NCAA Compliance Corner As a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Wagner College is responsible for ensuring that the faculty, staff, administrators, student-athletes, alumni, booster, and friends of the College abide by NCAA regulations & guidelines. We are committed to striving for excellence in our athletics programs while remaining complaint with NCAA guidelines.
"Representatives of Athletics Interest", more commonly known as a "booster" play an integral role in supporting the Wagner Athletics Department. A "Representative of Athletics Interest" is any individual who has:
• Made financial donations to the Wagner College Seahawk Club, TD Club, or any other booster club or organization promoting Wagner athletics;
• Participated in or is member of any organization or group promoting Wagner athletics;
• Season ticket holders for either Wagner football or basketball.
Once an individual is identified as a Representative of Athletics Interest, the person retains the status indefinitely even if you no longer contribute or support the athletic program. Listed below are some impermissible activities per NCAA rules.
NCAA Rules you need to know
• Do not try to recruit a prospective student-athlete to attend Wagner. Only Wagner coaches and athletic department staff members can be involved in the recruiting process;
• Do not provide prospective student-athletes and their family members with any type of offer or inducement. Examples of offers and inducements include employment, gifts, loans, meals, and transportation;
• Do not provide enrolled student-athletes or their family members any form of extra benefits. Examples of extra benefits include cash or loans, special discounts for services, transportation, and gifts;
• Do not contact an enrolled student-athlete at another institution to encourage him/her to transfer to Wagner;
• Do not provide awards or gifts to student-athletes for his/her athletic performance.
Your support and enthusiasm for Wagner athletics is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions concerning NCAA rules, please do not hesitate to contact Kimberly Marsh, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at 718-390-3189.
Go Seahawks!
NCAA Athletics Certification
The Purpose
Per NCAA bylaws, every Division I institution is required to complete athletics certification and to be certified once every ten years. The purpose of the certification program is to ensure that Wagner is committed to the NCAA's fundamental commitment of integrity in intercollegiate athletics.
Wagner completed the initial certification in 1998, and the 5-year status report or interim report in 2002. Currently, Wagner is completing the NCAA Self-Study process for the second cycle of athletics certification. Our self study instrument was submitted to the NCAA on January 16, 2006, and this will be followed by a Peer Review Visit scheduled for May 3-5, 2006.
Roughly two months after the Peer Review Visit, the NCAA's Committee on Athletics Certification will render a certification decision of "certified", "not certified", or "certified with conditions".
Committee Structure
Wagner organized a Steering Committee to guide the three institutional subcommittees of Governance & Compliance, Academic Integrity, and Equity & Welfare. The committees utilized the NCAA's Athletics Certification Self-Study Instrument to evaluate the operating principles to determine if there were deficiencies and to devise plans for improvement. The composition of the steering committee is senior management, and the subcommittees represent a balance of key campus constituency groups (campus administrators, faculty, and student-athletes) and athletic department staff members.
Process
From January 2005 through September 2005, the subcommittees collected data to evaluate if Wagner met the operating standards as dictated by the NCAA. The areas of emphasis were:
• Institutional governance
• Rules compliance & education
• Academic Integrity
• Equity Issues
• Minority Issues
• Student-Athlete Welfare
During fall 2005, the subcommittees forwarded recommendations to the Steering Committee to address any deficiencies discovered. The Steering committee finalized recommendations for improvement and forwarded the self-study instrument and institutional plans to President Guarasci for final approval. The final report was submitted to the NCAA on January 16, 2006.
A copy of the 2005 Wagner College Athletics Certification Self-Study report can be obtained from reserve section of Wagner's Hormann Library or from the office of the Director of Athletics.
