of Compliance/Title IX Coordinator, Office of
Student Affairs, at 848-932-8576 or [email protected]; or to Anne Newman, Director of
Student Conduct/Deputy Title IX Coordinator, at 848-932-9414 x 104, or
[email protected]. Complaints concerning student-to-student harassment or
discrimination based on membership in a protected class, other than sex, also should be made to
Ms. Newman at 848-932-9414 x 104, or [email protected].
Complaints by students against a Rutgers faculty or staff member, or others associated with
Rutgers, including those who do business with the university, for sexual harassment, sex
discrimination, harassment or discrimination based on membership in a protected class other than
sex, or sexual assault, should be made to Lisa Grosskreutz, Associate Director, Office of
Employment Equity/Title IX Coordinator for Faculty and Staff, at 848-932-3980, or
[email protected]. In addition, any individual who believes that he or she has been the
victim of a crime (including but not limited to forced physical contact and/or sexual assault) also
has a right, and is encouraged, to report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Questions about law enforcement assistance and involvement may be directed to the Chief of
Police.
Rutgers takes harassment very seriously. It has dedicated substantial resources to investigate and
resolve claims of harassment and to protect victims of harassment. The Director of the Office of
Employment Equity supervises the operation of the Policy and the Discrimination and Harassment
Complaint Process. The Office is also a resource for all members of the university community, and
is responsible for arranging education and training for the community regarding the Policy and the
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Complaint Process. Contact information
[email protected].
for
the
Office
is
848-932-3973
or
HAZING
Hazing is strictly prohibited at Rutgers. The university’s definition of hazing applies to all student
organizations and groups on campus, including athletic teams. Any student-athlete engaging in
behaviors that violate the university’s hazing policy will be disciplined accordingly.
Hazing is defined as an act that is an explicit or implicit condition for initiation to, admission into,
affiliation with, or continued membership in a group or organization. Hazing is a broad term
encompassing any action or activity which does not contribute to the positive development of a
person; which inflicts or intends to cause physical or mental harm or anxieties; and/or which
demeans, degrades or disgraces any person regardless of location, intent or consent of
participants.
Hazing is antithetical to the mission of Rutgers University and has no place in our athletic
programs. Hazing incidents should be reported immediately to the involved team’s sport
administrator. Swift and appropriate action will be taken by the athletics department and the
university in all cases.
Hazing is also illegal in the State of New Jersey. Any incidents of hazing by or on behalf of any
Rutgers student will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
HOUSING
All returning student-athletes are fully responsible for securing their own housing. Returning
student-athletes wishing to live on-campus must follow the policies set forth by the university for all
students wishing to secure on-campus housing (for more information, go to
http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu). Returning student-athletes who elect to reside off-campus will
assume full responsibility for their living arrangement (e.g. application, lease, rent payment, utility
bills, etc.).
Housing for incoming freshman is handled by the head coach in coordination with the Associate
Athletic Director and the university’s Office of Residence Life.
PARKING
Every student-athlete (whether enrolled full-time or part-time) must have a valid Rutgers University
Parking Permit to park a vehicle anywhere on campus – including all parking lots (including the
gravel lot near the baseball/softball facilities) adjacent to athletics department facilities as well
as all other parking lots on campus. This pertains to parking for any purpose – including parking
for practice, lifting, meetings, training room, team travel, tutoring, etc. And, it applies even if you do
not live on campus.
You must park in the appropriate parking lot as indicated by the type of parking pass you have
purchased. If necessary, you may apply for an additional parking permit, for which there is a
charge. Such additional parking requests are reviewed by the Department of Transportation
Services to determine if additional parking access should be granted. If you are granted additional
parking, you must pay the cost for the additional parking. If you are not granted additional parking,
you will be expected to park where you were originally granted parking privileges.
You are responsible for paying all parking tickets you receive. Failure to pay parking tickets in a
timely fashion will affect your ability to register for classes for subsequent terms and may result in
towing of your vehicle. Ignorance is not an excuse!
Parking Permits can be purchased at the Department of Transportation Services at 55 Commercial
Avenue in the Public Safety Building or on line at http://rudots.rutgers.edu/.
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Additional information about parking and transportation may be found at the Department of
Transportation Services website: http://rudots.rutgers.edu. The website is updated to provide the
most up-to-date information on parking and transportation, including information on the Rutgers
bus system.
TRAVEL SAFETY
The university and athletics department have policies in place to ensure the safety of studentathletes and staff members during official university travel. The Associate Athletic Director for
Finance and Administration is the athletics department's primary coordinator for all travel policies.
The athletics department transports student-athletes via van, bus, and air. All individuals who
transport student-athletes must complete the university's Defensive Driving Course.
Student-athletes traveling to and from university funded and/or sponsored competitions must travel
with their team or be accompanied by a coach or staff member. The only exception to this policy is
if the student-athlete is traveling with his/her own parent or legal guardian.
SPORTSMANSHIP AND ETHICAL CONDUCT
Student-athletes at Rutgers University will carry the responsibility of always representing
themselves in an ethical and appropriate manner; this obligation includes representing their family,
their team, the athletics department, the University, and the Big Ten Conference at all times, on
and off the field. Student-athletes are expected to act with the highest standards of honesty,
integrity, and sportsmanship, no matter the venue. They must always display character even in the
face of adversity, exhibit the honor and dignity of fair play, and uphold the standards of ethical
conduct established by the NCAA, the Big Ten Conference, and Rutgers University.
Sportsmanship is defined as “conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports,
especially fair play, courtesy and respect for one’s opponent, striving spirit, and grace in winning
and losing.” Behaviors deemed unacceptable and unsportsmanlike by Rutgers and the Big Ten
Conference standards include verbal or physical abuse of game officials, opponents, coaches,
teammates, university or conference administrators, and spectators, in addition to public criticism
of game officials, opponents, coaches, and university and conference administrators, use of
obscene or otherwise inappropriate language or gestures, or engaging in other actions that violate
the generally recognized ethical standards of athletics participation.
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Finally, student-athletes shall not outwardly and intentionally draw attention to themselves as
individuals in any situation, winning or losing. Rutgers student-athletes will display grace in losing
and celebrate together as a team in winning.
BIG TEN CONFERENCE CODE OF SPO RTSMANSHIP
The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving
a member institution to be conducted without
compromise to any fundamental element of
sportsmanship. The following are Big Ten policies
adopted in a variety of sports intended to promote and
reinforce good sportsmanship:
•
Host institutions must provide adequate
security and protection for the visiting
team and officials and their vehicles
immediately upon arrival on campus continuing through their departure.
•
Bands and Student Sections – Per Big Ten Agreement 17.1.A (Student and Band
Sections), institutions will be held responsible for school sponsored student and band
sections that attack or single out student-athletes. An institution not in compliance with
this policy shall be subject to conference review and action.
•
Cheerleaders, dance teams, mascots and bands are encouraged to participate with
enthusiasm and in good taste but must not lead, encourage or participate in negative
or inappropriate cheers. Banging megaphones, instruments or other objects against
playing surfaces is prohibited. Cheerleaders, dance teams, mascots and bands must
not encourage the crowd to be disruptive in any situation. The location of
cheerleaders, dance teams, and mascots may be restricted on a sport-by-sport basis.
Any type of physical contact or negative verbal exchange between team mascots,
cheerleaders, dance teams, and band members of opposing teams and/or game
officials is strictly prohibited.
•
Nonpermissible Items – Home management is responsible for enforcing the Big Ten
policies in this regard. The following items may not be brought into the arena by
patrons: Alcoholic beverages, bottles, cans, cups or containers, irritants (e.g.,
noisemakers) or strobe lights. In addition, the facility may have additional restrictions
on items that can be brought into the arena.
•
Irritants - “Irritants” include such items as oversized flags, banners, or signs that may
block the view of other patrons. The management administrators are responsible for
determining whether a specific item in this category represents an “irritant” to other
patrons and whether it should be prohibited.
•
Home management shall "police" the throwing of snowballs or missiles of any type by
spectators and others and discourage bands and cheerleaders, etc. from participating
in unsportslike conduct.
12
THE DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
Thousands of people you may never know are helping you. From scholarships to uniforms to
playing fields; from academic support to training and medical attention – millions of dollars are
given each year to fund, in part or in whole, these items and many more.
The Rutgers Athletic Development staff proactively identifies individuals interested in supporting
Rutgers student-athletes and their sports programs through financial contributions. Donations,
which come from both individuals and organizations, are used to fund student-athlete
scholarships, construction and renovation of athletic facilities, team travel and equipment,
academic support and The Leadership Academy.
Donors who support Rutgers Athletics positively enhance the athletic and academic experience for
all of our student-athletes. In return, our student-athletes are expected to acknowledge the
generosity of these donors by exhibiting the highest degree of sportsmanship during competition,
by taking full advantage of all educational opportunities, and by actively volunteering within the
Rutgers and greater Piscataway/New Brunswick communities.
We work, on your behalf, with alumni, parents, faculty, university staff and friends to make your
student-athlete experience the best it can be. We are here to serve you, but you can also help us
by delivering a message of thanks to an athletic donor whenever you have the chance. It is our
hope that the experience you have at Rutgers will lead you to support a similar opportunity for the
next generation of student-athletes.
13
IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY PHONE NUMBERS
University Administration
Dr. Robert L. Barchi, University President
Tom Stephens, Faculty Athletics Representative
Felicia McGinty, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Sybil James, University Ombudsperson
(848) 932-7454
(732) 932-9412 ext. 24
(848) 932-8576
(848) 932-1452
Academic Services
School of Arts and Sciences – Advising Centers
Busch Campus (Student Center)
College Avenue Campus (Milledoler Hall)
Douglass Campus (College Hall)
Livingston Campus (Lucy Stone Hall)
Bloustein School
Business School
School of Communication, Information and Library Studies
School of Engineering
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
School of Management and Labor Relations
Human Resources Management
Labor Studies and Employment Relations
Mason Gross School of the Arts
School of Nursing
School of Pharmacy
School of Social Work
(732) 445-0163
(848) 932-8888
(732) 932-9729
(732) 445-2050
(848) 932-5475
(848) 445-3600
(848) 932-7500, ext. 8100
(848) 445-2212
(848) 932-3000 ext.504
(848) 445-5969
(848) 445-5969
(848) 932-8559
(848) 932-9360 ext. 503
(973) 353-5293
(848) 445-2675 ext. 600
(848) 932-7520 ext. 2
Deans of Students/Campus Deans
Busch Campus (Student Center)
College Avenue Campus (Bishop House)
Cook Campus (Student Center)
Douglass Campus (College Hall)
Livingston Campus (Lucy Stone Hall)
(848) 445-4724
(848) 932-2300
(848) 932-3625
(848) 932-2900 ext. 131
(848) 445-4088
Student Accounts Office
College Avenue Campus (Records Hall)
(848) 932-2254
Other Campus Numbers
Office of Compliance, Student Policy, Research Assessment
Financial Aid Office
Dining Services/Knight Express
Disability Services for Students
Housing Administration
Parking and Transportation
Registrar’s Office
Residence Life
RU Info
Office of Student Conduct
Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance
Office of Social Justice (LGBT and Bias Concerns)
(848) 932-8576
(848) 932-7057
(848) 932-8041
(848) 445-6800
(848) 932-1001
(848) 932-7744
(848) 445-7000
(848) 932-4371
(732) 445-4636
(848) 932-9414
(848) 932-1181
(848) 445-4141
14
WHO TO CALL
Agent Issues – Head Coach & Office of Compliance
Athletic Communications
445-4200
RAC
Class Scheduling - Academic Support
445-5120
Hale/RAC
Counseling - Dr. Robert Monaco
445-6258
Hale
Drug Education/Testing - Dr. Robert Monaco
445-6258
Hale
Eligibility
 Academic Support
 Office of Compliance
445-5120
445-8339
Hale/RAC
RAC
Employment – Rutgers Leadership Academy
947-9634
CAG
Equipment Rooms
445-4108
445-6357
932-8244
RAC
Hale
CAG
Financial Aid & Scholarships - Office of Compliance
445-7881
RAC
Gender Equity & Housing - Head Coach, Kate Hickey
445-7899
RAC
Insurance Coverage – Doctor’s Office
445-6258
Hale
Medical - Dr. Robert Monaco
445-6258
Hale
NCAA Rules - Office of Compliance
445-7845
RAC
Sport Administrators
 Julie Hermann – Football
 Kate Hickey – Olympic Sports
 Sarah Baumgardner – M/W Basketball
445-7899
445-7816
RAC
RAC
Student-Athlete Development, Rutgers Leadership Academy
 Shawn Tucker
947-9634
 Sheryl Spain
(646) 256-3334
CAG
CAG
Tickets / Players Comps
445-2766
RAC
(848) 932-8576
(848) 932-3979
445-7899
Old Queens
Old Queens
RAC
445-7898
445-7767
932-6687
445-5120
RAC
Hale
CAG
Hale
445-7806
445-6238
RAC
Hale
Title IX



Jackie Moran, Office of Student Affairs
Lisa Grosskreutz
Kate Hickey
Training Rooms
Tutoring
Weight Rooms
15
ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES FOR
STUDENT-ATHLETES
It is the objective of Academic Support Services for Student-Athletes (ASSSA) to provide Rutgers
University student-athletes with the resources and opportunities to achieve academic, career and
personal success.
ACADEMIC ADVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES
Meetings with Coaches - Each advisor will meet with their respective coaches before the start of
each semester to discuss academic procedures and policies. Each advisor will also meet with
coaches after each semester to review continuing eligibility issues. Each advisor will forward to the
head coaches on a weekly basis copies of weekly meetings with their student-athletes, progress
reports from professors, study hall
reports and admissions reports.
Team Meetings – Each advisor
will meet with each of his/her
assigned teams during the
beginning of each semester to
discuss academic policies and
important dates and deadlines for
the upcoming semester. Each
advisor will also meet with the
team after each semester to
review continuing eligibility issues.
Individual Academic Meetings All first semester freshman and
transfer students, as well as all
student-athletes whose cumulative GPA is a 2.0 or below, must meet with their academic advisor a
minimum of once per week. Student-athletes with a cumulative GPA between 2.01 and 2.25 must
meet with their academic advisor at the start of each semester to review their academic
program. Meetings may be required more often at the discretion of the advisor and head coach.
All student-athletes who do not have a regular weekly appointment with their academic advisor
must
complete
the
weekly
academic
update
form
online
at
www.scarletknights.com/academic/forms/forms.htm. Each first year student-athlete is recommended to
meet with his/her academic dean during the seventh week of the semester. It is strongly
recommended that every junior and senior meet with his/her advisor in his/her major/minor at the
beginning of each semester and prior to course registration for the following semester. Athletic
Academic Advisors are not the primary academic advisors for student-athletes. The college
academic deans and major/minor advisors are the primary advisors for all students.
EOF Students - Those students who are admitted through the Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF)
program at Rutgers University will be primarily advised and counseled through their EOF
counselor. EOF student-athletes are also required to meet with their athletic academic advisor as
specified in this policy.
First Academic Meeting – At the start of each student-athlete’s academic career at Rutgers,
his/her advisor will conduct an intake assessment including discussing academic goals, completing
time management planners and distributing professor lists for each student to complete. The
advisor will also explain policies regarding class attendance, academic monitoring, NCAA
continuing eligibility rules, study hall, tutoring services and the Individualized Academic
Plan. Advisors will send an academic report to the student-athlete's head coach on a weekly basis.
Individualized Academic Plan (IAP) - Academic advisors will work with each first year and each
At-Risk student-athlete to create an individualized academic plan for the semester. The plan will lay
16
out the student responsibilities (such as number of Study Hall hours, tutoring appointments, and
academic meetings with Deans and advisors) each semester. The academic advisor will teach the
student-athlete the GRADESFIRST system which includes the time management calendar for
them to use each week. The advisor will review the parameters and responsibilities of the plan with
each student, have the student sign the agreement and give a copy of the plan to the student and
head coach. A copy of the IAP will also be kept in the student's file.
Progress Reports – Each student-athlete is responsible for giving his or her academic advisor a
completed professor list, which will have the names, phone numbers, campus addresses, and email addresses of each of their professors/instructors for each semester. At the beginning of the
7th week of the semester, ASSSA will send out progress reports to professors of student-athletes
as identified by the academic advisor and head coach. For student-athletes in extreme academic
difficulty, advisors will make earlier contacts with professors to determine academic progress. At
the beginning of the 11th week of school, progress reports may be sent out for a second time. If
progress reports are not returned to advisors in a timely fashion, each advisor will make attempts
to contact professors/instructors through e-mail or telephone.
STUDY HALL POLICY
Various Study Hall locations
are monitored and staffed
with seniors and graduate
students. Because of the
increasing entry requirements
of most majors at Rutgers
University the department
recognizes the need to
prepare incoming studentathletes to ensure they are
able to enter the major of
their choice before the
completion
of
their
sophomore year. For the
most up-to-date listing of
locations and hours for study hall as well as study hall policies, please contact your advisor or go to
http://www.scarletknights.com/academic.
Directed Study Hall
Directed study hall is designed for a specific student-athlete or student-athletes by their athletic
academic advisor to meet individual academic needs. Directed study hall events may include,
tutoring appointments, Writing Center appointments, and other specific opportunities as approved
by the advisor. The following events may not be approved as directed study hall: career events,
wellness seminars, and Rutgers Leadership Academy programming.
Required Attendees and Required Hours
Freshmen -1st & 2nd term
10 hours/week
(Freshmen exempted after Cumulative 1st Term w/ GPA = 3.3)
Cum GPA 2.25 or below
10 hours/week
Probation for semester
10 hours/week
Term GPA below 2.0
10 hours/week
Cum GPA Between 2.26 and 2.499 8 hours/week
Cum GPA Between 2.50 and 2.750 6 hours/week
Note: Individual teams may require student-athletes to obtain more than the minimum number of
study hall hours per week.
17
TUTORING SERVICES
All tutoring will take place at the Hale Center, Rutgers Athletic Center, or Campus Learning
Centers during normal hours of operation. All exceptions must receive prior approval from the
Academic Services Coordinator or the Director of Academic Support Services for Student-Athletes.
All tutors hired by ASSSA must complete a Tutor Training program before they may work with
student-athletes. This program is coordinated by the Academic Services Coordinator in
conjunction with the Office of Compliance and the Campus Learning Centers. Tutors are required
to complete a tutoring report after each individual/group meeting. Tutors must submit their reports
to the Academic Services Coordinator after each session. The reports will be forwarded to the
advisor and coaches for each student-athlete. All tutors, paid and unpaid, must be approved by the
Academic Services Coordinator. No athletic department personnel (e.g., coaches, secretaries,
athletics administrators, etc.) are authorized to arrange, provide or change tutoring appointments
for student-athletes.
MISSED TUTORING POLICY
In order for a student-athlete to cancel a tutoring appointment the following must occur:
•
The student-athlete must cancel 24 hours prior to the appointment by contacting their
athletic academic advisor through e-mail or phone call.
•
The student-athlete receives confirmation from their athletic academic advisor that the
tutoring session has been canceled at the student-athlete’s request. If confirmation is
not received within 6 hours, please contact the ASSSA Office at 445-5120. The head
coach may be notified as to the reason the student-athlete requested the cancellation.
•
If the student-athlete misses a tutoring appointment for the first time without canceling,
as stated above, a warning will be issued by their athletic academic advisor.
•
If a second miss occurs without canceling, as stated above, the student-athlete will
receive another warning, and the team’s budget will be charged $50 for the tutoring
session. The head coach is permitted to require the student-athlete to repay the
team’s budget.
•
If a third miss occurs without canceling, as stated above, the student-athlete will be
required to meet with the Director of ASSSA, their head coach and sport administrator.
The sport administrator may suspend the student-athlete from the next competition.
The team’s budget will be charged $100 for the missed tutoring appointment and any
missed tutor appointments thereafter will continue to be charged double. The head
coach is permitted to require the student-athlete to repay the team’s budget.
REGISTRATION POLICY
The Academic First Year Dean at the respective colleges will register all of their college’s incoming
student-athletes for courses for the initial fall semester. Any conflicts with practice times can be
adjusted by athletic academic advisors. After the initial semester at Rutgers student-athletes will be
registered for courses each semester by their athletic academic advisor. It is highly recommended
that all freshmen and sophomores meet with their assistant dean/advisor at their respective college
prior to registration. It is highly recommended that all juniors and seniors meet with their academic
advisor in their major/minor prior to registration. Athletic Academic Advisors are not the primary
academic advisors for student-athletes. The college academic deans and major/minor
advisors are the primary advisors for all students.
ALL student-athletes must turn in their registration schedule form to their athletic academic advisor
no later than the Friday before registration begins. Due to NCAA eligibility requirements, only
your athletic academic advisor can drop you from a course at anytime.
The student-athlete is responsible for payment of the registration late fee ($50) if he or she is not
registered by the end of the University’s registration period. The student-athlete is also responsible
for all financial holds on his or her registration. If a financial hold causes the student-athlete to be
deregistered, the student-athlete is responsible to re-register.
18
All student-athletes who are funded by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics are required to enroll
in a minimum of 12 credits for their first semester and a minimum of 15 credits for each semester
thereafter. Permission can be granted by your athletic academic advisor to enroll you between 12
and 15 credits for individuals with special circumstances. If for any reason a student-athlete
withdraws from a course, it must be approved by his or her athletic academic advisor. Your athletic
academic advisor is the only person who can withdraw you from a course.
All completed registration forms will be signed by the athletic academic advisor and returned to the
Head Coach of each sport with the student-athlete’s computer printed schedule attached. All
student-athletes should check their registration on myRutgers portal to ensure that they are
registered for the courses they requested. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to obtain a
SPECIAL PERMISSION number if it is required for a course. The athletic academic advisor can
input the SPECIAL PERMISSION number for the course.
TRAVEL POLICY
An athletic academic advisor’s travel with a team will be determined by the team’s travel schedule
after review by the Director of ASSSA and the sport administrator. The advisor will organize team
study sessions, provide tutorial support, provide laptop computer access, and conduct academic
meetings.
MISSED CLASS TIME DUE TO TRAVEL AND HOME EVENTS
Each head coach must provide their academic advisor with a copy of their team’s travel schedule
and home event schedule before the start of each semester. Based on the team’s schedule,
ASSSA will provide a travel and home event release form letter at the start of each semester to all
teams. The letter will include a copy of the team’s schedule for the semester. Each student-athlete
must give the travel and home event release form to each of their professors at the beginning of
each semester for the professor’s signature. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to return
the signed copy of the travel release form to their athletic academic advisor within one week of
receiving it.
ENROLLMENT IN INDEPENDENT STUDY COURSES
Any student-athlete who wishes to enroll in an independent study course will normally make
arrangements for the course directly with the instructor. The director of ASSSA will assign an
ASSSA staff member to seek appropriate documentation from both the instructor and the studentathlete. The documentation, which may be in the form of a contract, letter, email correspondence,
syllabus, or other written agreement, must outline the course’s expectations, including readings,
assignments, meetings, deadlines, and assessment. Tutors will be assigned as needed, following
the normal tutoring policy. An academic department’s stated policies will have auspices over any
other arrangement and may preclude the need for an individual contract in some circumstances.
ENROLLMENT IN ONLINE COURSES
An online course is defined as any class delivered entirely or almost entirely via web sites
accessible through the internet or any course management system, a so-called CMS, such as
Blackboard, Sakai, WebCT, eCollege, eCompanion, or WebAssign. In such a course, during the
term, there is little or no direct, in-classroom contact between the instructor and students, and
students return assessments (e.g., quizzes, tests, assignments, etc.) to the instructor electronically.
Under normal circumstances in a given term, student-athletes* may register for only two online
(internet) course that is offered by units of Rutgers in New Brunswick/Piscataway.
All Online courses must meet the approval of the Academic Advisor.
The Academic Services Coordinator will review and approve tutorial support for online courses on
a by-case basis. Tutoring for such courses will be given preferably while student-athletes are not
19
online. Student-athletes who have documented learning disability accommodations may receive
tutorial assistance and learning specialist support in the course, preferably while they are not
online. ASSSA will:
Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Faculty Athletics Representative.
*This policy applies to student-athletes who are medically unable to continue athletics participation
and who are receiving an athletics scholarship; it does not apply to student-athletes who have
exhausted their eligibility.
ENFORCEMENT POLICY (for Missed Classes, Study Hall Hours and Academic Meetings)
When a student-athlete has an unexcused class absence, does not meet the weekly number of
Study Hall hours, misses an academic meeting/tutoring session without proper notice or misses a
deadline given by their athletic academic advisor, he or she will receive a written warning from their
Athletic Academic Advisor. The Athletic Academic Advisor will also inform the Head Coach and the
Director of ASSSA of his or her warning. Each student-athlete will be warned in this fashion a total
of two times.
If a student-athlete misses (classes, study hall hours, an academic meeting/ tutoring session or
deadline as assigned) a third time during the academic semester, a conference will be scheduled
with the Head Coach, Director of ASSSA, and the student-athlete to discuss the student-athlete’s
failure to abide by the academic policies of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.
If a student-athlete misses a fourth time he or she will be suspended from Intercollegiate Athletics
(practice and competition) for one week (7 days). The decision to suspend the student-athlete will
come from the Athletic Director who will notify the Head Coach. No student will be suspended for
one week until that student-athlete has been warned once by ASSSA.
If a student-athlete misses a fifth time he or she will be suspended from Intercollegiate Athletics
(practice and competition) for the remainder of the semester. As stated above, the decision to
suspend the student-athlete will come from the Athletic Director who will notify the Head
Coach. No student-athlete will be suspended for the semester without first being suspended for
one week.
Reinstatement to Intercollegiate Athletic participation will be at the discretion of the Athletic
Director.
CLASS CHECK POLICY
The student-athlete’s number one priority is to attend and participate in all of their classes each
semester. Class checks are intended to improve class attendance and report to the head coach
each day any student-athlete who misses class without a valid, approved excuse. Any studentathlete who misses a class will receive a warning as part of the enforcement policy.
•
It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to find the class checker with the clipboard
and BIG RED “R” on the back prior to or at the end of class.
•
The student-athlete must sign-in with the class checker even if the student-athlete was
in class before the class checker arrived.
•
Class checkers will be at Main Entrance for large classrooms.
•
Class checkers checking the beginning of class will arrive 10 minutes prior to the start
of class and remain for 20 minutes into the class.
20
•
Class Checkers checking at the end of class will arrive 30 minutes prior to the end of
the class.
USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES IN ATHLETICS COMPUTER LABS
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics prohibits the use of social networking websites, such as
Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, in its computer labs. Student-athletes using social networking
websites in athletics computer labs will be considered to have violated the Athletics Department’s
academic policy and will receive an academic warning (in accordance with the Enforcement Policy
described earlier in this section). The student-athlete’s head coach and sport administrator will also
be notified of the academic policy violation. A second violation related to use of Facebook, Twitter,
MySpace and etc. in an athletics department computer lab will result in the student-athlete losing
athletics computer lab privileges as well as a meeting with the student-athlete’s head coach, the
Director of ASSSA and the athletics director to discuss possible suspension from competition.
(See also “Other Student Services and Policies” section of this handbook for the department’s
general policy on use of such sites.)
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism - borrowing another writer's published works and ideas without direct quotation and
without crediting the source - is the most serious academic offense, since it is not only morally and
intellectually reprehensible but illegal as well (especially if the stolen material is published). This
includes use of other students' papers already submitted for a grade and information taken
specifically from the internet. Stated very simply, reference materials, whether quoted precisely,
restated in different words, or presented in summarized form, must not be submitted as the
student's own. A good rule to follow is this: any fact, opinion, or conclusion that is not considered
common knowledge should be footnoted.
ACADEMIC FRAUD
Academic fraud is an offense that could cause you to be suspended from the university and it is an
NCAA violation that will affect your eligibility.
Situations constituting academic fraud for purposes of NCAA rules include:
•
Anytime an institutional staff member (e.g., coach, professor, tutor, student manager, student
trainer, trainer, etc.) is knowingly involved in arranging for fraudulent academic credit or false
transcripts for a prospective student-athlete or an enrolled student-athlete, regardless of
whether the institutional staff member acted alone or in concert with the prospective or
enrolled student-athlete.
•
Anytime a student-athlete, acting alone or in concert with others, knowingly becomes
involved in arranging fraudulent academic credit or false transcripts, regardless of whether
such conduct results in the student-athlete erroneously being declared eligible.
•
When a student-athlete commits an academic offense (e.g., cheating on a test, plagiarism on
a term paper, etc.) with no involvement of an institutional staff member, and the academic
offense results in the student-athlete being declared eligible erroneously and the studentathlete then competes.
21
BOOK POLICY
Refer to the NCAA Rules section of this handbook under “Financial Aid.”
OTHER UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC SERVICES
The university and your specific college offer services to assist you academically in addition to
those the ASSSA staff provides. Examples of such services include the Writing Center and the
Learning Resource Centers. Please see your team’s athletic academic advisor for more
information on other services available to you.
RUTG ERS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
The mission of the Rutgers Leadership Academy is to equip student athletes with skills necessary
to achieve success during and after their collegiate careers by providing them with opportunities for
career, academic and personal development.
Throughout the year student-athletes are provided opportunities to take part in workshops that are
tailored to their specific needs according to their graduation class, sport and career interest.
Through a network of specialized personnel, alumni and supporters of the program, each workshop
is facilitated by individuals with
direct knowledge in their specific
field. This allows for the studentathlete to gain substantial insight
in all areas of development
throughout
their
collegiate
career.
Examples
of
programming offered via the
Rutgers Leadership Academy
include:
Career Development: resume
building,
individual
career
preparatory workshops, career
panels, mock interviews, career
field trip, networking functions, dress for
Careers in Marketing Panel
success workshops and career fairs.
Academic-Related: graduate school, time management, goal setting, study hall, new student
orientation, tutors, student-athlete of the month and identifying majors.
Personal Development: core values, financial management, personal branding, behavioral
assessment, SCREAM athletes, health & wellness and civic engagement.
RUTGERS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AWARD
In an effort to recognize those who take full advantage of Rutgers Leadership Academy offerings
as well as participate in activities in addition to those offered by the Rutgers Leadership Academy,
a Rutgers Leadership Award is given to the student-athlete who demonstrates excellent leadership
qualities in their community, university and sport. Throughout the academic year student-athletes
have the opportunity to earn points in five distinct categories; Academics, University, Personal,
Athletics and Community. The student-athlete who accumulates the most points will receive a
crystal block R award.
22
The Rutgers Leadership Academy continually assesses student-athlete needs and interest in order
to develop and schedule relevant programming. Any questions or suggestions for programming
should be directed to Shawn Tucker, Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development.
For additional information pertaining to career, academic or personal workshops, leadership award
leader-board, or the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) please visit
http://www.scarletknights.com/leadership/.
Sports Illustrated Career Field Trip
CAREER SERVICES
The University’s Career Services office provides information on career counseling and employment
services, offers an up-to-date career library to assist in choosing a major, planning or changing a
career, finding employment or applying to graduate school. Career Services also offers various
workshops throughout the year and an on-campus interview program. The athletics department’s
contact person in Career Services is Joe Scott (located at Busch Student Center: 445-6127).
There is also a Career Services Office on the College Avenue Campus (932-7997). Please see the
Career Services website (http://careerservices.rutgers.edu) for more information.
STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISO RY COMMITTEE (SAAC)
SAAC CREED
We are Leaders.
We accept the challenge to be engaged with SAAC and put forth the effort to be involved and while
open-minded contribute our creativity and leadership skills to attend events, create new events and
to get more athletes involved with SAAC.
We will use this opportunity to improve our listening, public speaking, leadership and creative skills
to help the community.
I must lead by example and be the example.
23
STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Each athletic team is represented by two student-athletes who serve on the SAAC and provide
communication to and from the team and the athletic administration regarding all aspects of the
intercollegiate athletic experience. The SAAC meets every first Wednesday of each month during
the fall semester and the last
Wednesday during the spring
at the Hale Center from
9:15pm -10pm. The group is
led by four members who are
elected as its Executive
Board. Elections occur
annually in December; the
Board term runs for the
calendar year. If you have a
question or concern that you
would like to discuss
regarding any aspect of your
intercollegiate athletic
experience, please contact
your
team's SAAC
Believe Bowl IV
representative. The SAAC
seeks all student-athletes' participation in projects such as Elijah’s Promise, March for Babies,
Read Across America, Eric LeGrand BELIEVE BOWL, Toy Drive, Color Games and many other
events where you have a great opportunity to help in the community, meet other student-athletes,
compete in fun games and socialize with your peers. For more information, contact Shawn Tucker,
Assoicate Athletic Director.
NCAA RULES & REGULATIO NS
As a Division I student-athlete, you must be aware of NCAA rules and regulations. Violations of
many NCAA rules will affect your eligibility to compete for Rutgers. As a result, it is important for
you to ask questions about NCAA and BIG TEN rules and to immediately report any suspected
violations to your coach, the Office of Compliance, your sport administrator, or Tom Stephens,
Faculty Athletics Representative. (Please see the inside front cover of this handbook for phone
numbers.) Following is a summary of some NCAA rules that affect you every day.
.
REPORTING NCAA VIOLATIONS
It is the obligation of every Rutgers employee and student-athlete to report any and all suspected
violations of NCAA or BIG TEN rules. Student-athletes should immediately report any and all
suspected violations to their coach, a member of the Office of Compliance, their sport’s program
administrator or the Faculty Athletics Representative.
ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS
FRESHMAN/INITIAL ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS
All freshmen must be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center in order to practice, compete and
receive institutional financial aid (including athletically-related financial aid). For more information
regarding the NCAA Eligibility Center, visit the NCAA website (www.ncaa.org) or the Eligibility
Center website (www.eligibilitycenter.org).
24
CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS
Each year you are in school, you must meet increasing credit hour and grade point average
standards in order to be eligible for athletic competition and team travel the following year.
The standards listed below are tied to the semester in school you are entering (i.e., 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th).
The standards listed in each section must be completed PRIOR to competing during the semester
specified. In sports other than baseball, if a student-athlete does not meet these standards, he/she
is ineligible for competition until he/she meets the appropriate standards at the start of the following
semester or at the start of the following academic year.
In baseball, student-athletes are required to meet all academic standards at the start of the
fall semester in order to be eligible for the entire academic year. They cannot start the year
ineligible and become eligible after the fall semester.
Entering
FullTime Semester
CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Credits Completed
Percentage of
During the Prior
Degree
Academic Year
Grade Point Average
3rd
24*
N/A
1.800
5th
18
40%
1.900
7th
18
60%
2.000
9th
18
80%
2.000
*Up to 6 of the 24 credits may have been completed during the summer before or after your
freshman year. You may also use up to 6 total remedial (E) credits towards the total of 24.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL STUDENT-ATHLETES
Six Credits per Semester
Regardless of where you are in your academic career, you must successfully complete six (6)
credits per semester you are enrolled as a full-time student in order to be eligible during the next
semester. Thus, you must successfully complete six credits each fall to be eligible the following
spring and you must successfully complete six credits each spring to be eligible the following fall.
Baseball Exception: Baseball student-athletes must meet all eligibility requirements
at the start of the fall semester in order to be eligible during the entire academic year.
For example, a baseball student-athlete who passes only five credits during the spring
2014 semester will be ineligible for the entire 2014-15 academic year.
Football Requirement: All football student-athletes must complete a minimum of nine
credit hours during the Fall semester. Failure to do so will require a four game
withholding penalty during the following football season. Football student-athletes may
earn back two games by completing 27 credit hours following the Fall, Spring, and
Summer semester/sessions. Hours earned by Freshmen during the Summer prior to
initial enrollment may be applied. One time during a football student-athlete’s eligibility
he may earn full eligibility after completing 27 credit hours during the Fall, Spring, and
Summer semesters/session.
Full-time Enrollment
In addition to the standards listed above, you must be enrolled at all times in 12 active credits (i.e.,
full-time). Anytime you become enrolled in less than 12 credits (whether due to intentionally
dropping a course, withdrawing from a course, or being dropped from one or more courses by the
university), you become immediately ineligible for further practice and competition until you
become a full-time student again.
25
There are three situations in which you are permitted to be enrolled in less than
12 credits and maintain your eligibility:
•
•
•
If you are taking all the courses necessary to complete your degree. Please see
the Office of Compliance or your academic advisor for more information.
During any vacation period between semesters (e.g., preseason football or
soccer, basketball or swimming during the semester break, etc.).
If you are enrolled in graduate school and the university defines full-time
enrollment for your program as less than 12 credits per semester.
Do not DROP/ADD a class without first consulting your college and/or major advisor and
your Athletic Academic Advisor. Competing while enrolled in less than 12 credits will cause
your team to forfeit contests in which you participated while enrolled in less than 12 credits
and will cause the university to incur a monetary fine for each contest in which you
participate while ineligible.
BIG TEN Conference
For additional BIG TEN Conference Eligibility Rules, please contact the Office of Compliance at
732-445-7843.
AGENTS
NCAA rules permit student-athletes to speak with and receive information from agents. However,
any student-athlete who agrees (either verbally or in writing, formally or informally) to be
represented for promotional or professional purposes by an agent becomes ineligible for further
athletic competition. In addition, neither the student-athlete nor his or her relatives or friends are
allowed to accept transportation or any other benefit from an individual seeking to represent the
student-athlete. A student-athlete may meet with a lawyer concerning a professional contract
without penalty or forfeiture of athletic eligibility, as long as the lawyer does not represent the
student-athlete in negotiations for such a contract and the student-athlete pays for services
rendered at the going rate. See your head coach or the Office of Compliance for more information
and before having any interaction with any agent or other individual interested in representing you.
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics maintains a policy on agents and other representatives
involved in the professional sports market. The policy is designed to 1) assist student-athletes who
are interested in furthering their athletic career after their collegiate experience, and 2) monitor
outside organizations and individuals who would like to contact Rutgers student-athletes for the
purpose of representation with a professional sports organization and/or in the professional sports
market. For a complete copy of this policy, please contact the Office of Compliance.
ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY
FIVE YEAR RULE/SEASONS OF COMPETITION
Each Division I student-athlete has five calendar years from his/her initial date of full-time
enrollment in which he/she may compete four years. An individual who was deemed a nonqualifier
upon graduating from high school may not practice or compete during his/her first year of full-time
attendance; he/she may practice and compete during the following four years provided he/she
meets all appropriate academic requirements.
NCAA Definition of Intercollegiate Competition
Intercollegiate competition occurs when a student-athlete in either a two-year or a four-year
collegiate institution:
a. Represents his/her institution in any contest against outside competition, regardless of
how the competition is classified (e.g., scrimmage, exhibition or joint practice session
26
b.
c.
with another institution's team, alumni game) or whether the student is enrolled in a
minimum full-time program of studies.
Competes in the uniform of his/her institution or, during the academic year utilizes any
apparel (excluding apparel no longer utilized by the institution) received from his/her
institution that includes institutional identification.
Competes and receives expenses (e.g., transportation, meals, lodging, or entry fees)
from his/her institution for the competition.
Exception for Field Hockey, Soccer and Women’s Volleyball: If a student-athlete in
field hockey, soccer or women’s volleyball did not compete during the fall season,
he/she may participate during the spring season in a contest against outside competition
without using a season of competition, provided he/she was academically eligible during
the fall season.
Red Shirting
Red shirting is not an official NCAA term, but the term is used when a student-athlete does not
participate in any competition (as defined above) during a particular academic year (i.e., neither in
the championship nor nonchampionship segment of the playing season). A student-athlete may
red-shirt at any point in his/her athletic career.
Medical Hardship Waiver
If a student-athlete competes during a season and is then injured to the point that he/she will not
compete again that season, the student-athlete may regain the season of competition if all of the
following conditions are met:
(a) The injury or illness suffered is incapacitating (i.e., season-ending); and
(b) The incapacitating injury or illness occurs in one of the four seasons of intercollegiate
competition at any two year or four-year collegiate institution; and
(c) The injury or illness occurs prior to the completion of the first half of the playing season that
concludes with the NCAA championship in that sport and results in an incapacity to compete for
the remainder of the playing season; and
27
(d) The injury or illness occurs before the student-athlete has participated in more than three
events or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the institution's scheduled or completed
events in his or her sport.
Nature of Injury/Illness
It is not necessary for the incapacitating injury or illness to be the direct result of the student's
participation in the institution's organized practice or game/competition. The student-athlete
may qualify for the hardship waiver as a result of any incapacitating injury or illness occurring
on or after the student-athlete’s first day of classes for his/her senior year of high school.
Reinjury in Second Half of Season
A student-athlete who suffers an injury in the first half of the season that concludes with the
NCAA championship, attempts to return to competition during the second half of that season
and then is unable to participate further as result of aggravating the original injury cannot
qualify for the hardship waiver.
Procedure to Request Medical Hardship Waiver
Requests for medical hardship waivers must be made in writing at the end of the season for which
the hardship waiver is being requested via the following procedure:
1.
The head coach must make the written request to the Office of Compliance via the Medical
Hardship Waiver Request Form.
2.
The Office of Compliance will request from the Director of Sports Medicine the appropriate
medical documentation to support the hardship waiver.
3.
The Office of Compliance will prepare and submit the formal request to the Big Ten
Conference office for consideration (if sufficient documentation exists to warrant the request).
AWARDS
NCAA rules limit the type and number of awards you may receive for participation on teams
representing Rutgers, teams not representing Rutgers (i.e., approved outside teams), and awards
you receive for participation as an individual. All awards you receive (other than those received
from your coach or the athletics department) must be approved by your coach and the Office of
Compliance before you receive them. Not seeking approval may cause you to jeopardize your
eligibility.
BOOSTERS AND BENEFITS
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is proud to have the loyal support of its alumni, fans and
friends. These individuals are also referred to as “boosters” or “Representatives of Athletic
Interests” by the NCAA. Alumni, friends and boosters are a very important part of our athletics
program. They provide necessary moral and financial support for all of Rutgers’ teams.
We expect everyone associated with the Rutgers athletics program, including alumni, friends of the
program and boosters, to exhibit the highest standards of ethical conduct and sportsmanship in
their association with Rutgers, including following the NCAA rules and regulations related to
interactions with student-athletes. It is important that you become familiar with these regulations
and abide by them in order to ensure you do not jeopardize your eligibility. If you have any
questions about contact with alumni, fans, friends of the program or boosters please contact the
Office of Compliance.
A Booster or Representative of Athletic Interests is anyone who:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Is or has ever been a member of the Touchdown Club, Court Club, Cagers Club, R
Team, or any of the sport specific support groups;
Has ever made a donation to Rutgers Athletics, including to a specific men’s or
women’s program;
Has ever arranged or provided summer employment for enrolled student-athletes;
Has ever assisted in providing any benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their
families; and/or
28
5.
Has ever been involved in promoting the Rutgers University athletic program.
NCAA rules stipulate that once someone becomes an “athletic representative” they retain that
identity forever, even if they no longer contribute to the athletic program.
EXTRA BENEFITS FOR PROSPECTIVE AND ENROLLED STUDENT-ATHLETES
NCAA rules specifically state that athletic representatives cannot provide an “extra benefit” or make
a special arrangement for a prospective student-athlete or an enrolled student-athlete, their
relatives or friends. An extra benefit is defined as: any special arrangement by an institutional
employee or athletic representative to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relative or
friend a benefit not expressly permitted by NCAA rules.
A Booster MAY NOT participate in any of the following activities with prospective or
enrolled student-athletes – or their relatives or friends:
1.
Give cash or loans in any amount.
2.
Sign or co-sign a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan.
3.
Give gifts of any kind (e.g., birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day) or free services (e.g.,
clothing, airline tickets, laundry, car repair, haircuts, meals in restaurants).
4.
Provide special discounts for goods or services (e.g., restaurant meals, laundry,
storage during the summer/academic year).
5.
Provide use of an automobile.
6.
Provide hospitality in their home other than for special occasions (e.g., Thanksgiving,
birthday).
7.
Invite student-athletes to their summer home to go waterskiing, sailing, etc.
8.
Provide transportation within or outside of the campus area (e.g. from the airport to
campus, to a summer job, etc.). The only exception is that a booster can provide a
student-athlete with transportation to the booster’s home (not someone else’s home)
for an occasional meal.
9.
Entertain or contact a prospect or prospect’s family on or off campus.
10. Provide tickets to an athletic, institutional or community event.
11. Provide rent free housing, reduced rent housing or a benefit connected with on or off
campus housing (e.g., individual television sets or stereo equipment, specialized
recreational facilities).
12. Provide guarantee of a bond.
13. Provide promise of financial aid for post graduate education or employment after
college.
14. Allow use of a telephone to make free long distance calls.
Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their relatives or friends, is not violation of NCAA rules if
the same benefit is proven to be available in the same manner to the institution’s students and their
relatives or friends. In addition, NCAA rules specifically permit a booster to be involved in the
following activities with enrolled student-athletes (not prospects):
1.
2.
Provide a student-athlete a meal at the booster’s home or on-campus – only on a
special occasion (e.g., Thanksgiving, birthday). Boosters may provide transportation
to their home for a meal provided at their home. Prior to attending any such meal,
contact your coach and the Office of Compliance.
Invite a team for dinner or to meet with a group of alumni in a city where they are
competing. As a team, the NCAA permits you to receive special benefits not
permitted as individuals. Arrangements for such events must be made in advance with
the head coach and athletic department.
It is your responsibility and obligation to report to your coach or the Office of Compliance any
information you have regarding potential rules violations - either intentional or unintentional.
29
BENEFITS FROM RUTGERS STAFF MEMBERS
The NCAA restricts the types of benefits student-athletes may receive from coaches and other
institutional staff members. While the “extra benefit” rule also applies to benefits you might receive
from a coach or staff member of the university, the NCAA rules allow coaches and institutional staff
members to provide many specific benefits to student-athletes and their families. Below is a partial
list of benefits that Rutgers and its staff members are permitted to provide you:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Academic support, counseling and tutoring services.
Use of computers, copy machines, and fax machines for course related work, only with the
approval of your academic advisor.
Occasional local transportation.
An occasional meal with a staff member in the Rutgers area (including at a restaurant).
Credit for frequent flier miles for airplane flights associated with team travel.
Refreshments at educational and business meetings, and for celebratory occasions – for you
and your family.
Entertainment in conjunction with away from home contests and during official vacation
periods when your team is in season.
COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSIONS
NCAA rules permit each student-athlete to assign up to four complimentary admissions per game
for the sport in which they participate (in sports in which the athletics department charges
admission). The department may set a lower limit at its discretion. Student-athlete guests must be
admitted to the event via a pass list and are required to show identification in order to receive
admission. No actual tickets may be issued. Student-athletes must sign up for complimentary
admissions following procedures set up by the Athletic Ticket Office in accordance with NCAA
regulations. Student-athletes are not permitted to sell their complimentary admissions or exchange
them for other items/services of value.
EMPLOYMENT
NCAA rules do not limit
the amount of money
student-athletes may earn
through
legitimate
employment during the
academic
year
or
summer. However, you
must still follow some
basic rules related to
employment in order to
ensure that you retain
your eligibility:
•
You may not
be paid
because of
the
reputation, fame or personal following you have achieved as an athlete.
•
You may be compensated only for work you actually perform.
•
You must be compensated at the same pay rate as others employed for similar
services.
Student-athletes who wish to work are required to contact their coach and the Office of Compliance
at 445-8339, prior to accepting off-campus employment.
30
Exhausted Eligibility: If you have exhausted your eligibility and will never practice or compete in
intercollegiate athletics again, you may be employed without checking with your coach or the Office
of Compliance.
Employment at Camps: Student-athletes in sports other than football may be employed in a
Rutgers camp but must receive written permission from the Director of Athletics prior to such
employment. See your head coach or the Office of Compliance for further information. Football
student-athletes may be employed in a Rutgers sports camp other than a football camp.
FINANCIAL AID
SCHOLARSHIPS
NCAA rules permit athletic financial aid to be awarded for no less than one academic year and not
for a period that would exceed the student's five-year period of eligibility. One year grants-in-aid
shall be awarded in equal amounts for each term of the academic year. Rutgers may cover no
more than tuition, fees, room, board, and course required books. All scholarship recommendations
are made by the head coach to the Office of Compliance and approved by the sport’s administrator
and Director of Athletics. The Office of Compliance, in turn, communicates the recommendations
to the University Office of Financial Aid. The University Office of Financial Aid administers all
scholarship awards and need-based financial aid. Financial aid agreements must be signed and
returned by the first day of classes of the academic semester.
FINANCIAL AID LIMIT
While a student-athlete may receive athletics financial aid to cover tuition, fees, room, board and
course required books, he/she may also receive additional financial aid from non-athleticallyrelated sources up to his/her cost of attendance (or up to a full grant-in-aid plus a Pell Grant,
whichever is greater).
STUDENT LOANS/GRANTS
Any student may apply for a student loan or need-based financial aid via the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). All financial aid must be administered by the University Office of
Financial Aid in accordance with federal, state, university, and NCAA guidelines. If you receive any
athletically-related financial aid, any other Rutgers financial aid you receive may count against your
team’s financial aid limit. You must check with your coach before accepting any Rutgers financial
aid. Failure to do so could result in loss of scholarships for you and your team.
OUTSIDE SCHOLARSHIPS
You must report to the Office of Compliance all financial aid and assistance received from sources
other than your parents/legal guardians and Rutgers (e.g., high school booster club, church, civic
organization, club teams, etc.) prior to accepting any such aid. If not received in accordance with
NCAA rules, receipt of such scholarships could affect your eligibility and could result in loss of
scholarships for you and your team.
STUDENT-ATHLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR UNIVERSITY CHARGES
Even if you are receiving an athletic scholarship or other financial aid, you must ensure that all
financial obligations and appropriate paperwork are processed so your term bill will be paid. This
includes reviewing and acting on your term bill (if necessary) even if you receive an athletics
scholarship. Failure to do so will cause you to be automatically de-registered from your courses.
Student-athletes are responsible for all late fees, dorm damage, fire code violations, parking
tickets, failure to return keys and other costs related to their negligence. Payment of such fees
must be in keeping with normal university policies and procedures. Any special arrangement for
payment of such fees that is not normally afforded to other students is considered an extra benefit
and an NCAA violation.
31
BOOK POLICY
Only student-athletes receiving a scholarship that covers books may receive books at no charge
from the university or any staff member of the university. Nonscholarship student-athletes and
student-athletes receiving a scholarship that does not cover books will be in violation of NCAA
rules if they receive books at no charge from any athletic department staff member, academic
support staff member (including tutors), or other student-athlete who is receiving a book
scholarship.
For any individual who receives books as part of their scholarship, NCAA rules permit the
university to provide only required course related books (not recommended books and readings).
Individuals receiving books as part of their scholarship must see their academic advisor for their
books at the start of each semester. The books will be charged to the athletics department. At the
end of the semester (not before the end of the semester), individuals may return their used books
to the bookstore and retain the money received for the books, or may keep the books.
Student-athletes who receive books as part of their scholarship are NOT PERMITTED to pick up
their textbooks from the bookstore unless approved by their athletic academic advisor. Any
student-athlete who receives books as part of their scholarship and who wishes to drop or withdraw
from a course, must bring the book for that course to their academic advisor before the advisor will
drop or withdraw the student-athlete from the course. Furthermore, if a student-athlete fails a
course that must be repeated, the Athletic Department will not provide a new textbook for
the same course. Student-athletes are advised NOT to sell back the books from the failed
course.
Any attempt by a student-athlete receiving books via scholarship to sell back their
books prior to the end of the semester will jeopardize their athletic eligibility
immediately and they will face disciplinary action by the athletic department. Any
attempt by a student-athlete receiving books via scholarship to purchase additional
books for courses not on their registration schedule or for another student (including
another student-athlete) will also jeopardize their eligibility immediately and result in
disciplinary action by the athletic department.
LOST AND STOLEN BOOKS
The athletic department may not replace lost books for a student-athlete – including a studentathlete receiving books as part of their scholarship. The athletic department may replace stolen
books for student-athlete receiving a book scholarship. For such replacement to occur, the
student-athlete must file a police report in regard to the books being stolen and must provide a
copy of the police report to the athletic department before new books can be purchased for the
student-athlete. Should the student-athlete’s original books be located, one set of books must be
returned to the student-athlete’s academic advisor.
CANCELLATION, REDUCTION, RENEWAL AND NONRENEWAL OF FINANCIAL AID
The university is required to annually notify each student-athlete with eligibility remaining whether
or not his/her athletically-related financial aid will be renewed at the conclusion of the award period.
Notices of athletic aid renewal, reduction, and nonrenewal must be sent out by the university by
July 1 each year.
A student-athlete’s athletic scholarship may be reduced or cancelled immediately, including while
the semester is in progress, if: the student-athlete becomes ineligible for competition;
misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement; violates
university or athletics department rules resulting in disciplinary action; voluntarily withdraws from
the team; or violates any other provision of the terms and conditions of his/her financial aid.
Hearing Opportunity If Aid Is Cancelled/Reduced/Not Renewed
Anytime a student-athlete’s financial aid is cancelled, reduced or not renewed, the student-athlete
shall receive written notification of both the cancellation/reduction/nonrenewal and an opportunity
32
to appeal this decision to a committee made up of individuals outside of the Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics. Included with the written notification will be a copy of the university’s
established policies and procedures for conducting the hearing. This hearing, if requested, will be
the student-athlete’s only opportunity to appeal the cancellation/reduction/nonrenewal. All facts
pertinent to the student-athlete’s appeal must be presented at the hearing to be considered in the
committee’s decision making process.
FINANCIAL AID FOR FIFTH-YEAR STUDENT-ATHLETES (WITH NO REMAINING
ELIGIBILITY)
Student-athletes who have completed their eligibility and must complete additional coursework
towards their undergraduate degree may request financial assistance via their coach. Their coach
may provide funding via his/her scholarship budget or request assistance via the Student-Athlete
Opportunity Fund.
All student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and who continue receiving an athletics
scholarship must sign a Nonparticipating Student-Athlete Agreement in addition to their scholarship
agreement. The Nonparticipating Student-Athlete Agreement outlines what is expected of studentathletes who continue to receive an athletics scholarship and are no longer an active member of a
team. The agreement is binding on the student-athlete and carries financial consequences for not
adhering to the agreement. The agreement will be administered to student-athletes by the Office
of Compliance.
FINANCIAL AID FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES WITH CAREER-ENDING INJURIES
On the occasion that a student-athlete becomes injured or ill to the point that they will never again
be able participate in intercollegiate athletics, it is permissible under NCAA rules for a coach to
continue that student-athlete’s scholarship without the amount of scholarship aid provided to that
student-athlete being countable in that team’s financial aid limitations. For the scholarship aid to
be exempted, the student-athlete’s injury or illness must be certified as career-ending by a
physician, usually the team physician. For the medical documentation to be complete, the studentathlete must sign a statement with the team physician indicating that they understand their medical
condition and that they cannot participate in intercollegiate athletics again.
All student-athletes who become permanently medically unable to participate and who continue
receiving an athletics scholarship must sign a Nonparticipating Student-Athlete Agreement in
addition to their scholarship agreement. The Nonparticipating Student-Athlete Agreement outlines
what is expected of student-athletes who continue to receive an athletics scholarship and are no
longer an active member of a team. The agreement is binding on the student-athlete and carries
financial consequences for not adhering to the agreement. The agreement will be administered to
student-athletes by the Office of Compliance.
SUMMER SCHOOL FINANCIAL AID POLICY
Athletic scholarships do not include financial aid for summer school. Financial aid for studentathletes taking summer courses is limited. Student-athletes must apply for summer funding
through their academic advisor and head coach during the spring semester. Applications are
reviewed by the following individuals: academic advisors, the Director of ASSSA, the Director of
Athletics, sport administrators, and the Associate Athletic Director for Finance and
Administration. To be considered for funding for summer school, a student-athlete must have been
on a team roster during the preceding academic year including the spring semester and have not
completed his or her eligibility during the previous school year and/or needs the hours for
graduation. Once the administration determines who will be funded for summer school, studentathletes are notified of their summer aid award through the ASSSA staff.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate a student-athlete’s eligibility to receive athletically
related aid.
33
Funding Priorities
1.
Student-athletes who fall short of NCAA eligibility and require improvement in any of the
following areas: (a) credit accumulation, (b) major, (c) GPA.
2.
Student-athletes who do not meet graduation requirements.
3.
Student-athletes who request special consideration to attend summer school.
Funding Factors
The following factors will be taken into consideration before final funding decisions are made:
1.
A history of poor academic performance for the preceding fall and spring semesters by
failure of one or more courses, excessive unexcused class absenteeism, failure to do
required course assignments, failure to seek and utilize tutorial assistance, and unauthorized
course withdrawals.
2.
Unresolved temporary grades for preceding fall or spring semesters.
3.
Course withdrawals without authorization or failure of a summer course(s) due to unexcused
absenteeism and/or failure to complete required assignments may cause loss of continued
funding for sessions in the same or subsequent summers.
Housing
1.
Student-athletes who are approved to receive funding for housing during summer school
have the option of residing either on or off campus while attending summer school. Athletics
may only cover the portion of their summer housing that is in conjunction with their summer
school attendance.
2.
Student-athletes living on-campus must make their own arrangements for summer housing.
Information regarding summer housing may be found at http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/.
3.
Student-athletes living off-campus will receive their funding for housing via a refund check.
(See also “Refund Checks” below.)
4.
Student-athletes are not eligible to be funded for housing if commuting from home.
Meals
Student-athletes receiving funding for meals during the summer will receive their funding via a
refund check. (See also “Refund Checks” below.) The university does not offer summer meal
plans. Student-athletes are not eligible to be funded for meals if commuting from home.
Refund Checks
Students receiving housing and/or meal money for multiple summer sessions will receive
approximately half of their summer refund on the first day of classes for the first summer session
they attend. The balance of the refund will be provided on the first day of classes for the final
summer session the student attends. In May each year, head coaches will be informed of specific
dates that refund checks will be available to student-athletes. Students must pay any outstanding
university charges (e.g., parking tickets, student accounts holds, fire code violations, etc.) prior to a
refund check being issued. Any charges not paid by that time will be deducted from the student’s
first summer refund check.
Student-Athlete Responsibilities
1.
All student-athletes who are funded by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics to attend
summer school are required to meet with their academic advisor the first week of classes for
the summer session.
2.
Student-athletes assume personal responsibility for all late registration fees, fines for dorm
damage, failure to return room keys and meals cards, and other university charges related to
summer session attendance. Continuing eligibility for summer and academic year
assistance may be jeopardized by failure of the student-athletes to meet his/her above
outlined financial responsibilities.
3.
All student-athletes attending summer session are required to abide by the university,
division, and team codes of conduct.
4.
Student-athletes who earn a grade of “D”, “F”, and/or “E-F” will be responsible to pay
the full in-state tuition for the course.
34
5.
6.
Student-athletes who earn a temporary grade must complete the work for the course
by Dec. 1st of the same calendar year. If the temporary grade is ultimately a “D” or
“F”, the student-athlete will be responsible to pay the full in-state tuition for the
course.
Student-athletes who withdraw from a course and receive a “W” grade will be
responsible to pay the full in-state tuition for the course.
NCAA Guidelines
1.
Student-athletes must have attended Rutgers as a full-time student for at least one semester
of the previous academic year (and have received an athletics scholarship) in order to be
funded for summer session in that year (except for incoming student-athletes – see
below). Scholarship student-athletes may receive up to, but are not guaranteed, the same
percentage of financial aid during the following summer term as was received during the
previous academic year.
2.
The university is permitted to use funding from the Student Athlete Opportunity Fund to fund
any student-athlete for summer school.
SUMMER SCHOOL FINANCIAL AID POLICY FOR INCOMING STUDENT-ATHLETES
A student-athlete who has not yet begun attendance as a full-time student at Rutgers University
may be awarded athletically-related financial aid during the summer prior to his or her initial fulltime enrollment under the following conditions:
1. The individual has been admitted to Rutgers for the fall semester as part of a special
admissions population; or
2. The individual has been regularly admitted to Rutgers for the fall semester and presents special
non-athletically-related circumstances.
If approved for summer school funding through the athletics department, the individual must be
enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours of academic course work that is acceptable toward any of
the university’s degree programs. Remedial, tutorial and noncredit regular courses offerings may
be used to satisfy the six credit hour requirement provided the courses are considered by the
institution to be prerequisites for specific courses acceptable for any degree program and are given
the same academic weight as other courses offered by the institution.
Any individual who receives athletics aid under these conditions and is considered “recruited” by
Rutgers is subject to NCAA transfer provisions should they decide not to continue enrollment at
Rutgers.
A student-athlete may receive athletics financial aid to attend summer school up to a maximum of
five summers, including the summer prior to initial full-time enrollment at Rutgers.
NCAA STUDENT-ATHLETE OPPORTUNITY FUND
The NCAA provides colleges and universities with grant funding each year to provide direct
benefits to student-athletes. The funds are to be used to assist student-athletes in meeting
financial needs that arise in conjunction with participation in intercollegiate athletics, with
enrollment in an academic curriculum or with programs that recognize academic achievement.
Specific appropriate uses of the fund are determined by the university and must be approved by
the BIG TEN Conference.
Prior to the start of each academic year, Rutgers Athletics determines the permissible uses of the
funds for that year. For 2014-15, Rutgers will use its SAOF funding for the following: fifth year and
summer scholarship aid, academic initiatives and supplies, medical/dental needs of studentathletes, emergency travel for student-athletes, leadership and life skills initiatives, payment of
select student fees, and other purposes as determined necessary by the athletics administration.
For more information on the SAOF, see Brian Colvin or your sport administrator.
35
GAMBLING
NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes and athletic department staff members from the following:
•
•
Providing information concerning college athletics to individuals involved in organized
gambling activities – including student bookies;
Engaging in any sports wagering activity that involves college, amateur or professional
athletics, including placing, accepting or soliciting a bet of any type with any individual
or organization.

Examples of sports wagering include, but are not limited to, use of a
bookmaker or parlay card; internet sports wagering; auctions in which bids
are placed on teams, individuals or contests; and pools or fantasy leagues
in which an entry fee is required and there is an opportunity to win a prize.
Participation in any of these activities will cause you to become immediately ineligible.
PRACTICE AND COMPETITION LIMITS
Before the start of each academic year, your coach must specify your team's playing and practice
season: the times of the year when your team will be allowed to practice and compete, or
condition and lift only. Each sport is limited to the number of days it may be in-season. The Office
of Compliance reviews all playing season declarations to ensure that no sport exceeds its limit.
DAILY/WEEKLY LIMITS - IN SEASON
In-season, your coach may require you to participate in athletic activities for a maximum of four
hours per day and 20 hours per week. No athletic activities may occur between midnight and 5am
on any day. All competition and associated
athletically related activities on the day of
competition count as three hours regardless of
the actual length of these activities. (Note:
Your team's week does not have to be defined
from Sunday through Saturday. Check with
your coach or the compliance staff to find out
your team's designated week.)
Day Off: During each week of your team’s
playing season, except most vacation periods,
you must be given one day off from all required
athletic activities. A travel day when no
required athletic activities occur can be considered a day off. In basketball, your coach may opt
not to give you a day off in a week in which you have three games. If this occurs, you must have
two days off during either the week before or the week after the week in which you did not receive
a day off.
Final Exams: Daily and weekly hour limitations apply until the last day of finals each semester.
Golf student-athletes: A team practice round of golf may exceed the four hour per day limitation,
but the weekly limit of 20 hours shall remain in effect.
Practice After Competition: Practice, including viewing game tapes, may not be held following
competition (on the same calendar day as the competition), except between contests, rounds or
events during a multi-day or multi-event competition.
Vacation Periods: Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athletically related
activities occurring during any official vacation period, as listed in Rutgers' official academic
calendar. If such vacation periods occur during any part of a week in which classes are in session
(e.g., Thanksgiving break), the daily and weekly hour limitations apply during the portion of the
week when classes are in session and you must be given a day off during that week.
DAILY/WEEKLY LIMITS - OUT OF SEASON
36
Each week that your team is not in-season, your coach can require you to participate in a
maximum of eight hours of athletically-related activities, including skill instruction (except in
football) and strength and conditioning activities. Strength and conditioning activities may not
involve equipment directly related to your sport (except in the sport of swimming where equipment
such as starting blocks, kickboards, pull buoys may be used). No athletic activities may occur
between midnight and 5am. Also, please note:
All sports other than football: Up to two hours of the eight hours may be skill instruction with
coaching staff members and may be required. Between September 15 and April 15, skill
instruction may involve any number of student-athletes from your team. Prior to and after that time
period (during the academic year), no more than four student-athletes may be involved in skill
instruction at any one time. Also, your coach may not require you to participate in any athleticallyrelated activities during the seven days prior to final exams through the end of your final
examination period. (Reminder: this is applicable during your off-season only.)
Football: Student-athletes may be required to view game film for up to two hours of the eight hours
of athletically-related activities permitted outside their playing season. Football student-athletes
may not participate in skill instruction with their coaches outside their playing season.
Days Off: During each week your team is out-of-season, you must be given two days off from
all required and supervised activities. (Note: A “week” includes Sunday and Saturday, so those
days may be used as the required days off.)
Vacation Periods & Countable Activities: In sports other than baseball, when your team is out
of season, you may not participate in any countable athletically-related activities during an official
university vacation period (e.g., winter break, spring break). In baseball, student-athletes may
participate in skill instruction activities at the start of the spring semester beginning January 15.
PRACTICE/COMPETITION LOGS
Coaches are required to submit monthly logs of their team’s and individual student-athletes’
activities, recorded on a daily basis. The logs are reviewed by the Office of Compliance for the
20/8 hours/week, four hours/day and required day(s) off. They are also signed off monthly by
select student-athletes.
MISSED CLASSES
NCAA rules permit you to miss class for a competition as well as activities related to competition
(e.g., travel, shoot-around, pre-game activities, etc.). (See fall softball exception below.)
You may never miss class for a practice or strength/conditioning session (even if you would
rather attend practice/workouts than attend class). Additionally, you may not miss class in
conjunction with a competition conducted in a non championship segment (e.g. softball fall
season, volleyball spring season, soccer spring season).
NCAA DEFINITION OF COUNTABLE ATHLETICALLY-RELATED ACTIVITY
Countable athletically-related activities include any required activity with an athletics purpose
involving student-athletes and at the direction of, or supervised by, one or more of an institution’s
coaching staff (including strength and conditioning coaches) and must be counted within the
weekly and daily hour limitations. Administrative activities (e.g., academic meetings, compliance
meetings) are not considered as countable athletically-related activities.
Some activities that are considered COUNTABLE:
1.
Practice and competition.
2.
Required weight-training and conditioning activities.
3.
Film or videotape reviews of athletics practices or contests required, supervised or monitored
by Rutgers staff members.
4.
Required participation in camps or clinics.
37
5.
6.
7.
8.
Meetings initiated by coaches or other Rutgers staff members on athletically-related matters.
Individual workouts required or supervised by a Rutgers coaching staff member, except:
In swimming/diving, track & field (field events, hurdles and steeplechase only), wrestling,
and, when using sport specific equipment in the sports of gymnastics and rowing, the coach
may be present during voluntary individual workouts in the institution's regular practice
facility and may provide safety or skill instruction. The coach may not conduct the
individual's workout.
On-court or off-court activities called by any member or members of a team and confined
primarily to members of that team that are considered to be required (e.g., captain's
practices).
Participation outside the playing season in individual skill-related instructional activities with a
member of the coaching staff. (Except in football where such skill instruction is not
permitted.)
Some examples of activities which are NOT COUNTABLE:
1.
Training-table or competition-related meals.
2.
Medical exams, treatment, rehab, taping.
3.
Showering and dressing.
4.
Study hall and tutoring.
5.
Meetings with coaches on nonathletic matters.
6.
Travel to and from practice and competition.
7.
Fund-raising activities (e.g., meet-and-greets, dinners, etc.)
8.
Recruiting activities (e.g., serving as a student host for prospective student-athletes during
official visits).
9.
Public relations activities related to the student-athlete's sport (e.g., media days)
10. Voluntary individual workouts, provided these workouts are not required or supervised by
coaching staff members, except that such activities may be monitored for safety purposes by
the institution's strength and conditioning personnel.
11. Individual consultation with a coaching staff member initiated voluntarily by a student-athlete,
provided the coach and student-athlete do not engage in athletically related activities.
12. Use of an institution's athletic facilities by student-athletes, provided activities are not
supervised by/held at the direction of any member of an institution's coaching staff.
VOLUNTARY SUMMER WORKOUTS
Summer workouts may not be required in any sport. Voluntary summer workouts are allowed as
follows:
In individual sports, a coach may participate in individual workout sessions with student-athletes
during the summer, provided the request is initiated by the student-athlete.
In team sports, a coach may not supervise, direct, observe or otherwise participate in workout
sessions or physical activities with their student-athletes during the summer.
Strength/Conditioning Workouts: Student-athletes may workout voluntarily with the university’s
strength and conditioning staff provided the following conditions are met:
•
•
•
•
•
No student-athlete is required to report back to a coach or other athletics department
staff member any information related to the activity;
No institutional staff member who observes the activity (e.g., strength coach, trainer)
may report back to the student-athlete’s coach any information related to the activity;
The activity must be initiated and requested by the student-athlete;
The student-athlete’s attendance and participation in the activity (or lack thereof) may
not be recorded for the purposes of reporting such information to coaching staff
members or other student-athletes;
The student-athlete may not be subject to penalty if he or she elects not to participate;
38
•
Recognition awards and incentives may not be provided to a student-athlete based on
his/her attendance or performance in the activity.
In football, student-athletes are permitted to participate in up to eight hours per week of
nonmandatory strength and conditioning conducted by a strength and conditioning coach.
Student-athletes may participate above and beyond the eight hours per week provide workouts
beyond the eight hours are only supervised (not conducted) by the strength and conditioning
coach. Football student-athletes must receive one week of “discretionary time” during the summer.
During this time, student-athletes may work out on their own. Strength and conditioning coaches
may be present for safety purposes only. Also during this time, no institutional staff members may
recommend that student-athletes workout.
In basketball, a student-athlete who is enrolled in summer school may engage in required weighttraining, conditioning and skill-related instruction for up to eight weeks (not required to be
consecutive weeks). Participation in such activities shall be limited to a maximum of eight hours per
week with not more than two hours per week spent on skill-related instruction. An individual who is
not eligible to use the exception to summer school enrollment may participate only during the
period of the institution's summer term or terms (opening day of classes through last day of final
exams) in which he is enrolled.
OUTSIDE COMPETITION
During the academic year, student-athletes are subject to the following Rutgers University policy in
response to the BIG TEN Conference Outside Competition condition.
Head Coaches must submit a request the Outside Competition Form to the Office of
Compliance (contact your Head Coach for the form), including all requested information, for
any student-athlete who wishes to participate in outside/unattached competitions or clinics, at
least TEN (10) business days prior to the date of travel for the competition. Per BIG TEN
Policy, the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) must review and approve/deny these
requests; he/she will do so at least FIVE (5) business days prior to the scheduled departure for the
activity. In addition, the FAR must consult with Academic Support Services for Student-Athletes
(ASSSA) to determine any issues that might affect the student-athlete’s academic
performance.
If the FAR denies a student-athlete permission to compete through this process and the
student-athlete chooses to participate in the competition or clinic, he/she will be immediately
deemed ineligible for intercollegiate competition. The FAR’s review will be based on missed
class time and the overall academic performance of the student-athlete. In all instances, the FAR
has the authority to grant exceptions to this policy.
The FAR will apply the following standards:
1.
2.
If the student-athlete will miss no classes and if the ASSSA academic advisor provides
the FAR with no academic concerns, the FAR will APPROVE the request.
If a student-athlete will miss class(es) and/or may have academic performance concerns,
the FAR will request that the student-athlete develop a written academic plan, in
consultation with the ASSSA academic advisor, to address the issue(s), which should
include class absences, cumulative and term GPA, academic progress in the impacted
class(es), etc. The academic plan must also include an acknowledgment from all faculty
members whose classes are affected that they have discussed the implications of the
missed class time with the student-athlete and the schedule for any make-up work. After
considering all the factors presented in the academic plan, the FAR will then render a
decision to APPROVE or DENY the request.
39
All decisions will be final and no further appeals will be permitted.
Other outside competition regulations:
•
•
•
•
In basketball, student-athletes may participate in one summer event or league that is
sanctioned by the NCAA. Summer participation must be approved by the Office of
Compliance. Participating in an unsanctioned event or league, in multiple events or
leagues, or without permission will cause the student-athlete to lose eligibility.
In baseball, some summer leagues require written permission from the Office of
Compliance. See your head coach or the Office of Compliance for more information.
Exceptions to the outside competition rule include participation in the following
activities: a high school alumni game (limited to one per year), Olympic games,
National teams (U.S. and other countries), official world championships & world cup
tryouts, official Pan Am games and tryouts.
In individual sports, you may participate in outside competition as an individual at any
time, provided you are not representing anyone other than yourself in the competition
(e.g., running in a road race or participating in a tennis tournament where you
represent only yourself). In limited circumstances during the summer vacation period,
you may receive prize money based on your place finish in an open event (i.e., one
that is not by invitation only). The prize money you receive may not exceed what it
actually costs you to participate in the event and must be provided by the sponsor of
the event. Any such receipt of prize money for participation in an event must be
approved by the Office of Compliance. Aside from these limited circumstances in
which you can receive prize money, there are no other circumstances under which you
may receive any type of expenses from an outside team for participation on the team
or prize money for participating in an event.
Prior to competing on any outside team, consult your head coach and the Office of Compliance to
ensure that your participation will not jeopardize your eligibility.
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICE
As a Division I student-athlete, you are a recognized role model on campus and in the community.
During your athletic career, you will be asked to participate in a variety of promotional activities.
•
•
•
•
You may participate in promotional activities on behalf of Rutgers athletics.
You may NOT endorse or promote in any manner (explicitly or implicitly) any commercial
product or service. Doing so will immediately jeopardize your eligibility.
All entities requesting your participation in public service or a promotional activity must
complete the Rutgers Promotional Activities/Community Service Request Form. You may
participate in promotions for nonprofit and charitable organizations and entities of Rutgers
University as long as the activity is approved in advance.
All activities must meet the following requirements:
1.
Written Permission: You must get written permission to participate from your Head
Coach and the Office of Compliance.
2.
Written Release: You and an authorized representative of the charitable or
educational agency must sign a release statement ensuring that your name, image or
appearance will only be used in a manner consistent with NCAA rules.
3.
No commercial involvement: The specific activity or project must not have any
commercial involvement other than a logo appearing on material such as pictures,
posters or calendars.
4.
No payment to student-athlete except for normal expenses: All monies derived
from the activity or project must go directly to the member institution or the
charitable/educational agency. You may accept legitimate and normal expenses for
participating (e.g., lunch if the activity is held during the mid-day, or reimbursement for
transportation costs).
5.
Classes: You must not miss any classes to participate in the activity.
40
RECRUITING - STUDENT-ATHLETE INVOLVEMENT
As a student-athlete, you have the opportunity to help your coach recruit prospective studentathletes to the university every year. At some time during your career, you may be asked to host a
prospective student-athlete or be involved in a prospective student-athlete’s recruiting visit in some
other way (e.g., attending a game with your team and the prospect, attending a meal at your
coach’s home with your team and the prospect, etc.). Your involvement in the recruiting process is
intended to help prospects and their families learn more about the student-athlete experience at
Rutgers. The Rutgers Recruiting Philosophy and Campus Visit Policy, below, includes detailed
information that you need to know about your role in the recruiting process.
Please note NCAA rules limit your involvement in recruiting to activities that occur on-campus only.
You are not permitted to have any contact (other than incidental contact) with a prospect at any offcampus location (except that you may have contact within a 30-mile radius of campus with a
prospect that is on-campus for an official paid visit).
RECRUITING PHILOSOPHY AND CAMPUS VISIT POLICY
The following reflects Rutgers’ philosophy and procedures related to the recruitment of prospective
student-athletes and outlines the policies the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has developed for
recruiting visits made to Rutgers’ campus and locale. The below information is intended to guide
staff, coaches, student-athletes, and visiting prospects; and clearly communicate the university’s
expectations for recruiting visits.
Recruiting Philosophy
Rutgers is committed to the fair and respectful treatment of all students and prospective students
and to operating an athletics program with the highest standards of behavior and practices in all
areas, including recruiting. The recruiting process should assist prospective student-athletes and
their families in making informed decisions regarding their possible enrollment at Rutgers as both a
student and an athlete, and to honestly evaluate their opportunities for successful integration into
the Rutgers academic, athletic and social communities.
Rutgers’ personnel should be afforded the opportunity to fairly and reasonably evaluate the
potential of a prospective student-athlete for academic and athletic success and for integration into
the Rutgers community.
Prospects who decide to attend Rutgers will be expected to contribute constructively to the
academic mission of the university and in turn, benefit by gaining knowledge and skills through
education and athletics participation that will prepare them professionally and personally to
contribute to society.
Activities during Recruiting Visits
Good judgment is expected of student hosts during recruiting visits. Although this policy cannot
account for all possible activities, following are some examples of both appropriate and
inappropriate activities for recruiting visits:
Appropriate activities: During a campus visit, it would be appropriate to take the prospect for
pizza or a snack; to the movies; to an on-campus athletics event; to an on-campus student event;
to an on- or off-campus party; to play pool; to participate in recreational activities (e.g., bowling,
paintball, etc.).
Inappropriate Activities: Activities in which it would be inappropriate to participate during a
recruit’s visit to campus include, but are not limited to: any activity that violates any law, university
policy or NCAA rules; attendance at adult entertainment facilities; providing alcohol and/or drugs to
any prospective student-athlete; permitting any prospective student-athlete to consume alcohol
and/or use drugs during a recruiting visit; consumption of alcohol and/or use of drugs by current
student-athletes in conjunction with the prospect’s visit; use of escort services, exotic dancers, or
41
any other similar services; gambling; activities at any location that may cause a perception of
impropriety.
Student Hosts
If you are selected to be the student host for a recruit you will be expected to read and sign the
Student Host Instruction Form prior to receiving host money. Some stipulations on student hosts
and use of student-host money include:
•
Student host money may be used to entertain prospects in line with the appropriate
forms of entertainment as outlined above and on the Student Host Instructions form.
•
Following entertainment activities, student hosts must ensure that the prospect or
prospects they are hosting return safely to their place of lodging by a reasonable hour
or by the curfew established by the head coach.
•
Student hosts may not leave a prospect or prospects at any location and allow them to
return to their place of lodging on their own.
•
All unused host monies must be returned to the head or assistant coach to be returned
for accounting with the Business Office.
•
Receipts are not required.
•
Student hosts must inform the head or assistant coach of the entertainment activities
that occurred during the visit. This must be done in writing at the conclusion of the
visit.
TRANSFER REGULATIONS
PERMISSION TO SPEAK WITH ANOTHER INSTITUTION
NCAA rules prohibit an institution’s coaches or staff members from speaking with a student-athlete
of another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution without first receiving permission from that
institution to speak with that student-athlete. Permission must be granted in writing and is
generally provided via the other institution’s Director of Athletics or Office of Compliance.
Any Rutgers University student-athlete wishing to discuss the possibility of transferring with another
institution must follow the procedure outlined below:
•
The student-athlete must inform his/her coach at Rutgers of his/her desire to contact
another institution to inquire about transferring.
o
The Head Coach may issue a blanket release to the student-athlete at
his/her discretion;
o
The Head Coach may provide permission to contact to a select number of
institutions;
o
The Head Coach may provide permission to contact on a per school
request; or

The student-athlete contacts the new institution’s coach
(preferably by email) to inform the coach that he/she is
interested in transferring and that Rutgers requires the other
institution to request permission to speak with the studentathlete. The other institution may request permission to
speak with the student-athlete by faxing a request to the
Rutgers Office of Compliance (fax # 732-445-7712) or by
emailing Brian Warcup ([email protected]).
•
Optional: A student-athlete who requests permission to contact for a particular
institution in writing (or email) to the Office of Compliance will receive a final decision
within seven business days from receipt of the request per NCAA rules.
•
Upon receiving a written request from another institution to speak with a Rutgers
student-athlete, the Office of Compliance will contact the student-athlete’s current
head coach for his/her consent, followed by the Athletic Director’s consent, if
necessary.
42
•
•
•
Whether permission to contact the other institution is granted or not, the Office of
Compliance will respond to the other institution accordingly and generally within a 48
hour period.
In the event that Rutgers denies the student-athlete’s request to speak with the other
institution regarding transferring, the Office of Compliance will inform the studentathlete in writing that permission has been denied and that the student-athlete has the
opportunity to appeal the decision to a committee comprised of individuals who do not
work for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (e.g., professors, deans, etc.) as well
as two student-athletes.
If the student-athlete appeals the decision and the Committee upholds the decision to
deny permission for the student-athlete to contact the other institution, the other
institution(s) may neither contact the student-athlete nor encourage the student-athlete
to transfer (directly or indirectly). In addition, in this situation, Division I and II
institutions may not provide financial assistance to a student-athlete until the student
has attended the other institution for one academic year.
Note: If you would like to transfer to another institution and not participate in athletics, you are NOT
required to follow the above procedure. You may contact an institution’s admissions office for the
purpose of transferring. You should still inform your coach. Contact the Office of Compliance if
you have any questions.
ELIGIBILITY FOR COMPETITION AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION
In general, student-athletes who transfer from one institution (two-year or four-year) to another
institution may not compete during their first academic year at the second institution. There are
many exceptions to this rule. For more information regarding transfer exceptions, please visit
www.ncaa.org, or contact the Office of Compliance.
ELIGIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AID AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION
A student-athlete who transfers to a Division I institution may receive an athletic scholarship during
his/her first academic year at the institution only if he/she was released to speak with the institution
by the previous institution and would have been academically eligible to compete during the next
regular academic term had the student-athlete remained at the previous institution.
TRANSFERRING WITHIN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
In addition to the above-mentioned regulations, the signing of a BIG TEN Tender (your financial aid
agreement) or enrolling at a BIG TEN institution initiates the BIG TEN Intraconference Transfer
Policy. The policy stipulates any prospective student-athlete who signs a BIG TEN tender
regardless of enrollment shall be subject to the policy. If a complete release of the NLI or the NLI
is declared Null and Void, prospective student-athlete may enroll at another BIG TEN institution
without penalty. Further, cancellation of the tender due to inadmissibility to RU shall be considered
Null and Void. The condition also applies to current student-athletes at a Big Ten institution. The
penalties for transferring within the BIG TEN Conference require the student-athlete to sit out a
year and a loss of year of eligibility.
ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA RELATIO NS
The Office of Athletic Communications (OAC) serves as a conduit between Rutgers athletics,
student-athletes, coaches, and administrators, and the media and other external constituents. The
OAC provides coverage of Rutgers athletics programs by coordinating interviews; servicing
information needs of reporters; compiling and maintaining statistics, photos and records; producing
editorial content in publications such as yearbooks and game programs along with
scarletknights.com.
Always remember – you are a student-athlete participating in your sport at high profile institution, in
a high profile conference, in the number one media market in the world. As a Rutgers student43
athlete, it is your responsibility to be cooperative with the media, and with the guidance and support
of the OAC.
INTERVIEWS. All interviews/requests for interviews MUST be coordinated through the OAC. If
you receive a call at your dorm, at home, or on your cell phone from a member of the media, or are
approached by a member of the media (in person, via e-mail Twitter or Facebook or any form of
communication), politely direct that person to contact the OAC. Tell them that this is
university/athletic department policy. Also, if you have had a problem with a member of the media,
or have any other concerns, let the OAC know. We are here to work with you and help you.
PHONE NUMBERS. Cell/dorm/home phone numbers will not be given out to the media by the
OAC. Do not give your phone number(s) to media members.
TIPS FOR WORKING WITH THE MEDIA
Control Your Message! The most important guideline is to control your message! You can be
asked any question, but you can always respond with the message you want to deliver.
Be Positive! Be positive and upbeat whenever possible. Praise your coaches, your teammates,
and your sport. You can’t go wrong that way!
Be on Time! Be on time for interviews when scheduled. Be on time for all appointments and
commitments!
Personalize: Especially in 1-on-1 interviews, learn the reporter’s name, and use it.
Be Yourself: Don’t stiffen up or be uptight. Relax, and share your enjoyment of your sport. Be
human!
Remember Who You Are Speaking To: While you might be doing a 1-on-1 interview, you’re also
talking to someone who is representing a large number of readers, listeners or viewers.
20-Second Rule: Here’s a good rule of thumb: try to make your point in 20 seconds or less. You
can elaborate if there is time, interest or need.
Think Before You Answer: Reporters are often in a hurry because of deadlines, but that doesn’t
mean you should feel rushed into giving quick answers. Also, remember to speak clearly.
Don’t Get Boxed In and Don’t Get Baited: Don’t provide any bulletin board material. Don’t get
trapped into how many games your team will win, or if your team will beat a specific opponent, etc.
(example of a response: “… our goal is to continue to get better and improve, and as we do that,
everything else will take care of itself.”)
Don’t Forget, You’re Always On: If you see a microphone, tape recorder, or pad and pen,
assume your words are on the record. There’s no such thing as “off the record.”
Say Thanks! At the conclusion of your interview, say thanks. It’s a final action that will leave a
strong impression with a reporter. Make every encounter a memorable one; chances are you’ll get
more favorable stories in the future.
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SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND OTHER FORMS OF INTERNET COMMUNICATION
There are many outlets available to you to communicate with current and future friends and
acquaintances as well as family members. Social networking sites, (e.g., Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram,) chat rooms, bulletin boards and blogs are just a few of these outlets. Rutgers
Athletics understands the importance and usefulness of these outlets and encourages responsible
use of them. Whether in the real world or the cyber world, you represent yourself, your team, the
athletics department and the university and we expect you to do it with the highest standards of
honesty, integrity and class. Rutgers Athletics has developed the following guidelines that you are
expected to follow as you participate in any of the above-mentioned or similar communications.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Keep your page/site private but understand that anything you post on-line (even if you make
your site private) is out of your control the moment you place it on line and is really then
available to anyone in the world.
Do not post your home address, local address, phone numbers, date of birth, class schedule,
location your team is staying on the road, etc. If you do, you open yourself up for predators,
stalkers, identity thieves, and other criminals.
Do not post information, photos, videos, or other items on-line that could embarrass you,
your family, your team, the athletics department or the university. This includes information,
photos and items that may be posted by others on your page/site.
Be sure you know who you are adding as a “friend” to your page/site. Many people are
looking to take advantage of student-athletes or to get close to the program. These
individuals could be criminals, journalists, individuals involved in organized gambling, etc.
Many potential employers and graduate schools analyze these sites in their search
processes. Anything posted that is attributed to you could be damaging to your future.
Law enforcement, university officials and athletics department officials may check these
websites if necessary.
Student-athletes could face discipline, including loss of athletic scholarship and even
dismissal from a team for inappropriate postings.
MEDICAL SERVICES
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics provides comprehensive, high-quality medical services to
every student-athlete. The sports medicine team is comprised of a team physician, certified
athletic trainers, orthopedic consultants, sports psychologists, a registered dietitian, and other
health care professionals throughout Rutgers University and the surrounding medical community.
The following pages detail the Sports Medicine Program with regard to Athletic Trainer and
Physician Services, Emergency Procedures, Pre-Participation Exams, Drug Education, Insurance
Issues, and Special Programs. Additional medical resources and up-to-date information may also
be found on the Rutgers Athletics website, www.scarletknights.com, under Sports Medicine.
ATHLETIC TRAINING SERVICES
An athletic trainer is an allied health professional who works under the direction/supervision of a
licensed physician to provide the athletes with the following:
injury prevention;
recognition/evaluation of injuries; management/treatment of injuries; and education and counseling
for athletes. An athletic trainer provides on-site evaluation and treatment for the injured athlete,
immediate first aid care, application of physical treatment modalities, follow-up rehabilitation care,
and specific conditioning programs for injury prevention.
Each team is assigned an athletic trainer. All injuries should be reported to the athletic trainer
assigned to your team. If you do not know who your team’s athletic trainer is, contact your coach to
find the appropriate athletic trainer or report to the nearest athletic training room and let one of the
on duty athletic trainers make an assessment of your injury.
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The Hale Center is the main athletic training room, conveniently located near the Team Physician's
Office in case further follow-up is needed. The other athletic training rooms are located in the
lower levels of the RAC (Louis Brown Athletic Center) and the College Ave Gym. In general, the
Hale Center and RAC training rooms are open five days a week during the morning and afternoon,
while the College Ave training room is open during the afternoon only, throughout the fall and
winter sport seasons. Hours will vary by team, season, and semester. There will be weekend
hours and extended weekday hours while teams are in-season. For information on the schedule,
call the training room or your athletic trainer, or visit the Sports Medicine website
(www.scarletknights.com/sportsmed). Phone numbers for all training rooms are listed in the front
cover of this Handbook.
Student-athletes with injuries (athletically or non-athletically related) and/or illnesses (all medical
problems, i.e., colds, viruses, allergies, infections, skin disorders, chest pain) should contact the
athletic trainer for their team. They will be evaluated and started on a course of treatment that may
include visiting the Team Physician, who then, if necessary, will refer them to appropriate
consultants. The student-athlete should not try to diagnose and treat their injuries or try to decide
how severe an injury might be. Our Team Physician makes all referrals. Service in the Orthopedic
Clinic is by referral only. Student-athletes with personal/confidential matters may be seen directly
by the Team Physician without first being referred by an athletic trainer. Contact the Team
Physician's Office to make an appointment in such instances.
Our medical staff will closely monitor the recuperation and recovery process after an athlete's injury
or illness to ensure appropriate health status before returning to full athletic participation.
Off-season/vacation injuries should be reported and evaluated by a member of our medical
staff. Please report all injuries and illnesses to our medical staff in a timely fashion.
If an injury or illness occurs when the training rooms are closed, please follow the steps of the
Emergency Procedures detailed below.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
A medical emergency is a situation requiring immediate action to prevent a loss of life. The
emergency procedures are for those medical emergencies that need to be seen by a doctor as
soon as possible and occur beyond the normal office hours.
1.
Attempt to contact your coach, the athletic trainer for your sport, or the Sports
Medicine Office at 732-445-6258.
2.
When unable to contact the above mentioned staff immediately, you can also call the
Hurtado Health Center at 848-932-7402. Semester Hours: Weekdays: 8:30 a.m. –
5:00 p.m. After 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, call the RUHS Advice Nurse Line,
800-890-5882, for urgent medical problems.
3.
In an extreme emergency or life-threatening situation, call campus police at 932-7211
or 911 to get to the local hospital emergency room (Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital ER: 732-828-3000) or (St. Peters Medical Center ER: 732-745-8525) and
have campus police contact the Team Physician.
4.
Follow-up with your team athletic trainer and/or the Team Physician for additional
evaluation and treatment.
5.
After evaluation of the problem and approval by the Team Physician, in conjunction
with the athletic trainer, the student-athlete will be allowed return to competition.
EMERGENCY PLAN FOR PRACTICE AND COMPETITION
The athletics department has adopted a Sports Medicine Emergency Plan for all practices and
competitive events. An emergency is any sudden life threatening injury or illness that requires
immediate medical attention. When emergency situations arise, expedient action must be taken in
order to provide the best possible treatment. The Sports Medicine Emergency Plan will help ensure
the best care is provided. Coaches and athletics department staff members who work closely and
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directly with student-athletes are required to be familiar with the Emergency Plan. All coaches and
strength coaches are required to be certified in CPR and AED.
An emergency plan must exist for all organized practices and competitions, including out of season
training, strength training and conditioning workouts. The individual with the highest level of health
training (in general, physician, certified athletic trainer and emergency medical staff, strength and
conditioning coach and student athletic trainer) at a session/event are responsible for the
emergency plan. If a member of the sports medicine staff or strength and conditioning coach is not
available at a practice, the coach is responsible for the emergency plan. A complete copy of the
Emergency Plan may be obtained through the Sports Medicine Office.
PHYSICIAN SERVICES
The Team Physician's Office is located on the Busch Campus at the Hale Center. There is a fulltime and a part-time sports medicine physician on staff who are available for the treatment of all
student-athletes. Appointments to see a physician should be arranged by calling the Sports
Medicine Office at (732) 445-6258, during the routine working hours of 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
(closed noon - 1:00 p.m.), Monday-Friday. Hours will vary by team, season, and semester. There
are weekend hours and extended weekday hours during football and basketball seasons. Call the
office or your athletic trainer to find out the doctor's schedule.
The Sports Medicine Office provides a full range of medical services, from orthopedic care to the
treatment of common viral illness. Any medical condition that requires the care of medical
specialists is to be coordinated through this office. Student-athletes may also use the services of
Rutgers Student Health Services (Hurtado, Willets, Busch-Livingston Health Centers) for their
particular medical needs, such as: gynecologic care, immunizations, emergencies, pharmacy, and
laboratory tests). All injuries and any illness that effects athletic participation must be directed
through the Sports Medicine Staff.
X-RAY, LABORATORY, AND PHARMACY PROCEDURES
X-Rays/Diagnostic Ultrasound
The Sports Medicine Office is equipped with a fluoroscope that is used by our team physician to Xray bones of the hand, wrist, arm, leg, ankle, and foot. The sports medicine office is also equipped
with a diagnostic ultrasound machine that is used by our team physician to view musculoskeletal
injuries. The X-ray and ultrasound results are seen on a screen in the presence of the studentathlete and can be printed out at that time. If you need an X-ray or diagnostic ultrasound, please
contact the team physician's office. Our team physician will determine if an X-ray can be done in
the office or if it is necessary to have films taken at an outside facility. Outside student radiographs
are done by referral only at University Radiology (800-758-5545) which has multiple locations
throughout the locale. Contact your Athletic Trainer or the Sports Medicine Office for directions.
Outside X-rays for student-athletes are done on a scheduled basis. You should call to make an
appointment. Report to the front desk with the x-ray request form given to you by the physician
and a copy of your insurance card. You will be given a CD of your x-ray or scan that you can bring
back to the Sports Medicine Office. Please schedule a follow-up appointment with the sports
medicine office to review the study.
Laboratory Work: Blood work requested by the physician can be obtained at one of the health
centers, or the Sports Medicine Office. Hours are listed below for each health center. Results
usually take one to four days. Your physician will call you immediately if a follow-up is
needed. Most routine blood work is free of charge; however, for certain tests a cost may
apply. Your physician will discuss this with you in advance, if indicated.
Prescriptions: You may fill prescriptions from a physician on campus at the health
centers. Pharmacy hours are listed below for each health center. Many prescription co-pays are
covered by the athletic department if the injury/illness is athletically related. You will be required to
use your prescription card for all medications. Please have it available on campus to present to the
health center if needed.
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Because of certain NCAA regulations some medical problems may require you to pay a fee for
your medications. The physician will discuss this with you in advance, when needed.
The on-campus health centers are as follows:
Busch/Livingston Health Center, 848 445-3250
Corner of Hospital Road & Avenue E (Livingston Campus)
Limited prescriptions available
Hurtado Health Center, 848 932-7402
Bishop Place (Rutgers Campus)
Willets Health Center, 732 932-9805
Suydam Street (Cook/Douglas)
Limited prescriptions available
See http://health.rutgers.edu for the most up to date schedule of hours for all locations.
PRE-PARTICIPATION PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
Prior to participating in any of our sports, a student-athlete is required to pass an athletic preparticipation physical examination performed by a member of our sports medicine team. The
procedure to arrange for an evaluation varies, depending on whether the individual is a new
student-athlete, returning student-athlete, or trying out for the team (see below). Consult your
coach, athletic trainer, or the Sports Medicine Office (732-445-6258) for further information.
New Student-Athletes (Freshmen, Transfers, New Team Members)
All new student-athletes, including first year participants and transfers, are required to undergo a
complete physical by a member of the sports medicine team in order to obtain clearance for
participation. In order to expedite this process, new student-athletes will receive a blue insurance
form and a pre-participation medical questionnaire. These are to be completed in their entirety and
sent back to the Sports Medicine Office for evaluation.
Evaluations will be performed at the Hale Center Sports Medicine Office. In order to facilitate the
completion of a large volume of evaluations, each student athlete residing in the local tri-state area
(NJ, NY, and PA) will be given a date and time in July for their physical examination. Those
student-athletes who were unable to attend these dates or who reside outside the local area will
receive their physicals with the remainder of their team, when they arrive on campus in the
fall. Medical questionnaires and insurance forms will be reviewed with the student-athlete at the
time of the examination. Pertinent medical information should be forwarded to the Sports Medicine
Office to help expedite a student-athlete's care. Please be advised that incomplete information
regarding medical history or insurance coverage may result in a delay in clearance, this means you
cannot practice or participate in your sport. It is therefore in your best interest to complete these
forms carefully and without omission. Incomplete insurance forms may delay a student-athlete's
clearance. In the interest of expediting the evaluation process, proper attire is requested. Studentathletes should report in or bring a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
NCAA Videos
In addition to filling out and returning the necessary forms, new student athletes are
required to view three NCAA education videos on sickle cell, concussions and NCAA drug
testing.
Please go to the following website to view the videos,
http://scarletknights.com/sportsmed/ncaa/. This is required in order to be cleared to
participate.
Returning Athletes
Returning student-athletes will be required to complete a blue insurance form and pre-participation
medical questionnaire for review by the Team Physician. If warranted, a pre-participation
evaluation will be scheduled (e.g., if you have undergone surgery since your last evaluation or
suffered an injury). In addition, all academic juniors will be required to have a pre-participation
evaluation at the end of their sophomore year. If they are unable to make this time, they may make
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an appointment with the Team Physician over the summer or have their exam with the remaining
new student-athletes before their fall season begins. Insurance forms must be completed in their
entirety before a student-athlete can be cleared. Incomplete information will result in a delay in
clearance.
Tryouts
A student-athlete trying out for a team need only obtain a note from his/her physician or a physical
exam from a Rutgers Health Center facility other than the Sports Medicine office, indicating
eligibility to participate within six (6) months of the date of the scheduled tryout. Should the
student-athlete become a team member, he/she will be required to obtain a pre-participation
evaluation by the Team Physician in order to gain final clearance for continued participation.
Exit Physical
Those student-athletes who complete their eligibility at Rutgers are required to fill out an exit
physical form. The student-athlete may elect to have a review of their medical care before leaving
the athletic department. A physician may request an evaluation also.
ALCOHOL AND DRUG EDUCATION/TESTING
The Alcohol and Drug Education & Testing Program may be revised at any point. Student
athletes are responsible to periodically review this policy at the Scarlet Knights web site,
www.scarletknights.com.
RUTGERS SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM
I.) Introduction and Rationale
Drug and alcohol abuse are major problems on college campuses, and student athletes are not
immune to this problem. Because drug and alcohol abuse endangers the health, development,
and well being of student-athletes, the Rutgers University Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has
formulated and enacted policies, procedures and programs, for prevention and treatment of
substance abuse.
In essence, the information contained in this document is best considered as a policy statement. It
shall be sent to coaches and it is to be reviewed with all Rutgers student-athletes prior to their
participation in their designated sports, with all student-athletes receiving copies of this document
in its entirety. Moreover, this document shall be distributed and reviewed with all Rutgers coaches,
athletic trainers, administrative personnel and support staff who participate in the ongoing
development of our student-athletes.
More functionally, the information that follows is embedded in a preventive and treatment
framework. In particular, the policy, procedures, and programs that are reflected in this document
are aimed at realization of three separate, yet interrelated goals:
1.)
2.)
3.)
To educate student-athletes about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohols and related
substances upon themselves and teammates, thereby promoting and protecting the
health and safety of themselves and often times the health and safety of teammates.
To identify and effectively intervene with drug users and alcohol abusers, in order to
help them develop to their full potential in all aspects of life, including academics and
athletic competition.
To inform student-athletes of the applicable drug testing regulations from both the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Rutgers Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics. These regulations are dedicated to the ideals of fair and
equitable competition in which no one participant might possess an artificially induced
advantage, or be pressured to use chemical substances in order to remain
competitive.
Each of the above goals is addressed through carefully developed and targeted policies,
procedures and programs. These programmatic domains are discussed next.
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II.) Education and Prevention Programs
Programs in this domain reflect ongoing educational efforts to help student athletes avoid
involvement with alcohol abuse and prohibited drugs. In addition to the programs described below,
any student-athlete, athletic trainer, coach, or other person affiliated with the Rutgers Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics will be provided with expert consultation regarding alcohol or drug
issues. Such assistance can be requested through the Department of Sports Medicine.
Our prevention programs consist of four interrelated ones. These are:
1.) A mandatory orientation program for all new student-athletes.
2.) A mandatory yearly education program to review NCAA and Rutgers drug and alcohol
policies for all student-athletes on all teams.
3.) Targeted educational programs for specific teams and/or groups of student-athletes,
based on educational needs and sport specific circumstances.
4.) A mandatory, periodic educational program for coaches and support staff.
Descriptions of these programs are contained in the Department of Sports Medicine Policy and
Procedure Manual, and these descriptions are available on request from the Director of Sports
Medicine.
Key elements that student-athletes, coaches, and staff need to be aware about with respect to the
programs include the following:
A.) The mandatory orientation program
The mandatory orientation program is designed to help our new student-athletes to:
1.)
Understand the basic structure and intent of the Rutgers University Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics substance abuse policies.
2.)
Understand the basic structure and policies of the NCAA Division 1 Drug testing
program.
3.)
Understand the effects of alcohol and other drugs upon development, health, and
safety.
4.)
Realize the impact that drug use and alcohol abuse can have upon athletic
performance.
During the mandatory orientation program, discussion is encouraged in relation to any
concern the student-athlete may have, either specifically or generally, about the use of
alcohol, other drugs and substances, and/or about the Rutgers University Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics Substance Abuse policies as well as about NCAA drug testing
policies. All student-athletes are required to attend this program at their first year
orientation. Students-athletes, who cannot attend the orientation, must provide a valid
reason, in writing to the Sports Medicine office. Those student athletes who do not attend
will be required to view a video, detailing Rutgers University Division of Intercollegiate
Athletics education and testing policies with their team or on an individual basis. The
Director of Athletics in consultation with the Director of Sports Medicine may suspend from
practice and competition, (for time periods that are at their discretion all those studentathletes who fail to attend the required educational programs, Coaches of the teams on
which these athletes participate also may be penalized, at the discretion of the Athletic
Director.
B.)
Mandatory yearly education program for all teams
All coaches are required to view the CD/video provided by the sports medicine staff with
their teams on an annual basis, prior to the team’s first competition. Athletes who are new
to the team during the year or cannot make a session (with valid permission) are required
to sign a statement documenting review of the information prior to participation. Expert
consultation will be available to those athletes or coaches who have more specific
questions or who may want a more customized program.
C.)
Specifically Targeted Programs
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Programs are developed by professionals associated with the sports medicine department
and its Sport Psychology Program for all teams and based upon the requests made by
coaches, athletic trainers, administrators or student athletes. These programs can be
tailored to address the needs of specific teams or groups of student-athletes (e.g. students
who may be at high risk for developing substance abuse problems). Each team is
expected to have an educational program at a minimum of every other year or more
frequently as determined by the athletic department administration / sports medicine
office. These programs will address the following:
1.)
Gain an informed perspective regarding the prevalence of substance use in our
society.
2.)
Understand the effects of alcohol and other drugs upon development, health, and
safety.
3.)
Realize the impact that drug use and alcohol abuse can have upon athletic
performance.
4.) Develop strategies to manage themselves within an environment that may provide
easy access to alcohol and illegal drugs.
D.)
The mandatory educational program for coaches and support staff
This program for coaches and support staff consists of an educational event held
periodically over the years, but on a regular scheduled basis. The program is designed to
help participants to:
1.)
Become more aware of the prevalence of alcohol and drug use problems in
student-athletes.
2.)
Develop effective approaches to preventing problems.
3.)
Learn to identify student athletes who might be developing alcohol and/or drug
problems.
4.)
Learn how and where to refer students-athletes for help.
All new coaches will receive information regarding the NCAA and Rutgers Athletics Drug
testing programs, as well as general information regarding alcohol and drug use in college
athletes. In addition, coaches are encouraged to talk with the Director of Sports Medicine
regarding any questions or problems associated with alcohol or other drugs in regards to
his or her student-athletes. The Director will arrange for the provision of relevant expert
consultation for the coach or student-athlete.
III.) Counseling Program
Any student-athlete who considers that he or she might have a problem with alcohol or other
drugs is encouraged to receive counseling and related forms of assistance. Seeking help
voluntarily on the part of the student-athlete is in no way considered a violation of the
drug and alcohol education and testing program, and the confidentiality of any student-athlete
who seeks help will be fully protected as provided by law.
Qualified and confidential assessment and/or counseling for alcohol or other drug problems is
available to all student-athletes by referral through the Director of Sports Medicine. The
Director of Sports Medicine and the Sport Psychology Team will keep disclosures of alcohol
or other drug problems, for the purpose of seeking help, confidential. Student-athletes who
seek help will be provided with a thorough and expert assessment and will be able to discuss
different treatment options with a professional counselor. All student-athletes who request
help will receive appropriate professional treatment for substance abuse problems.
IV.) Alcohol Use - Policies and Procedures
A.) Rationale
The Rutgers Division of Intercollegiate Athletics does not condone the illegal or otherwise
irresponsible use of alcohol. Consumption of alcohol by student-athletes of legal drinking age
is not encouraged. The excessive use of alcohol, including beer and wine, is the number one
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drug problem in the country today. Even low doses of alcohol impair cognitive functioning,
judgment, alertness, coordination, and reflexes.
B.) Responsibilities of the Student-Athlete
A student-athlete who consumes alcohol or drugs will be held accountable for any alcohol
related incident in which he or she is involved. An alcohol related incident is defined as the
following:
1.) An arrest with possible conviction of state law or any offense with intoxication as one
of the charges.
2.) A reported violation of University regulations in which alcohol or drugs is cited.
3.) Excessive use of alcohol or drugs that requires medical attention such as a hospital
visit.
To assure the identification of student-athletes who may be problematic users of alcohol, any
student-athlete who has an alcohol related incident must report this incident to the Director of
Sports Medicine as well as to member of the Athletic Department Administration such as the head
coach or team administrator. Failure to report such an incident will be considered a violation of the
Substance Abuse Policy. The Director of Sports Medicine will decide if and when counseling or
other forms of intervention is/are required. Any subsequent alcohol incidents will be considered to
be a violation of the drug and alcohol education and testing policy and will be addressed
accordingly.
Possession or consumption of any amount of alcohol by student-athletes is specifically prohibited
at any time or place they are under the supervision of the coaching staff or are in attendance at any
official divisional or University function including the hosting of recruitment visits to the
University. The prohibition of alcohol extends to travel in team vans, buses, airplanes, or private
accommodations. Violation of this prohibition will result in disciplinary action by the Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics including possible suspension and dismissal from the athletic program.
V.) Use of Drugs Other than Alcohol - Policies and Procedures
A.) Rationale
Rutgers University Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) have established drug testing programs to help curb the use of illegal
drugs/and or banned substances by all student-athletes. In order to participate in athletics
within the Rutgers Division of Intercollegiate Athletics student-athletes are responsible to
submit drug screens according to the procedures outlined below.
It is the intent of the drug testing programs to:
1.) Deter the use of banned drugs as defined below.
2.) Assist in identifying the student-athlete who is a substance abuser.
3.) Provide effective counseling and/or education to assist student athletes to come into
compliance with the Rutgers Division of Intercollegiate Athletics policies regarding drug
use and alcohol abuse.
4.) Provide reasonable safeguards that every athlete is medically competent to participate
in athletic competition.
B.) Drugs Included for Testing
1.) NCAA Program
The NCAA Banned Drug Classes are noted in this handbook following this policy. The
list is subject to change by the NCAA Executive Committee. The updated list may be
found at www.ncaa.org. Many nutritional-dietary supplements contain NCAA banned
substances. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) does not strictly
regulate the supplement industry. Therefore, purity and safety of nutritional dietary
supplements cannot be guaranteed. Impure supplements may lead to a positive NCAA
drug test. The use of supplements is at the student-athlete’s own risk. The student52
athletes should contact their university’s team physician or athletic trainer for further
information.
2.) Rutgers Program
In addition to the NCAA banned list, which includes steroids and their precursors,
testing may be conducted by the University for the following illegal street and club
drugs: Amphetamines, Opiates, Barbiturates, Marijuana (cannabis), Synthetic
Marijuana (cannabis), Benzodiazepines, Hallucinogens such as but not limited to LSD
Mescaline, and Psychedelic Mushrooms, Cocaine, Heroin, PCP angel dust, Ketamine,
Ecstacy, and GHB. The Director of Sports Medicine may add other drugs to the list of
substance tested for.
3.) Provisions against altering urine samples
Students-athletes should also note that it is illegal to purposefully take any substance to
alter their urine specimen such as diuretics, teas, etc. Tests are conducted for this, and
if found the student-athlete will be assessed a violation.
4.) Caution regarding supplements available over the counter
Student-athletes should also be aware that many supplements contain NCAA or
Olympic Committee banned/illegal substances. Examples include but are not limited to:
Andro, dhea, ephedrine, stacker, and many other products. Illegal substances may
not be included on the label. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to be
knowledgeable regarding the banned substances and the products he or she
consumes. Ignorance of the supplement is not an excuse for a positive test. We
strongly encourage that any questions regarding supplements be directed to the
Director of Sports Medicine.
5.) Medical Prescriptions
The Director of Sports Medicine will determine if a test is positive because of a
prescription by a qualified physician to treat a specific medical condition. If so, a new
prescription should be obtained that does not contain the banned drug(s) (if medically
feasible), and no further testing will be done for that prescription. If the positive test is
not caused by a medical prescription, sanctions for the violation will be
imposed. Sanctions will not be imposed until confirmatory tests are obtained and the
student-athlete is officially notified as soon as possible.
C.) Frequency of testing
At any time during which a student is enrolled in school and on a team’s roster, unannounced
tests may be made of all or a random sample of these squad members. Student-athletes can
be tested more frequently if they have had previous violations of this Drug and Alcohol
Education and Testing policy. Student athletes who are being tested will receive written or
verbal notification no more than 24 hours in advance, although a student-athlete may receive
less notice. Any student-athlete unwilling to provide a urine specimen within a reasonable
period of time, to be decided by the Director of Sports Medicine, may be assessed with a
sanction consistent with a violation of this particular Drug and Alcohol Education and Testing
Policy.
1. Reasonable Suspicion:
The Director of Sports Medicine may authorize a urine specimen collection for
drug testing for reasonable suspicion. Coaches and other athletic officials may
request a test of an athlete for reasonable suspicion. This request must be in
writing and must be approved by the Director of Sports Medicine in consultation
with the Sports Psychology Team. Under emergent circumstances, approval may
be given for a reasonable suspicion test on the basis of a verbal report. Requests
will be evaluated by the director to determine if an athlete is at a significant urgent
medical risk to themselves or their teammates to require a non random test. Only
53
athletes showing clear behavioral indicators of a possible substance problem and
who are at significant medical risk warrant an evaluation for possible non random
test.
D.) Testing Procedures
The Rutgers Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, Department of Sports Medicine has in place
a set of procedures consistent with the NCAA Drug Testing Program Protocol Specimen
Collection Procedure and/or the NJ Law Enforcement Drug Testing Program. These
procedures are in place to protect the integrity of the student-athlete and the testing
system. A description of these procedures is available by request in the sports medicine
policy and procedure manual.
Admission of drug use prior to testing after a urine specimen has been requested will not
exempt the student-athlete from being held to be in violation of this Policy. Any student found
to be altering, tampering or providing a false urine specimen will face immediate suspension
from the athletic program.
Urine samples will be collected in the sports medicine clinic or in an area designated by the
team physician.
The results of all confirmed positive tests will be immediately communicated to the Director of
Sports Medicine who will communicate those results to the Athletic Director, the head coach,
the Sport Psychology Team and the student-athlete. Other Intercollegiate Athletic and
University personnel may be informed of positive test results only as needed in order to
support the education and rehabilitation efforts specified in this policy statement.
VI.) Policies and Sanctions for Violations of these Policies and Procedures
For any and all positive NCAA drug tests, sanctions and reinstatement policies under the
Rutgers Drug and Alcohol Education and Testing program will be applied concurrently with
NCAA sanctions. Rehabilitation under the Rutgers Program will also be required.
A.) NCAA Sanctions
The first time a student-athlete tests positive for any banned substance during an
NCAA drug test, he or she will be ruled ineligible for all competition (regular season
and post-season) in all sports for no less than one calendar year.
If the student-athlete is later restored to eligibility and tests positive again for any banned
substance other than a street drug (e.g. marijuana or heroin) he or she will lose all remaining
regular season and post-season eligibility in all sports. If this positive test is for a drug of
abuse, the student-athlete will lose one season of competition in all sports and remain
ineligible for regular season and post-season competition at least through the next calendar
year. Please review the NCAA website annually for any changes in this policy.
B.) Rutgers University Sanctions and Procedures
A violation of this policy is defined as a confirmation of a positive screen for a banned
substance or a violation of the provisions of this policy regarding alcohol.
1.) First Violation: Notification, Treatment, and Sanctions
Positive drug test results will be communicated by the laboratory or testing
director to the Director of Sports Medicine. The Director of Sports Medicine will
communicate to the Athletic Director, Head Coach, and Sport Psychology Team
the positive drug screens or other policy violations.
The student-athlete will receive a medical evaluation and be required to attend a
mandatory counseling session with a counselor assigned by the Director of Sports
Medicine. The student-athlete and the counselor will develop an individualized
treatment contract. The contract will include treatment expectations for the
student and it will detail probable future sanctions should the student-athlete
commit further violations of the policy.
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The specifics of counseling sessions will remain confidential, but the studentathlete will be asked to agree in writing to release reports on attendance and
compliance to the Director of Sports Medicine, the Head Coach and the Athletic
Director and Sport Psychology Team. If discussion with other parties might be
helpful to the student-athlete other appropriate releases of information may be
specified.
Every student-athlete who commits a first violation of this policy may be
suspended for a period of up to two weeks from practice and
competition. The Director of Athletics will set the sanction in consultation
with the Director of Sports Medicine, the Sport Psychology Team, and the
Head Coach.
2.) Second Violation: Notification, Treatment and Sanctions
The Athletic Director, Head Coach, and the Sport Psychology Team will be
notified by the Director of Sports Medicine of a second positive test result or
violation of the alcohol policy. A second violation will be understood to mean that
the student-athlete is in need of more extensive help. An appropriate counseling
and rehabilitation program will be developed for the student-athlete and a
behavioral contract will be formulated that will outline that program. The specifics
of counseling sessions will remain confidential, but the student athlete will be
asked to release a report on attendance and treatment compliance to the Director
of Sports Medicine, the Head Coach and the Athletic Director. The studentathlete will be expected to follow all treatment recommendations.
The student-athlete who violates the Substance Abuse Policy for a second
time will be suspended from all participation in athletic activities
immediately for a minimum period of two weeks. If the violation occurs
when the athlete is not in season, he or she may be suspended for the first
two weeks of their competitive season.
3.) Third Violation of the Substance Abuse Policy
If the student-athlete violates the Substance Abuse Policy for a third time, it must
be assumed that the student-athlete has a very significant problem or he or she
has made a decision to not abide by the policies of the Division of Intercollegiate
Athletics. This will be treated very seriously. All parties notified of the first two
offenses will again be notified.
The third offense will dictate a suspension from practice and athletic
competition for a minimum of one full calendar year from the date of the
positive drug screen.
The Athletic Director in consultation with the Director of Sports Medicine, the
Head Coach, and the Sport Psychology Team will decide whether he or she will
be allowed to return for participation as a student-athlete within the Rutgers
Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, following the suspension. Prior to the
suspension, however, the student-athlete will have the opportunity to discuss the
matter with the Athletic Director and present evidence of any mitigating
circumstances that the student feels are important.
Any further offenses will result in final dismissal from participation in athletics as a
member of the Rutgers Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Athletic Director
will discuss the appropriate action with the Head Coach and the Director of Sports
Medicine and Sport Psychology Team. In addition, the Director will recommend to
the University Financial Aid Committee that any athletic grant-in-aid not be
renewed for any subsequent year.
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The athletic department recognizes that many factors may be involved in an
athlete’s testing positive for illegal substances. For example, in some instances,
the treatment context may be a relevant factor to consider in terms of determining
the appropriate penalty to be applied. Therefore, the Athletic Director has the
discretion, in consultation with the Sports Psychology Team and the Director of
Sports Medicine, to alter the penalty in such cases. For these cases, which are
anticipated to be rare, the Athletic Director will document in writing the reasons for
the specific penalty to be applied and provide for a customized written behavioral
contract which the student athlete would be required to comply with.
VII.) Policies and Procedures for Tobacco Use
Rutgers University does not condone the use of tobacco, including smokeless
tobacco. Tobacco use may result in a physical dependency on nicotine. Tobacco use is
documented to be the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. The use of
tobacco is prohibited by the University in connection with any intercollegiate team
function. A team function is defined as any activity that is held as a team, whether this
activity is a meeting, practice, banquet, group appearance, media event, competition, or
informal workout, on and off the grounds of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Effective August 1994, NCAA legislation prohibited the use of tobacco products in a
practice or competition. If a student athlete is using tobacco during a practice or a
competition, the institution is obligated to apply the rule. Rutgers University also strongly
encourages its student-athletes to abstain from tobacco use in their private lives.
VII.) Policies and Procedures for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Under new NCAA rules, students taking drugs to address the symptoms of ADD/ADHD
(Attention-Deficit Disorder/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) need to report the
use of those drugs to the Rutgers sports medicine office. Many drugs used in the treatment
of ADD/ADHD are part of a class of drugs banned by the NCAA.
Some legitimate medications contain NCAA banned substances, and student-athletes may
need to use these medicines to support their academics and their general health. The
NCAA has a procedure to review and approve legitimate use of medications that contain
NCAA banned substances through a Medical Exceptions Procedure.
In order to learn if you are taking a banned substance and to be eligible for this exception,
Rutgers student-athletes should report the use of any ADD/ADHD medication to the sports
medicine office and submit necessary reports documenting diagnosis and treatment.
NCAA Banned Drugs
The NCAA bans the following classes of drugs (and any substance related to these classes of drugs):
Stimulants, Anabolic Agents, Alcohol and Beta Blockers (rifle only), Diuretics/Other Masking Agents,
Street Drugs, Peptide Hormones and Analogues, Anti-estrogens, Beta-2 Agonists.
The institution and the student-athlete shall be held accountable for all drugs within the banned
drug class regardless of whether they have been specifically identified on this list.
Drugs and Procedures Subject to Restrictions:
Blood Doping.
Local Anesthetics (under some conditions).
Manipulation of Urine Samples.
Beta-2 Agonists permitted only by prescription and inhalation.
Caffeine if concentrations in urine exceed 15 micrograms/ml.
Some Examples of NCAA Banned Substances in Each Drug Class
NOTE: There is no complete list of banned drug examples
Check with your athletics department staff before you consume any medication
or supplement.
Stimulants: amphetamine (Adderall); caffeine (guarana); cocaine; ephedrine;
fenfluramine (Fen); methamphetamine; methylphenidate (Ritalin); phentermine
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(Phen);
synephrine
(bitter
orange);
methylhexaneamine,
etc.
Exceptions: phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine are not banned.
Anabolic Agents (sometimes listed as a chemical formula, such as 3,6,17androstenetrione): boldenone; clenbuterol; DHEA (7-Keto); nandrolone;
stanozolol; testosterone; methasterone; androstenedione; norandrostenedione;
methandienone; etiocholanolone; trenbolone; etc.
Alcohol and Beta Blockers (banned for rifle only): alcohol; atenolol;
metoprolol; nadolol; pindolol; propranolol; timolol; etc.
Diuretics
(water
pills)
and
Other
Masking
Agents:
bumetanide; chlorothiazide; furosemide; hydrochlorothiazide; probenecid;
spironolactone (canrenone); triameterene; trichlormethiazide; etc.
Street Drugs: heroin; marijuana; tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); synthetic cannabinoids
(eg. spice, K2, JWH-018, JWH-073)
Peptide Hormones and Analogues: growth hormone(hGH); human chorionic
gonadotropin (hCG); erythropoietin (EPO); etc.
Anti-Estrogens: anastrozole; tamoxifen; formestane; 3,17-dioxo-etiochol-1,4,6triene(ATD), etc.
Beta-2 Agonists: bambuterol; formoterol; salbutamol; salmeterol; etc.
Any substance that is chemically related to the class of banned drugs is also banned!
(unless otherwise noted)
Before consuming any nutritional/dietary supplement product, review the product with the
Sports Medicine Staff.
NOTE: Information about ingredients in medications and nutritional/dietary supplements can
be obtained by contacting the Resource Exchange Center, REC, 877-202-0769 or
www.drugfreesport.com/rec password ncaa1, ncaa2 or ncaa3. It is your responsibility to
check with the appropriate athletics staff before using any substance.
STUDENT INSURANCE COVERAGE
New Jersey law requires that all full-time students who attend state colleges and universities have
health insurance. Students who do not have personal health insurance are billed for the Rutgers
University student insurance plan on their term bill when they register for classes. This coverage
can be used for illness, non-athletic injury, and prescription. Full-time students already covered by
a health insurance plan will not need to purchase additional insurance. Students are required to
provide their insurance information through a pre-enrollment verification process or through the
insurance verification form that will be sent by the Registrar’s office. Full-time and part-time
student-athletes who do not have health insurance must select an insurance plan offered through a
national provider with whom Rutgers has contracted to provide low-cost health insurance. The cost
of the selected plan will be added to the student’s term bill. Other health insurance plans that
provide greater coverage will be available to students as options for higher premium rates. The
athletic department will cover the cost of the basic plan for non-insured student-athletes who
receive a full athletics scholarship. If a full scholarship student-athlete opts to purchase a higher
cost plan, they will be responsible for the difference in the plan they selected and the basic plan
that athletics will cover. All other non-insured student-athletes will be responsible for payment of
their insurance plan. Student-athletes on an active roster will also have coverage through the
athletic insurance plan (see Athletic Insurance section below). Any significant change in a studentathlete’s health plan (i.e., plan change or plan termination) must be reported to the Sports Medicine
office as well as the Student Accounting Financial office. For additional information about the
student insurance plan, please contact the student insurance office at 848-932-8285 or 848-9327401/7402.
ATHLETIC INSURANCE COVERAGE
Non-athletic injuries are submitted through the student’s personal insurance. If the student does
not have personal insurance, he/she must purchase coverage through the Rutgers University
Student Insurance office (Hurtado Health Center, 848-932-7401 or 7402, x266).
Intercollegiate Athletic Insurance coverage is for injuries sustained during supervised practice,
contests, or travel. The insurance is “excess type" coverage. It provides coverage for athletic
injury only. It will not cover illness or non-athletic injury. All claims must first be submitted to your
parent's or guardian’s insurance company for payment. Our insurance carrier will then pay any
unpaid portion of the bill within the limits of the policy. No outside treatment is covered by our
insurance plan without referral by our team physician. . For further information, contact the Athletic
Insurance Coordinator, located in the Sports Medicine Office at (732) 445-6261.
In-network providers will be paid at 100%. Out-of-network providers will be paid at the reasonable
and customary rate. The reasonable and customary rate is the maximum allowance the insurance
carrier will consider for the service rendered. If an out-of-network provider is used, Rutgers
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University will not be responsible for paying any balance that exceeds the reasonable and
customary rate, even if the injury occurred at Rutgers or the team physician referred the athlete to
an out-of-network provider.
Bills for non-athletic injury or illness are submitted through the student’s personal insurance. If the
student does not have personal insurance, he/she must purchase coverage through the Rutgers
University Student Insurance office (see Student Insurance section above). ).
If you are enrolled in summer sessions and utilize the Health Services, a summer “fee” will be
charged to the student-athlete. For information on the summer fee please contact the Student
Insurance office. A fee will not be charged if you utilize the Sports Medicine office located at the
Hale Center. This service is for student-athletes only.
MEDICAL BILLS / INSURANCE PROCEDURES
Injury Claim Form:
1.
All injuries must be documented with an Injury Claim Form. This form may be filled out
by any athletic trainer, team physician, or coach.
2.
All injuries must be reported to an athletic trainer, medical staff member or coach
within 72 hours of the injury. If you do not report the injury you will be held responsible
for any expenses incurred as a result of treating the injury.
For those who have personal primary and/or secondary insurance:
1.
Medical bills should first be sent to your primary and/or secondary insurance carrier
2.
Your primary and/or secondary insurance carrier will send you an Explanation of
Benefits (EOB) for the medical services provided. Even if there is a denial of benefits,
your primary and/or secondary insurance carrier will send you a denial Explanation of
Benefits (EOB).
3.
If there is a remaining balance after the medical bill has been sent to your primary
and/or secondary insurance carrier, the bill and the EOB from your insurance carrier
should be sent to the Rutgers University Sports Medicine office (see contact
information listed below).
4.
Our office will then submit the medical bill and the EOB for balance payment that is
within the limits of the athletic insurance policy. The medical bill must be submitted for
claim within 90 days after the injury has occurred or as soon as reasonably possible.
For those who do not have personal insurance:
1.
The medical provider should submit the bill to the Rutgers University Sports Medicine
office (see contact information listed below).
2.
Our office will then submit the medical bill for payment that is within the limits of the
athletic insurance policy. The medical bill must be submitted for claim within 90 days
after the injury has occurred or as soon as reasonably possible.
Claims can be faxed to 732-445-3462 or mailed to Rutgers University, Hale Center, Attn: Athletic
Insurance, One Scarlet Knight Way, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
BILLING: PERSONAL INSURANCE
Rutgers University will bill student-athletes’ personal primary and/or personal secondary medical
insurance companies for medical treatments/problems. The student-athletes/parents’ insurance
company will be billed for medical treatment that Rutgers University Sports Medicine supplies to
the student-athlete. Student-athletes/parents should not receive a bill from the medical provider for
these services, however they may receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the insurance
company for these services, describing medical bills that were sent to them. Studentathletes/parents will not be asked to personally pay money for the student-athlete’s care when their
insurance is billed by the Sports Medicine office. Medical care for student-athletes is handled
through the Hale Center at Rutgers University.
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Student-athletes must supply the Sports Medicine office with a copy of their current insurance card
as well as maintain current insurance information.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENT-ATHLETES
Student athletes are expected to be aware of and comply with the requirements described above.
If you sustain an injury during a supervised practice or competition, or during travel, report to an
athletic training room for an evaluation. Should your medical problem require further testing or
generate medical bills, please discuss this with the Athletic Insurance Office located in the Sports
Medicine Office. The Athletic Insurance Office can help familiarize you with the claims process or
check on the status of pending claims.
It must be understood by student-athletes and their families that medical expenses are not
“automatically taken care of” by the athletic department or the university. Athletic scholarships do
not cover medical expenses. Your medical expenses are “real world” debts and you are
responsible for ensuring their settlements. Paying athletic related medical expenses requires
cooperation of the student-athlete and his/her family and coordination between various offices and
departments in and around the Rutgers’ community. The ongoing responsibility and cooperation of
student-athletes and their families are both necessary and expected.
Student-athletes are expected to understand that if they receive medical bills they should be
presented to the Athletic Insurance Office and not taken or sent to the coach or athletic trainers.
This creates delays in filing a claim. With due respect to varying health care provider billing cycles,
statements for athletic related medical expenses that are presented to the athletic insurance office
30 days or more after their issue date may not be suitable for payment consideration. Claims must
be filed within 90 days of the injury date.
You must maintain and update your insurance coverage with the Sports Medicine/Athletic
Insurance Office. Report any change of insurance immediately to the office.
CONSEQUENCES OF UNSETTLED MEDICAL EXPENSES
Student-athlete medical expenses are not “automatically taken care of” by the Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics or the university. Failure to comply with policies related to payment of
medical expenses will put student-athletes and their families at serious financial risk and may
jeopardize the student-athlete’s eligibility to compete. The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
reserves the right to deny financial aid benefits for any situation in which a student-athlete’s actions
or decisions (through inattention or design) prevent, evade or delay the settlement of athletic
related medical expenses.
Some student-athlete actions that may delay settlements include: failure to disclose personal
insurance information to health care providers at registration for services; failure to comply with
individual policy requirements for preauthorization and notification; failure to adequately respond to
requests for information from health care providers, insurance companies or the Athletic Insurance
Office; failure to present athletic related medical bills to the Sports Medicine/Athletic Insurance
Office in a timely manner.
With due respect to confidentiality, the student-athlete’s coach will be notified through the Sports
Medicine/Athletic Insurance Office of unresolved athletic related medical care expense situations.
This notification will include a request for the coach’s assistance in contacting the student-athlete
and persuading the student-athlete to help resolve the issue.
Situations that remain unresolved may result in a financial hold being placed on the studentathlete’s university account. Among other restrictions, this will preclude the student from registering
for classes and thus rendering the student-athlete ineligible.
MEDICAL HARDSHIP WAIVERS
Refer to the NCAA Rules section of this handbook under “Athletic Eligibility”
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SPECIAL MEDICAL-RELATED SERVICES
Sport Psychology
The Sports Medicine Office administers a comprehensive sports psychology program for all
student athletes. This program provides services in all dimensions of sports psychology including
performance enhancement. Please contact the team physician to discuss any questions on how to
access these services. General Psychology services are also provided at the following locations:
Rutgers College: 932-7884.
Sports Nutrition
The Sports Medicine Office administers a sports nutrition program for all student-athletes. The
program covers all aspects of sports nutrition, from weight loss to help in the management of
medical problems. The nutritionist sees patients at the Hale Center. Appointments are by referral
through the team physician or athletic trainer.
Eating Disorders Program
The Sports Medicine Office coordinates a multi disciplinary treatment approach to eating
disorders. This program involves the screening of student-athletes for eating disorders,
educational programs, and comprehensive medical care of the athlete. Our team includes
physicians, psychologists, nutritionists and other allied health care providers who are qualified and
experienced in the evaluation and treatment of eating disorders in athletes. Student-athletes
should feel free to contact the Team Physician's Office to discuss any case in private.
Dating Violence/Sexual Assault Services
The Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance, in cooperation with the Division of
Intercollegiate Athletics, offers annual education for student-athletes on interpersonal violence and
related topics. The primary goals of the educational programming are to provide information,
clarify myths and misconceptions, and reduce a student-athlete's vulnerability to becoming a crime
victim. Education is generally provided by student-athletes through skits dealing with various
issues related to violence, especially legal and social definitions on sexual assault, dating violence,
stalking, dynamics of each, and ways to reduce the risk of being involved in these
situations. Students have the opportunity to interact with each other, discuss their attitudes and
perceptions, and gain information that may challenge or enhance their current attitudes. The Office
of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance can be contacted at 732-932-1181. More
information on sexual and dating violence can be found in the resource pages of this handbook.
DEPARTMENT AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Varsity Letterwinners: Head Coaches of each sport establish criteria to receive a Letterwinner's
Award. Requirements vary by sport and are approved by the Athletic Director. The criteria for each
sport are on file in the Division's Operations Manual and in the Office of Athletic Communications.
Annual letter awards are provided as follows:
First letter award: Jacket and certificate with insignia.
Second letter award: Watch with RU logo.
Third letter award: Blanket with block R.
Fourth letter award: Scarlet block "R" shadow box and/or framed jersey.
All senior letter winners: Framed certificate with years lettered.
Exception: At the coach’s and sport administrator’s discretion, a senior who will not be
returning to the team and who is scheduled to receive an award other than a shadow
box has the option of choosing the award he/she will receive. He/she may choose to
receive any award he/she has not previously received.
Team Awards: Each year each team selects a Most Valuable Player and Scholar-Athlete. Other
team awards are provided at the discretion of the head coach with the approval of the Athletic
Director.
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Athletic Director’s Excellence Award: Student-athletes who have achieved a minimum 3.5
cumulative GPA over at least four semesters at Rutgers and earned All-America honors nationally
or regionally in their sport.
Coursen Award: Outstanding male student-athlete of the graduating class who has contributed
the most to his team.
Headley-Singer Award: Outstanding female student-athlete of the graduating class who has
contributed the most to her team.
Werblin Award: Student-athletes who have achieved national recognition or were a national
champion.
Rutgers Leadership Academy Award: Refer to the Rutgers Leadership Academy section of this
handbook.
1.
15 SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
Take pride in who & what you represent (Family, hometown, Rutgers University, your team,
etc…)
2.
Your profile photos are how other followers and friends form a first impression of you. Be
aware of this.
3.
Social media hasn’t made the text message obsolete. Only Tweet/Facebook things that are
appropriate for public consumption. Text things that should be kept private (parties, crushes,
etc…)
4.
Realize that even if you go back and delete a tweet or post, it already has been publicly
consumed and can be found.
5.
Don’t use social media to complain about how tough your life is. You are getting a college
education, traveling to places you may not otherwise, getting free gear, etc. Many people
wish they were in your shoes.
6.
ReTweeting or sharing profanity or other explicit material is the same as using it yourself.
Don’t do it.
7.
Avoid replying or ReTweeting twitter users with vulgar names. These names appear on your
feed and then represent your personal brand.
8.
Don’t tweet or post anything you wouldn’t say to the media. You are being naïve if you think
the media isn’t following you via social networks. Privacy settings don’t always work.
9.
Don’t post or share pictures (this goes for text as well) that you wouldn’t want your parents to
see.
10. Don’t let people take photos of you with a drink in your hands – even if it is only water or
juice. If you’re posing for a photo, put the drink on a counter out of frame.
11. Don’t air your dirty laundry on Twitter or Facebook.
12. Don’t tweet or post after a tough loss. Losses are emotionally draining and you aren’t always
thinking clearly after. Sleep on it.
13. Don’t engage in a public social media argument with a media member. You won’t win and
you’ll only end up looking childish and foolish – even if you are “sticking up” for a teammate
or coach.
14. Avoid commenting on polarizing topics such as sexual orientation, race, politics, and
religions you may not understand.
15. Don’t tweet or post during class. Be mindful that your professors (or academic advisors)
could see the time of these posts.
Don’t let these tips prevent you from enjoying social media. Show your personality and
have fun but like anything else – enjoy it responsibly.
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How to Meet Your Professors
Why is it important to develop a relationship with professors?
Simply put, to give you a greater chance at success in your classes. Professors want to
see you succeed – especially when they know you. You can learn so much more when
you have a one on one meeting to discuss your class; you learn at your pace instead of
the speed of the collective class. And, your professor will be more apt to give you a
letter of recommendation when you ask.
So how do you get started? First, find the right teachers.
When you need advice about a professor, good sources of information are: special
department members (e.g., administrative assistants), academic advisors (campus and
athletics), previous professors, your undergrad director, or your undergrad dean. And,
getting to know these individuals can be a huge benefit to you as well – whether you
need a letter of recommendation, advice on a career or grad school, or something else.
There are also other avenues for you to identify a professor who will be right for you…
•
Find professors on the tenure track line. Non-tenured professors could be
more apt to leave the university than tenure-track faculty. You can’t have a
great relationship with someone if he/she isn’t here the whole time you are.
•
Go on ratemyprofessors.com. Do your homework!
•
Ask your teammates about a specific class or teacher.
Now that you’ve found the right teachers for you, set yourself apart from others…
•
Introduce yourself after class.
•
Stand out in class.
•
Be prepared so you can raise your hand at least once every class.
•
Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Mental leaps can reap the biggest rewards.
•
Ask a question or provide an answer.
•
Do your homework…on your professor. Look him/her up. Find out if he/she
is a part of the study abroad program, heads up any special departments, etc.
•
Find a common interest to ask a question about. Professors are people, too!
(For example, the vice-president of undergraduate education loves to cook
and will occasionally teach a pastry class.)
•
Go to Office Hours – with a purpose. Have at least a mental agenda or some
kind of structure. Here are some things to think about:
•
Before you go to office hours, give yourself a class or two to establish
some kind of connection and get a sense for your professor.
•
What do you want to accomplish during your visit?
•
Bring in a question from class. Even if you know the answer, it will help
you get the conversation started.
•
Tell your professor something about you.
•
How do you want to meet him/her? Stopping by just to say hi is a great
excuse to start talking.
•
On the other hand, making an appointment is also a good idea. Your
professor will have one more place to learn and remember your name.
•
Travel letters are another excuse to go visit – yet another icebreaker.
It’s understandable that anyone might find visiting a professor difficult. Sometimes it’s
hard to make connections. If you really don’t want to go-it alone, take a friend with you.
If you can develop a bond with a professor, you’ll have someone for advice, direction,
letters of recommendation, and a real friend.
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