In their respective roles at the University of Utah, many members of faculty and staff may encounter NCAA academic and compliance issues. In an effort to comply with NCAA rules, the Athletics Department must have strong oversight of student-athlete academic conduct and accountability for issues involving student-athletes. The information below details the university’s obligation to follow the rules and regulations of the university and the NCAA, but the key points to remember are as follows:
- Student-athletes should only receive accommodations, treatment and benefits that are provided to the general student body and align with university regulations.
- Academic conduct issues involving student-athletes should be resolved in accordance with university policies and procedures.
- Information regarding student-athletes found to have engaged in an academic conduct concern shall be forwarded to the Office of Athletics Compliance, the Office of Academic Services and/or the Faculty Athletics Representative.
Following the rules and regulations of the U and the NCAA
The Office of Athletics Compliance is responsible for monitoring and enforcing NCAA and Big 12 rules. It serves as a liaison between the university, the Big 12 and the NCAA.
The Office of Academic Services (“OAS”) is the unit within the Athletics Department that provides academic support to student-athletes. OAS ensures that student-athletes receive appropriate academic support. The support OAS provides is permitted and required by the NCAA. OAS hopes to establish and maintain an open line of communication with you.
The Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) is a tenured faculty member who represents a university and its faculty in the university's relationships with the NCAA and the Big 12. The FAR at the University of Utah is Jason Burrow-Sanchez.
No. In basic terms, an “extra benefit” violation occurs when an employee or booster provides a student-athlete with something that is not available to all students. Examples of extra benefits:
- Permitting a procedure, coursework or assistance (including offering coursework answers) that is not generally available to all students (e.g., retake exam, extra credit, credit for activities outside of class, etc.).
- Providing accommodations that are not available to the general student body and are not approved through the Center for Disability and Access.
- Involvement in arranging fraudulent academic credit issued to, or fraudulent transcripts created for, student-athletes.
- Sanctions for academic misconduct involving student-athletes that are more lenient than those imposed on non-student-athletes for similar academic offenses.
- Preferential grading for student-athletes.
- Permitting student-athletes to use copying machines or typing services that are not available to the general student body.
- Giving a gift or loan of cash to a student-athlete.
- Signing or co-signing for a loan on behalf of a student-athlete.
- Offering any gift (e.g. holiday, birthday) to a student-athlete.
- Gifting an automobile to a student-athlete or allowing a student-athlete to use an automobile free of charge.
- Offering free or reduced rent or housing to a student-athlete.
The student-athlete should provide their professor(s) with an Intercollegiate Athletics Team Travel Letter that includes all potential travel dates and times for that semester.
Yes. Student-athletes must be registered as full-time students and meet the same grade-point average and graduation requirements as all other students.
Yes. According to NCAA rules, a student-athlete must be enrolled in a degree program that they can complete within five years of initial enrollment. Student-athletes must also maintain progress toward a baccalaureate degree, satisfactorily complete a specific number of credit units and maintain minimum grade-point average requirements each term to be eligible to represent the university in intercollegiate athletics competition.
The Office of the Registrar ultimately certifies the academic progress of each student-athlete prior to competition each term.
You must report it to one of the following individuals:
- Senior Compliance Administrator, Jason Greco, jgreco@huntsman.utah.edu
- Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services, Cathy Badger, cathy.badger@utah.edu
- Faculty Athletics Representative, Jason Burrow-Sanchez, jason.burrow-sanchez@utah.edu
To discuss any questions or issues, feel free to contact any of the individuals listed below:
Senior Compliance Administrator, Jason Greco, jgreco@huntsman.utah.edu
Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services, Cathy Badger, cathy.badger@utah.edu
Faculty Athletics Representative, Jason Burrow-Sanchez, jason.burrow-sanchez@utah.edu