Fight On! - Recruiting

The following are excerpts from an article titled "Playing by the Rules" by USC President Steven B. Sample in the Summer 1994 edition of USC Trojan Family.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has strict rules regarding recruitment of student athletes: only coaches and department staff can recruit student athletes, and even their contact with student athletes is severly limited. If you commit a violation, USC will be held responsible; the consequences can be severe, including bans from post-season competition and television exposure. Your support in rules compliance is vital to us.

Anyone who has any involvement in promoting or supporting USC athletics. This includes anyone who has made a financial contribution to USC athletics, such as a season ticket holder, or anyone who has provided assitance to a student athlete, including a summer job.

Any student who has started classes for the ninth grade, including junior colleges, but it could include others.

Under NCAA rules, only coaches and Athletic Department staff.

BOOSTERS MAY NOT:

• Have in-person contacts - either on campus or off - with prospects or their parents, legal guardians or friends to encourage the prospect to enroll at USC.
• Telephone or write prospects or their parents, legal guardians or friends to encourage enrollment at USC.
• Send news clips or articles about USC to a prospect.
• Attempt to evaluate a prospect by contacting a coach, principal or club coach.
• Provide transportation to visit USC; provide or promise to provide cash, loans or free or reduced-price meals or services.
• Provide any benefit to a currently enrolled student athlete.

BOOSTERS MAY

• Maintain contact with a prospect who is already a friend or neighbor if there is no attempt to recruit the prospect for USC; no contract may be made at the direction of the USC Athletic staff.
• Speak to a prospect on the telephone if the prospect initiates the call, and if not for recruiting purposes.
• Go to junior or senior high school or junior college athletic events.
• Have accidental contact with prospects or their parents where recruitment does not take place; contact at a prospect's school, or at its games, is NOT considered incidental and is prohibited.
• Discuss a summer job with a prospect after he or she has signed a Letter of Intent to attend USC.
• Meet and talk with current student athletes on or off campus.
• Provide bona fide employment to student athletes during vacation.

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