Dear Panther Fans,
Eastern Illinois University is dedicated to producing champions on and off the field. In compliance with the Ohio Valley Conference and the NCAA, the Compliance staff is here to assist and inform the student-athletes, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Eastern Athletics of all rules and regulations.
Within this website, you will find a quick reference to frequently asked questions by Prospective Student-Athletes, Current Student-Athletes, Coaches, and Boosters. If there are any situations or information that you cannot find within the site, please feel free to contact the Compliance office. We appreciate your interest and support, and remember if there is anything in doubt, ask before you act.
Barbara Burke
Director of Athletics
Eastern Illinois University
EIU COMPLIANCE BROCHURE - Updated Brochure coming soon!!
EIU COMPLIANCE FORMS
CURRENT STUDENTS-ATHLETES
EIU COACHES
FUTURE PANTHERS
LINKS
EIU SPECIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION
EASTERN ILLINOIS CURRENT STUDENT-ATHLETES
ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY:
Full-Time Enrollment:
To be eligible to participate in practice, competition, and financial aid student athletes must be enrolled in 12 hours in the fall and 12 hours in the spring semester. If you need fewer than 12 hours to graduate, you may enroll in those hours ONLY in your last semester and remain eligible. Graduate students who have yet to exhaust their eligibility must enroll in at least 9 hours a semester.
Progress towards Degree Requirements:
To maintain eligibility you must:
A) Complete 24 hours prior to your second year of enrollment
B) Earn 18 semester credits during the academic year (excluding summer)
C) Earn 6 academic credits in the previous regular academic term
D) Declare a major no later than the beginning of your fifth semester or third year of enrollment
E) Complete 40%, 60%, and 80% of your degree requirements before the beginning of your third, fourth and fifth years of enrollment, respectively
NCAA Five-Year Rule
The NCAA states that you have five calendar years in which to complete four years of competition in a sport. This five-year clock begins when you become a full-time student at any collegiate institution. These five years are continuous. If you are not enrolled in school at any time during these five years, you do not regain that time. In special cases, you may be granted an extension of the five-year eligibility clock.
DRUG TESTING:
Student-athletes at Eastern Illinois University are subject to drug testing from two entities:
-Eastern Illinois University
-The NCAA
The Intercollegiate Athletics Program at Eastern Illinois University is dedicated to providing an environment that encourages student-athletes to avoid the use of unauthorized controlled substances, performance-enhancing drugs, alcohol, unapproved dietary supplements as well as tobacco products. While the primary purpose of the testing is for education, the serious nature of substance abuse requires development of sanctions as a deterrent to the use of these drugs. Student-athletes should be assured the purpose of these tests is to maintain and promote their physical and mental well-being.
NCAA Drug Testing Program
1st positive test:
- Suspension from competition for one year and the loss of one season of competition.
2nd positive test:
- A second positive test for anything other than "street drugs" will result in the loss of all remaining eligibility for collegiate competition. A second positive test for "street drugs" will result in suspension from competition for one additional year and the loss of a season of competition.
EIU Drug Testing Program
1st Positive test:
A) Suspension from competitions equaling 20% of NCAA allowable events for that sport.
B) Evaluation and counseling session with the EIU Counseling center
C) Student-athlete becomes subject to repeated unannounced drug testing to be conducted at any time under the supervision of the Associate Athletic Director
2nd Positive test (substance does not have to be same substance as first test):
A) Immediate suspension from all countable athletic activities for a period of 90 days and the loss of athletic financial aid for a period of 12 months.
a. Upon returning after 90 days, the student-athlete can take part in athletic activity EXCEPT competition
b. Suspension is invalid during academic breaks and summer breaks unless countable athletic activity occurs during them
c. Suspension is invalid during off-season if no countable athletic activity is taking place. Suspension is deferred until next countable athletic activity for that sport
B) The Associate Athletic Director will inform the student-athlete that he/she will serve a 365 day suspension from all competitions.
C) Student-thlete will be required to contact parents/guardians in the presence of the Associate Athletic Director and the Head Coach.
D) Student-athlete will be subject to repeated unannounced drug testing to be conducted at any time under the supervision of the Associate Athletic Director.
3rd Positive Test:
A) Permanent removal from the athletic program
B) Will lose all athletic financial aid
Use of Tobacco Products:
The use of tobacco products by student-athletes is prohibited during practice and competition. A student-athlete who uses tobacco products during a practice or competition shall be disqualified for the remainder of that practice or competition.
GAMBLING:
Student-athletes are forbidden by NCAA Rules and Regulations to provide individuals with any information regarding intercollegiate athletics, soliciting or betting on athletic teams. NCAA rules require that the student-athlete be declared immediately ineligible from further athletic competition.
Student-athletes shall not knowingly:
A) Provide information to individuals involved in organized gambling activities concerning intercollegiate athletics competitions
B) Solicit a bet on any intercollegiate team
C) Accept a bet on any team representing the institution
D) Participate in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate or professional athletics through a bookmaker, a parlay card or any other method. The NCAA has banned participation in fantasy leagues which have entry fees and award prizes.
EASTERN ILLINOIS COACHES
RECRUITING CALENDAR
PRACTICE HOUR LIMITATIONS:
In order to ensure that student-athletes are able to balance the demands of school, athletics and personal obligations, the NCAA has established limits on the number of required hours of "countable athletically related activities" for student-athletes.
These limits vary based on whether a given sport is in-season or out-of-season during the academic year or in the summer vacation period. Each sport has a limited number of days that they can be in-season and the beginning and end of these in-season periods are established by the coaches before each academic year. In many cases, the in-season period is divided into two parts: one in the fall semester, and one in the spring. All competition must take place during an in-season period.
Countable Athletically Related Activities (CARA) include required practice, meetings, conditioning, weight training, competition, film review, or going over a course (in a sport such as cross country or golf). These are only some examples of CARA; it is not an exhaustive list.
Some examples of things that are not CARA: time spent in the training room, academic meetings, and meetings with compliance, athletics activities done on a voluntary basis, traveling to a competition, participating in promotional or charitable activities, or serving as a student host.
In-Season Practice Hour Limitations
• No more than 4 hours per day of CARA
• No more than 20 hours per week of CARA
• One (1) off day per week
• No CARA after a competition
• A competition always counts as 3 hours of CARA
• Multi-sport student-athletes are limited to 4 hours per day and 20 hours per week total
• These practice hour restrictions do not apply during pre-season (before school starts) or during vacation periods.
Out-of-Season Practice Hour Limitations (During the Academic Year)
• No more than 8 hours per week of CARA
• Two (2) off days per week
• The only permissible activities are conditioning & weight training, and for sports other than football, skill instruction. Football student-athletes may participate in film review instead of skill instruction.
• No more than 2 hours of skill instruction (or film review for football) with the coaches each week. NOTE: During certain times of the year, there are limits on how many student-athletes may participate in skill instruction with the coaches at any one time.
• No CARA beginning the week prior to finals through the end of finals.
Summer Vacation Period (if not in-season)
• All activities must be voluntary
-- The student-athlete must initiate the activity.
-- The coach may not suggest or require a student-athlete to participate.
-- Coaches may not observe these activities or require/suggest that student-athletes report to them or any other athletics department staff member regarding summer workouts.
-- The student-athlete may not be subject to penalty if they elect not to participate.
-- The coaches or other athletics department staff may designate times that student-athletes may use Eastern facilities if the student-athlete requests to do so.
• In certain sports a coach may be present during voluntary workouts to ensure the safety of student-athletes. The coach may not direct the workout, but can provide safety or skill instruction.
• In individual sports (golf, tennis, swimming and diving, track and field) a student-athlete may request that a coach participate in an individual workout session with the student-athlete.
• Strength and conditioning coaches may design and conduct workouts for student-athletes who request such assistance.
FUTURE EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS
RECRUITING INFORMATION:
The NCAA has extensive rules regarding how and when coaches may recruit prospective student-athletes. There are also a number of criteria that prospective student-athletes must meet in order be eligible to participate in collegiate athletics. Below are some resources provided by the NCAA that summarizes these rules and criteria that may be helpful to you as you go forward.
“Recruiting Calendar”
“College Bound Student-Athlete Guide”
“NCAA Eligibility Center”
BASIC RECRUITING DO’S & DON’TS:
• Prospective student-athletes being recruited by Eastern Illinois University (or anyone else) should not receive cash or any other items of value from anyone associated with EIU.
• Prospects should not receive promises of any of the above.
• Prospects should not receive correspondence or phone calls from anyone other than the Eastern staff or faculty about The University.
• Prospect's families should not be promised or given any items of value or received job promotions or new jobs based upon a prospect's decision to attend Eastern Illinois University.
• Neither a prospect nor their family should receive "free" tickets to any events other than complimentary tickets for athletics events held on campus.
If any of these has occurred, or if you are unsure about whether something that has happened during your recruitment is permissible, you should contact the Compliance Office immediately at (217) 581-6992.
RULES ABOUT TELEPHONE CALLS:
Sports other than football and basketball:
• Before July 1 following the prospect's completion of the junior year in high school no recruiting calls may be made to a prospective student-athlete.
• After July 1 following the prospect's completion of the junior year in high school the institution may call a prospective student-athlete no more than once per week
Football:
• One telephone call to a prospective student-athlete (or a prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardians) may be made from April 15 through May 31 of the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school.
• Beginning September 1 of the prospective student-athlete's senior year in high school the institution may call a prospective student-athlete or their relatives of legal guardians no more than once per week
• EXCEPTION: During a contact period, telephone calls may be made at the institution's discretion.
Men's Basketball:
• An institution is permitted to make one telephone call per month to a prospective student-athlete (or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardians) on or after June 15 of the prospective student-athlete's sophomore year in high school through July 31 of the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school
• An institution is permitted to make two telephone calls per week to a prospective student-athlete (or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardians) beginning August 1 prior to the prospective student-athlete's senior year in high school.
Women's Basketball:
• One telephone call during the month of April of the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school on or after the Thursday after the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four.
• One telephone call during the month of May of the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school.
• One telephone call on or after June 1 through June 20 of the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school.
• One telephone call on or after June 21 through June 30 of the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school.
• Three telephone calls during the month of July following the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school, with no more than one telephone call per week.
• Thereafter, one telephone call per week.
Exceptions to the Telephone Rule:
• Official-Visit Exception: The institution may make unlimited telephone calls to a prospect during the five days immediately preceding the prospect's official visit to campus.
• Letter-of-Intent Signing-Date Exception: The institution may make unlimited telephone calls to a prospect on the initial date for the signing of the National Letter of Intent and during the two days immediately following the initial signing date. In football, institutional coaching staff members may make unlimited telephone calls to prospective student-athletes during the period 48 hours before and 48 hours after 7 a.m. on the initial signing date for the National Letter of Intent.
OFFICIAL VISIT:
An Official Visit is when an institution invites you to visit campus at their expense. These visits may not last more than 48 hours. You may not make more than one (1) official visit to any one institution and may not make more than (5) official visits in total. You may not make an official visit until the opening day of classes of your senior year in high school.
Information that a Prospective Student-Athlete must provide us before they can make an Official Visit:
1. A high school or college academic transcript
2. A PSAT, SAT, PLAN or ACT score taken on a national testing date under national testing conditions, except that a state-administered ACT may be used to meet the requirement. The score must be presented through a testing agency document, on a high school or preparatory school academic transcript (official or unofficial) or through the use of the applicable testing agency's automated-voice system.
3. An NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly known as the NCAA Clearinghouse) ID number so that we can verify that the prospective student-athlete is registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
UNOFFICIAL VISITS:
An Unofficial Visit occurs when a prospective student-athlete visits the institution at their own expense. A prospective student-athlete may visit a member institution's campus at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. A prospective student-athlete may make unofficial visits before his or her senior year in high school.
If known, inform the Compliance Office of an unofficial visit 24 hours prior to the visit. If the visit was unanticipated, notify the Compliance Office at the first reasonable opportunity not to exceed 24 hours.
LINKS
National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA Eligibility Center
FAFSA
EIU Financial Aid
Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete
Recruiting Calendars
National Letter of Intent Dates
NCAA Banned Drug Substances
Federal Graduation Rates
Academic Progress Rates