INFORMATION FOR FANS/BOOSTERS
Boosters, Friends, and Fans
First off, Go Cats Go! Thank you so much for being a supporter of UVM Athletics!
As a member of the NCAA, the University of Vermont is committed and obligated to the principle of institutional control in operating its athletics program. As UVM’s athletics stakeholders, including its fans, donors, season ticket holders, and other representative of athletics interests, your actions must also fall within the rules.
There are rules governing your actions as a “Representative of Athletics Interests” and any violation of such rules, regardless of your intentions, could jeopardize the eligibility of our student-athletes and bring sanctions against our teams. We appreciate your outstanding support, but we also need your cooperation to ensure that we fully comply with NCAA rules. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of the rules governing “Representatives of Athletics Interests”.
What is a Representative of Athletics Interests?
A “representative of athletics interests” is more commonly known as a
booster.
A representative of the University of Vermont’s athletics interests is an individual or organization who is known by the institution to:
- Have participated in or be a member of an organization promoting the institution’s athletics program;
- Have made financial contributions to the Department of Athletics or an athletics booster organization;
- Assist in the recruiting of prospects;
- Assist in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
- Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution’s athletics programs.
Parents of student-athletes are considered “representatives of athletics interests” as well.
What is an Extra Benefit?
Extra benefit violations are among the most common violations in college athletics!
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution’s athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relatives or friends a benefit not expressly authorized by 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 the institution’s students or their relative or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g. students from Vermont, class year of junior) determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.
Examples of impermissible extra benefits include, but are not limited to:
- The use of an automobile;
- Signing or cosigning a note for a loan;
- Special discounts or payment arrangements on loan;
- Cash or tangible items (e.g., clothes, cars, jewelry, stereo equipment, even a soft drink);
- The promise of employment after college;
- Purchase of items or services from a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s family at inflated prices;
- Free or reduced-cost housing arrangements;
- Free or reduced-cost services or rentals of any type;
- The promise of financial aid for post graduate education; and
- The promise to pay or arrange payment of transportation costs incurred by relatives or friends of student-athletes.
Key Points to Remember:
- “Representatives of Athletics Interests” cannot be involved in the recruiting process. Only UVM coaches who have been certified to recruit off-campus may be involved in the recruiting process. NCAA rules do not allow “representatives of athletics interests” to call, e-mail, tweet, or contact a prospective student-athlete during the recruiting process.
- Do not give any gifts of any kind to a student-athlete or a prospective student-athleteàThis can lead to an extra benefit violation, which can jeopardize the individual’s eligibility.
- If you would like to support our program, please come to our events and please make donations to the Victory Club
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Memorabilia and Appearance Form
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Fee-For-Lesson Form
