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Booster Rules Education
Boosters
A representative of athletics interests, often called a booster,” is any individual who is a member of an organization who supports the athletic department, has made any financial contributions to the athletic department, has been involved in promoting Houston athletics, or is a season ticket holder. Once an individual is a booster, they remain a booster for life.
Boosters may not:
- Provide extra benefits to student-athletes, recruits, or their families or friends
- Engage in scouting or recruiting activities
- Communicate with recruits in person, by mail, online (i.e. social media), or on the phone (text or call)
Boosters may:
- Donate through established channels to support student-athletes academic and athletic endeavors
- With pre-approval, provide an occasional meal to a team or group of student-athletes in their home
- Attend contests where recruits are playing (so long as attendance is not directed by the athletics staff)
- Provide student-athletes job opportunities using normal hiring processes and paying the going rate
Shared Responsibility
The responsibility for NCAA rules compliance is shared by the entire University of Houston community. While the Office of Athletics Compliance has the day to day task of educating, monitoring, and enforcing NCAA, conference and institutional rules, it is not our job alone. Our alumni show their commitment to institutional control by asking questions, following established procedures, and communicating issues as soon as they arise.
Recruiting
A prospective student-athlete, commonly known as a recruit, prospect, or PSA, is any student who has started the 9th grade (or 7th grade for men’s basketball). Only authorized coaches can evaluate, contact, and communicate with recruits. The NCAA has strict regulations against any other individuals associated with the program engaging in the recruiting process (discussed further below). The recruiting rules still apply even after a recruit verbally commits to UH or signs an athletic scholarship or National Letter of Intent. An individual only becomes a student-athlete once they start classes or practice on campus.
Extra Benefits
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or representative of the institution's athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s family member or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
- Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their family members 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 family members or friends or to a particular segment of the student-body
Examples of extra benefits include:
- Free or discounted tangible items (e.g. clothes, tickets, etc.) or services
- Transportation
- Money, including a gift or a loan
- Payment for student-athletes meals at restaurants
- Payment for a student-athlete’s signature by either cash or trade