Wake Forest University Policies and Procedures

WAKEFORESTUNIVERSITY

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

FOR THE ON-CAMPUS VISITS BY PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETES

Pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 13.7.1, “an institution must have written departmental policies related to official visits that apply to prospects, student hosts, coaches and other athletics administrators that are approved by the institution's chief executive officer and kept on file at the institution and conference office. The institution is responsible for the development and enforcement of appropriate policies and penalties regarding specified areas, as identified by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. The institution shall have an outside entity (e.g., conference office) evaluate its policies related to official visits once every four years. The institution may be held accountable through the NCAA enforcement program for activities that clearly demonstrate a disregard for its stated policies.”

Methodology

These policies and procedures were created by the Wake Forest University (WFU) Student-Athlete Recruitment Policies Committee. The committee members were Valorie Baker, former Head Volleyball Coach; Richard Carmichael, Faculty Athletics Representative; Samantha Huge, former Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance; Pat Kelsey, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach; Arron Marlowe-Rogers, former Assistant Director of Admissions; and Barbara Walker, Senior Associate Athletics Director.

Recruiting Philosophy

Recruiting visits bring a prospective student-athlete (and frequently parents) to the WFU campus, fundamentally, to allow a mutual exploration by the prospective student-athletes and institutional officials (especially athletics personnel) of whether WFU and the prospective student-athlete are a good fit for each other. While the primary emphasis during these visits is often athletic, the premise for them must be that the student-athlete is making a decision about where to pursue his or her athletic and academic future.

The primary consideration, therefore, in selecting activities for these visits should be to provide information that will assist the prospective student-athlete and his/her family in making that decision. Behavior that would not be acceptable in the recruitment of a non-athlete prospective student has no proper or acceptable justification simply because the recruiting involves athletics. This principle applies equally to the structured activities of transporting, informing, lodging, feeding, and entertaining the prospects making a campus visit, as well as to the unstructured activities when prospects are often under the guidance of player-hosts. It is WFU’s intention to prohibit any form of recruiting abuses, to investigate all complaints or allegations of recruiting improprieties, and to take immediate and appropriate disciplinary action if violations of NCAA legislation, WFU Codes of Conduct or state criminal statutes occur. In addition, the only individuals who will serve as a host to a prospective student-athlete are current student-athletes in the prospect’s sport or a student designated in a manner consistent with the institution’s policy for providing campus visits or tours to prospective students in general.

The WFU staff intends to promote an official campus visit experience that serves the academic and athletic missions of the institution and to continue the University’s confidence in the integrity of the recruiting process. The recruiting process offers an avenue to extend athletic participation beyond high school, but a more important goal is that student-athletes contribute constructively to the academic mission of WFU and in turn, benefit by gaining knowledge and tools through education and athletics participation in preparation for their vocations and future contributions to society.

Recruiting Principles

• Prospective student-athletes and their families should be afforded the opportunity to fairly and ethically assess their opportunities for academic and athletic success and integration into the collegiate experience, a shared responsibility by all participants with minimal emphasis on preferences or inducements.
• WFU should be afforded the opportunity to fairly and reasonably evaluate a prospective student-athlete for admission to WFU and compatibility with its intercollegiate athletics program.
• WFU has established a set of principles and guidelines for the conduct of the recruiting process with full regard for reasonable and acceptable forms of behavior.
• Principles of institutional and personal accountability will be maintained and a set of internal controls is in place sufficient to monitor compliance.
• The provision or use of alcohol, drugs or sex in recruiting shall not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action.

This philosophy statement and the corresponding policies and procedures will continue to be reviewed and refined by the recently-formed WFU Student-Athlete Recruitment Policies Committee and the WFU Athletics Compliance Office with final approval by the WFU President.

Educational Component

Every prospective student-athlete visiting WFU at the University’s expense will be evaluated academically by the Academic Support Services staff for his/her potential for admission to WFU and by the Associate AD for Compliance for projected performance as a WFU student. Official visits should be structured to allow for a meeting by the prospect with an Athletics academic counselor and/or a college advisor or professor for discussions surrounding the prospect’s academic goals and the University and NCAA requirements for academic success.

On-Campus Visit Practices

• Every prospect will receive a letter from WFU prior to the official visit regarding expectations for behavior during their visit to our campus [Attachment A].
• Every student-athlete host will be instructed by the sport program’s head coach in appropriate recruiting activities and behavior. Each host will sign a statement [Attachment B] prior to and after each official visit attesting that all rules were followed during his/her hosting of the prospect. Hosts or the coach supervising the visit will be required to account for all entertainment expenditures during the visit and will return unused entertainment money to the coaches of their sport.
• The only individuals who will serve as a host to a prospective student-athlete are WFU coaches, current student-athletes in the prospect’s sport or a student designated in a manner consistent with the institution’s policy for providing campus visits or tours to prospective students in general.
• Both WFU student-athletes and prospects will be notified by the Athletics Compliance Office process and by the head coach of the sport that the following expectations apply during visits to the WFU campus:

No use of alcohol.

No use of drugs.

No use of sex as a recruiting device.

No activity that violates criminal law.

No gambling/gaming activities.

No use of strippers, gentlemen’s club or an equivalent, or escort services.

No failure to return to lodging before the curfew, if appropriate.

No activities or events at any location that may cause a perception of impropriety.

No activities that would bring harm to the host, the prospect or the reputation of WakeForestUniversity and/or the Athletics Program.

• All WFU coaches bringing prospects to campus for official visits will develop the itinerary of the visits to limit unstructured time (e.g., permissible entertainment and curfews, if any) and ensure appropriate supervision of the prospects.
• WFU considered the implementation of a department-wide curfew; however, WFU believes such a determination should rest with each individual coach, with careful consideration of each respective prospect’s needs.
• All funds used for the recruitment of prospective student-athletes must be accounted for through the Athletics Business Office. Funds from private sources, such as camp accounts, boosters or a coach’s personal funds, cannot be used for any aspect of recruiting.
• WFU considered requiring student hosts to turn in receipts to account for the use of host money; however, WFU felt that requiring the host to make an accounting of how the money was spent on the host receipt form was sufficient to meet the legislation.
• Lodging and restaurants used for official visits must meet the NCAA requirement that “standard” facilities only are used for these purposes. Only commercial, coach-class airfare and standard local transportation means will be provided for visiting prospects. Head coaches are responsible for ensuring that prospects are not provided excessive entertainment, meals, lodging or transportation.
• Head coaches are responsible for ensuring that all monitoring documentation is complete and current. The Athletics Compliance Office is responsible for the creation and provision of appropriate forms and checking completion of all required forms on a regular basis. Failure to maintain required documentation and/or to enforce WFU’s recruiting polices will result in disciplinary action and/or negative performance evaluations of each coach.

• At the conclusion of any visit, coaches will meet with prospective student-athletes and hosts to review the visit.

Sanctions for Non-Compliance

Violations of any of these rules will result in a report to the WFU Director of Athletics and the ACC and/or NCAA with a copy to the President of the University. Student-athletes involved in such violations will automatically be suspended from competition until the Director of Athletics or his designee reviews the incident. WFU prospects in violation of these standards may be denied admission to WFU. WFU staff members involved in any such violation will be required to submit to an immediate review by the Director of Athletics and may be suspended until the review is concluded. It should be clear that WFU will not tolerate inappropriate recruiting activities and violations may result in termination of employment, imposition of fines, and possible loss of athletics aid and participation opportunities.

Approval

NCAA Bylaw 13.7.1 requires approval of these policies by the institution’s chief executive officer. Dr. Nathan O. Hatch, President of Wake Forest University, has read and approved these policies, with its attachments.

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Dr. Nathan O. Hatch, PresidentDate

DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS COMPLIANCE PROGRAM

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