Here's the WHOLE POLICY, IN ORDER:
POLICY REGARDING CONTACT BETWEEN ATHLETICS STAFF MEMBERS AND
ACADEMIC STAFF/FACULTY MEMBERS
The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) is an integral part of the university and its mission
at large. The DIA’s mission, in part, is to embrace the pursuit of intellectual inquiry, educational
discovery and the academic success of its student-athletes. In this regard, the DIA encourages
involvement of its administrative and coaching staff members in the lives of the university’s
student-athletes. This is vital to the development of the student-athletes as productive
members of society. Such involvement may include taking an interest in a student-athlete’s
academic pursuits at the university. In doing so staff members must respect the individual
rights of the student and the integrity of the system. To assist its staff members, the DIA has
implemented this policy regarding DIA staff members’ involvement in certain aspects of
student-athletes’ academic pursuits.
Within the context of assisting student-athletes with their academic affairs, staff members must
strictly abide by the DIA’s policy. In areas that are not specifically addressed in the policy, staff
members must make prudent judgments regarding their level of involvement in a studentathlete’s
academic life so as to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Staff members must
realize that even the most innocent contact with an academic official may be perceived as
pressure to make a concession for a student-athlete (simply because the individual is an
athlete). Any such perceived pressure compromises the integrity of the DIA and the university
and further hinders the student-athlete’s success at the university and in life.
In keeping with the DIA’s general policy regarding involvement of the DIA’s staff members in
the academic pursuits of student-athletes, the following specific actions and similar actions are
strictly prohibited:
• Coach-initiated contact of any type (e.g., oral, written, etc.) is not permitted between any
member of the coaching staff and any Rutgers faculty member or associated instructional
staff (teaching assistant, co-adjutant, part-time lecturer, etc.) with respect to any studentathlete.
Coaching staff members may however, contact the Academic Support Staff for
Student-Athletes Staff in this regard.
• Coach-initiated contact of any type is not permitted between any member of the coaching
staff and any Rutgers staff member (e.g., assistant dean, assistant registrar, academic
department secretary, etc.) as it relates to the academic standing of any student-athlete in
a particular course or in general (e.g., grade in a course, dismissal status, etc.).
In addition:
• Only student-athletes shall turn in their assignments (e.g., term papers, take-home exams,
homework, etc.) to their professors or instructors. Under no circumstances shall any staff
member (including student managers, graduate assistants, volunteer coaches, etc.) hand
in an assignment on behalf of a student-athlete.
• All contact with faculty members or instructional staff, if necessary, should be handled by
the Academic Support staff. Please note that contact (telephone, e-mail, etc.) initiated by
a professor, instructor, assistant dean, etc. to a coaching staff member or administrator is
Adopted 6/02
permitted. If this contact includes discussion of a student-athlete’s performance in a
course, performance on a particular assignment (including quizzes, tests and exams) or a
student-athlete’s grade in a course, such contact must be referred to the team’s academic
advisor immediately.
• All contact with the admissions staff regarding specific student-athletes and their
admission status is strictly prohibited under this policy. Any contact with admissions about
a specific student-athlete must be made by the Academic Support staff.
• This policy does not apply to contact with an instructor, professor, assistant dean, dean,
admissions liaison, etc. that is general in nature (i.e., contact that is not specific to a
particular student-athlete).
