Compliance with NCAA rules is of the highest priority for our athletics program and institution. As a member of the NCAA, California State University, Bakersfield is responsible for the actions of its boosters and fans. Even the best-intentioned action on your part may be a violation of NCAA rules. Please contact the Compliance Office if you have questions regarding what is permissible. We encourage our boosters and fans to "Ask Before You Act."

The mission of CSUB Athletics Compliance is to provide a comprehensive program that promotes knowledge of and adherence to NCAA, Big West Conference and institutional rules and regulations among members of the athletics department, student-athletes, CSUB personnel and members of the athletics community. Integrity and holistic support are the cornerstones of this office. National Collegiate Athletic Association bylaws governing Division I intercollegiate athletics, Big West Conference Office and CSUB institutional regulations are the guidelines by which the Compliance Office operates.

MEET THE STAFF

Stanzi McGowan
Director of Compliance
(661) 565-3057
cmcgowan4@csub.edu

 

PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETES

If you aspire to be a student-athlete at CSUB or any other NCAA institution, there are a variety of things you should be aware of, ranging from recruiting rules to eligibility requirements.  Luckily, we are here to help you navigate through those important rules!

What is a Prospective Student-Athlete?
A prospective student-athlete (PSA) is any student who has started classes for the ninth grade and has yet to enroll full-time at any four-year institution.  So, whether you're still in high school, prep-school, or recently graduated and taking a year off before enrolling at a college or university, you are considered a PSA.

Recruiting:
When it comes to recruiting, all interactions between an NCAA coach and a PSA are regulated per sport and method of communication. 

Initial Eligibility:
If you hope to participate in an *NCAA sport, each incoming PSA must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (EC) and follow all of the tasks you are prompted with.  Governed by academic benchmarks and amateurism rules, the EC determines if a PSA is eligible to represent an institution in intercollegiate eligibility.

NCAA Eligibility Center


CURRENT STUDENT-ATHLETES
Preserving the intercollegiate eligibility of a student-athlete is of the highest importance of the Compliance Office's mission.  A student-athlete's eligibility is compromised when rules are violated, by not only themselves, but others as well.
NCAA

COACHES
NCAA DI Manual (PDF)
Social Media Guide (PDF)


REPRESENTATIVES OF ATHLETICS INTEREST

A "Representative of Athletics Interest," also known as a BOOSTER is a term the NCAA uses to classify a broad range of constituents to any particular member institution.  Common groups that are deemed representatives of athletics interests are alums, parents of student-athletes, supporters, fans, and more.  It is important to understand that the NCAA regulates the actions of representatives of athletics interests and requires each institution to be responsible for those actions.  Therefore, CSUB Athletics is committed to educating, and being a resource for, our representatives of athletics interests so that intentional (or even inadvertent) NCAA rules are not broken.  Violations of these rules directly and negatively impact the intercollegiate eligibility of our current and prospective student-athletes, which is why as representatives of athletics interests, it's important to know and to follow the rules that apply to you.

Definition:
The NCAA defines a representative of athletics interests as an individual, independent agency, corporate entity (e.g., apparel or equipment manufacturer), or other organization who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:

1. Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
2. Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
3. Be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes;
4. Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
5. Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program.

Duration:
The NCAA states that once an individual has been deemed a representative of athletics interests, that individual retains that status indefinitely.  Regardless of the recent or current involvement of that individual with the institution's athletics department, "once a booster, always a booster."

Regulations:
Out of all the rules that govern the actions of representatives of athletics interests, there are two areas that stand out the most; extra benefits and recruiting.  The following are very brief summaries of those rules.  For more information, please see the resources below and feel free to contact CSUB Athletics' Compliance Office at any time.

Extra Benefits:
An extra benefit is anything of value (e.g., Money, clothes, transportation, lodging, loan, gift, etc.) that is provided to a current or prospective student-athlete that is not generally available to the rest of the public or entire student body.  Even with the purest of intentions, providing a current or prospective student-athlete with an extra benefit is strictly prohibited and can severely jeopardize the eligibility of CSUB’s athletes.

Recruiting:
Recruiting must be left to the coaches. While there are plenty of ways you can assist our coaches in identifying talent, your interactions with those recruits on CSUB’s behalf is strictly regulated.  In a nut-shell, a representative of athletics interests is prohibited from contacting CSUB recruits (e.g., In-person or electronically, including but not limited to, phone calls, texting, social media and e-mail).  A violation of this rule will negatively impact that recruit's intercollegiate eligibility upon enrollment at CSUB.

Donation Requests:
CSUB does, on occasion, grant donation requests. Please complete the below form and submit to Arthur Smith at spirit@csub.edu.
Donation Request Form