Long Island University's coaches and athletic staff strive each day to be the top of the Northeast Conference, but we realize that in order for us to continue our quest for excellence we need your continued help and support. A critical role of being on top is to capture the competitive edge and by doing so we need to play by the rules. The National Collegiate Athletic Association also known as the NCAA has governing rules that apply to coaches, staff, players and you! Below are some helpful rules of the game.

A representative of athletics interests (also known as an athletics representative or booster) is an individual who has done any of the following:

* Has made financial contributions to: LIU's athletic department, LIU's men's and/or women's athletic programs or to an athletics booster organization of ;

* Has been requested by the athletics department staff to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes or is assisting in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes;

* Has assisted or is assisting in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes (i.e., provided or helped arrange summer employment for enrolled student-athletes);

*Has participated in or is a member of an agency or organization that promotes LIU's intercollegiate athletics program; or

* Participated in or has been a member of any group that promotes LIU's intercollegiate athletic program.

A "prospective student-athlete" or "prospect" is any student who has started classes for the ninth grade. Once an individual is identified as a representative of athletics interest, the person retains that identity indefinitely.

An extra benefit is any special gift or arrangement provided to an enrolled student-athlete or to a student-athlete's relative or friend which is not available to the general student body of that institution (i.e., transportation, meals, clothing, housing, service, entertainment, etc.).

A recruiting contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect or a prospect's parent or legal guardian and a staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting.

Representatives of athletics interests are prohibited from making in-person, on or off-campus recruiting contacts, written or telephonic communications with a prospect or the prospect's relatives or legal guardians.

If a prospect initiates telephone contact with a representative of athletics interest, the representative may speak to him/her as long as the call is not for recruiting purposes. The representative should refer all questions relating to athletics to the athletics department staff. No calls may be made by the representative to the prospect or prospect's relatives or legal guardians.

Things you can do:

A student-athlete or the entire team in a sport may receive an occasional family home meal from a representative of athletics interests under the following conditions:

* The meal must be provided in an individual's home (as opposed to a restaurant) and may be catered;

* Meals must be restricted to infrequent and special occasions; and

* Representatives may provide reasonable local transportation to student-athletes to attend the meal function only if the meal function is at the home of that representative.

Identify outstanding student-athletes in your area by sending newspaper clippings to the coach or by calling the coach. Let the coach pursue the individual from there. Please keep in mind that you may not contact the prospect or their relatives or legal guardians directly nor may you contact high school guidance counselors to get additional information, but you may attend a prospects' contest.

Offer assistance to the coaching staff by providing lodging, meals and transportation to coaches when they come to your community to contact and evaluate prospects. You also may provide meals which are reasonable to student-athletes when they are traveling on the road with the team.

Provide summer jobs and internships in your business or community. If you feel that a job would be suitable for a student-athlete, contact the athletic director for the names of those who may qualify (pay must be at the going rate for that position).