NAIA Eligibility

Contact with Prospective Students

We have received numerous questions regarding contact with parents of students currently enrolled at other collegiate institutions. 

As a reminder, NAIA Bylaws Article II, Section D, Item 1 states,

”If, during the school year or summer vacation period, the athletics director, faculty athletics representative, or coach of a member institution is contacted or becomes aware of contact by an athlete who enrolled at another institution of higher learning (two-year or four-year), it shall be the responsibility of the contacted institution (athletics director or faculty athletics representative) to notify, in writing, the institution (athletics director or faculty athletics representative) where the athlete is presently enrolled within 10 days following the first contact.

 A coach or another representative of a member institution shall not initiate contact with an athlete who has enrolled at another four-year institution. It is permissible to contact a student who is currently enrolled at a two-year institution once the student completes the academic year in which the student utilizes his/her first season of competition.

 A coach or another representative of a member institution may respond to a contact by an athlete only after the enrolled athlete's institution (athletics director or faculty athletics representative) has been notified as prescribed above.”

Open Gyms

There is nothing quite like spending a week waiting in airport lobbies to get me thinking about open gyms. I am surprised, even though I shouldn’t be, that “open gyms” are a hot topic this summer. Usually, the open gym paranoia doesn’t begin until September when just about every coach in the NAIA believes that his/her biggest rival is getting an early start to practice. Twenty-four weeks of games and practices just isn’t enough to teach our students how to play the game.

The reason this is an issue this summer is due to the heightened awareness of what can be done with incoming student (freshman and transfers) during the summer before their enrollment at your institution. Let me repeat what many of you have heard me say countless times already, Bylaws Proposal # 7 did not create any new rules. Its sole purpose was to make it simpler for everyone to understand how a number of rules and official interpretations work together. It is clear from the number of questions we have received that this clarification was needed.

Most comments dealing with this rule begin with some variation of the statement

 “The NAIA does not regulate summer.”

Incoming students during the summer

The FAQ below comes from Corey Westra, Commissioner of the Great Plains Athletic Conference.  He shared this e-mail with a group of commissioners and we thought we should share it with all of you.  I hope you find it useful.

 

1. Can incoming freshman or transfer students work out with coaches during the summer (before August 1)? 

No. Incoming freshman and transfer students are not identified with the school until they have enrolled and attend classes.  However, they are allowed to participate with the team when the 24 week period starts (i.e. August 1). Provided the student is enrolled for the upcoming term, students are permitted to practice with the team,  regardless of their eligibility status for the upcoming term.

2. Can incoming freshmen/transfer students play with the team during an open gym, if the coach is not present?

 

Permission to talk?

Please share the following information with those around you who are contacted by potential transfer students:

THE NAIA DOES NOT HAVE A "PERMISSION TO TALK" RULE

I am amazed at the number of phone calls I have had during the past few weeks from students and parents who have been told by coaches from NAIA institutions that these same coaches cannot speak to the student until s/he has "permission to talk" from the student's previous institution.  This is not an NAIA requirement, regardless of which institution the student previously attended.

Under NAIA regulations (Bylaws Article II, Section D), an NAIA institution that has been contacted by a prospective student must notify the student's previous institution that contact has occurred.  Once this notification has taken place, there is nothing anyone can do to stop the communication between the prospective student and the NAIA institution. 

Please remind your coaches of this rule.  They may be turning away students who could be contributers to their team.