THE NCAA Dead period:
Important NCAA Terms A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. In addition, a student who has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a prospective student-athlete if the institution provides such an individual (or the individual’s relatives or friends) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally. An individual remains a prospective student-athlete until one of the following occurs (whichever is earlier):
Contact: A contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such face-to-face encounter that is prearranged (e.g., staff member positions himself or herself in a location where contact is possible) or that takes place on the grounds of the prospective student-athlete’s educational institution or at the site of organized competition or practice involving the prospective student-athlete or the prospective studentathlete’s high school, preparatory school, two-year college or all-star team shall be considered a contact, regardless of whether any conversation occurs. However, an institutional staff member or athletics representative who is approached by a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians at any location shall not use a contact, provided the encounter was not prearranged and the staff member or athletics representative does not engage in any dialogue in excess of a greeting and takes appropriate steps to immediately terminate the encounter.
Contact Period: A contact period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.
Evaluation: Evaluation is any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or athletics ability of a prospective student-athlete, including any visit to a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution (during which no contact occurs) or the observation of a prospective student-athlete participating in any practice or competition at any site.
Evaluation Period: An evaluation period is a period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective studentathletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.
Quiet Period: A quiet period is a period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the institution’s campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
Initial Eligibility: A student-athlete who enrolls in a member institution as an entering freshman with no previous full-time college attendance shall meet specific NCAA academic requirements, as certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center, as approved by the Executive Committee, and any applicable institutional and conference regulations, to be considered a qualifier and thus be eligible for financial aid, practice and competition during the first academic year in residence. For further information please visit, www.eligibilitycenter.org.
Frequently Asked Questions What is the National Letter of Intent (NLI)? The NLI is a contract between a prospect and an institution. By signing a NLI, a prospect agrees to attend UNC Asheville for at least one academic year. In exchange, UNC Asheville must provide athletic financial aid for one academic year. The NLI early signing period for Basketball, Baseball, Tennis and Volleyball is November 10-17, 2010.The regular signing period for Basketball is April 13 - May 18, 2011. The regular signing period for Baseball, Tennis and Volleyball is April 13August 1, 2011.The NLI signing period for Soccer and Track is February 2-August 1, 2011. The NLI regular signing period for all other sports is April 13-August 1 2011. For more information, visit the NLI website: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ wcm/connect/nli/nli. What is the difference between an official visit and unofficial visit? After opening day of classes of the prospect’s senior year, the prospect may take five official visits to different Division I or II schools. Before the visit, the prospect must present a high school transcript, proof of SAT, ACT, PACT, PSAT test to UNC Asheville, register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, and be placed on the Institution’s IRL. An official visit may not occur if the prospect is not registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Official visits are paid in part and extended by UNC Asheville coaches only. All visits must be comparable to normal student life.
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(a) The individual officially registers and enrolls in a minimum full-time program of studies and attends classes in any term of a four-year collegiate institution’s regular academic year (excluding summer); or (b) The individual participates in a regular squad practice or competition at a four-year collegiate institution that occurs before the beginning of any term; or (Revised: 1/11/89, 1/10/90) (c) The individual officially registers and enrolls and attends classes during the summer prior to initial enrollment. (Adopted: 4/28/05, Revised: 1/17/09)
A dead period is a period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus. The provision of complimentary admissions to a prospective studentathlete during a dead period is prohibited, except as provided in Bylaw 13.7.2.5 for a prospective student-athlete who visits an institution as part of a group. During a dead period, a coaching staff member may not serve as a speaker at or attend a meeting or banquet at which prospective student-athletes are in attendance, except as provided in Bylaw 13.1.8.1, and may not visit a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution. It remains permissible, however, for an institutional staff member to write or telephone a prospective student-athlete during a dead period.
Prospects may make unlimited number of unofficial visits and may visit UNC Asheville anytime except during a dead period. Prospects are solely responsible for all expenses of unofficial visits. However, prospects may receive three complimentary admissions to any home athletic contest, excluding Big South Conference Post Season Tournaments. What is the NCAA Eligibility Center? It is the agency that certifies both a prospect’s academic and amateur eligibility for Division I and II. A prospect should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of their senior year in high school. Visit the NCAA Eligibility Center website for registration information.
This is a brief summary of regulations which outlines the basic recruiting rules to help prospective student-athletes and parents better understand the recruiting process. UNC Asheville is committed to recruiting and conducting its athletics program with the highest level of integrity. If you have any questions about NCAA rules, please contact Terri Brne, Associate Athletics Director, at 828-251-6930.
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