DEFINITIONS TO KNOW
Representative of Athletics Interests (Booster): A booster is any individual or group that has ever:
- Been a member of an organization promoting Pacific Athletics;
- Contributed to the Pacific Athletics Department or its booster organizations;
- Assisted in evaluating or recruiting prospective student-athletes;
- Provided benefits to prospective student-athletes, enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
- Otherwise promoted the University of the Pacific Athletic program.
Keep in mind that it is very easy to meet one or more of these criteria. You are considered a booster if any of the following is true:
- You have ever participated in or been a member of the Pacific Athletic Foundation or any other group that supports a specific Pacific athletic team.
- You are a current or former Pacific student-athlete.
- You are the parent of a current or former Pacific student-athlete.
- You are the spouse of a Pacific athletic department employee.
- You are or have ever been an employee of Pacific.
- You have ever contributed to the Pacific athletic program.
- You have ever assisted in providing NCAA-permissible benefits to an enrolled student-athlete or their family or friends.
- You have ever helped arrange or have provided employment for an enrolled student-athlete.
- You have ever helped to arrange or have provided summer employment to prospects who have signed an offer or admissions to Pacific.
- You have ever purchased season tickets for any Pacific team.
- You have ever promoted the Pacific athletic program.
Once an individual qualifies as a Representative of Athletics Interests, they retain this identity forever.
Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA): A “prospect” is a student that has started classes for ninth grade. A student that has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a prospect if the student receives any benefits that Pacific does not provide to all prospective students in general. An individual remains a prospect until he or she starts classes at Pacific or reports for practice, whichever occurs earlier, even if they have signed a National Letter of Intent.
Enrolled Student-Athlete: A student-athlete is a student who a member of the athletics staff or an athletics representative solicited enrollment with a view toward the student’s ultimate participation in the intercollegiate athletics program. Any other student becomes a student-athlete only when the student reports for an intercollegiate squad that is under the jurisdiction of the athletics department.
Contact: A contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or the prospect’s parents or legal guardians and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. (See Recruitment of Prospects on page 3 of the Booster Newsletter)
Recruiting: Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospect or the prospect’s family (including legal guardians) by a university staff member or athletics representative for the purpose of securing the prospect’s enrollment and participation in the Pacific athletics program. (See Recruitment of Prospects on page 3 of the Booster Newsletter)
Offers and Inducements: Being involved, directly or indirectly, in making arrangements for, giving, or offering to give any financial aid or other benefits to the prospect or the prospect’s relatives or friends. Specifically prohibited financial aid, benefits, and arrangements include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Arranging employment for a prospect’s relatives
- Giving a gift of clothing or equipment
- Cosigning of loans
- Providing loans to a prospect’s relatives or friends
- Giving cash or like items
- Giving any tangible item, including merchandise
- Providing free or reduced-cost services, rentals, or purchases or any type
- Providing free or reduced-cost housing
- Providing use of an institution’s equipment (e.g., for a high school all-star game)
- Sponsoring or arranging for an awards banquet for high school, preparatory school, or two-year college athletics by an institution, representatives of its athletics interests, of its alumni groups, or of its fundraising organizations.
Extra Benefits: An extra benefit is defined as any special arrangement by an institutional employee or representative of Pacific’s athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relatives of friends a benefit not expressly authorized by the NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to Pacific’s students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability. Examples of extra benefits include, but are not limited to:
- A loan of money, gift, or use of a credit card
- Any signing or co-signing arrangements
- Rent free or reduced cost housing
- Payment for work not performed
- Shoes or apparel
- Use of automobile
- Transportation to or from work or school
- Free or reduced cost on any item or service
- Birthday/Wedding gifts
- Complimentary tickets to events/entertainment
- Guarantee of bond
- Office or home telephone use;
- Free typing service;
- Free use of a copy or fax machine
