The Role of Compliance in Intercollegiate Athletics

Compliance departments have received a lot of attention given a number of recent high profile infractions cases. You may wonder, or even have misconceptions about, the role of compliance in an athletic department. So, what exactly does compliance do?

At Kansas, the Compliance Office takes a service-oriented approach to the many tasks we complete on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis to ensure the University is operating within NCAA and Big 12 Conference regulations. Two essential functions for any compliance office are to educate and monitor. Efforts to educate and monitor extend to groups of individuals associated with the University of Kansas and our athletics program. These groups include student-athletes, coaches, staff, University personnel, supporters of the program (boosters) and members of the community.

An extensive educational effort is critical to an effective compliance operation. NCAA and Big 12 Conference rules education occurs in a variety of ways including publications (such as this newsletter), meetings with/presentations for various groups, informative e-mails, a website presence on Kansas Athletic and via social networking avenues like Facebook and Twitter. In addition, our staff fields numerous questions from coaches, staff, student-athletes and boosters on a daily basis. Providing education regarding NCAA and Big 12 Conference regulations to all constituencies associated with the Kansas Athletics Department helps cultivate an atmosphere where all parties involved understand they have a role and responsibility when it comes to NCAA regulations and compliance.

Successful monitoring practices are also an essential component of compliance efforts. Monitoring involves creating a system to gather information regarding an activity, analyzing the information received and authenticating the results. All three components are essential to ensure effective monitoring. When violations are discovered through monitoring, or other efforts, the University is obligated to report the violation to the Big 12 Conference and/or NCAA.

NCAA and Big 12 Conference rules are often complex so if you find yourself in a position where you have questions please contact us using the information on the next page to inquire. We appreciate your continued support of Kansas Athletics and contribution to the success of our programs in accordance with all applicable NCAA and Big 12 Conference rules and regulations. Rock Chalk Jayhawks!

Did You Know?
"Tailgating" appears in 18 secondary and 6 major violations in the NCAA database. Common tailgating violations include boosters having contact with prospects during visits or providing food to prospects or enrolled student-athletes (or their family). Boosters are not permitted to have contact with prospects during a recruiting visit. In addition, boosters may not provide meals or food to prospects or enrolled student-athletes. While you are celebrating pre- or post-game at Memorial Stadium or Allen Fieldhouse, please do not do anything that would jeopardize our student-athletes' eligibility.