Welcome to the Bridgewater College Athletics Compliance home page! The goal of this site is to provide our boosters, alumni, fans, coaches, prospects and student-athletes information regarding the rules and regulations of the NCAA. While not all inclusive, it is meant to provide guidance in many of the situations you may encounter and should help you avoid inadvertently violating NCAA policies. Compliance with the rules and regulations is essential to creating a winning environment for all BC athletic teams.
Bridgewater College adheres to the philosophy of intercollegiate athletic competition based upon the principles of amateurism, sportsmanship, and fair play. The following guidelines have been developed for the athletic program: (1) to place priority on the academic progress of all students who participate in intercollegiate athletics; (2) to ensure the physical well-being of all student-athletes during practice, travel, and play; (3) to develop each student-athlete physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and morally; and (4) to develop excellence in all of the College's intercollegiate athletic programs.
It is the responsibility of every individual involved with Bridgewater College Athletics to be aware of the rules which govern participation in collegiate athletics. If questions arise, we ask that you contact our Compliance Coordinator, Scott Hearn, at (540) 828-5381 or by email. Asking questions before acting ensures that the eligibility of our department and our student-athletes is not jeopardized.
The following links will provide detailed information on relevant topics when dealing with rules, education and other NCAA resources.
People often have questions about NCAA rules and what they permit alumni and friends of the College to do. The following is a summary of what is permitted and some examples of frequent problem areas.
The NCAA prohibits the receipt of a benefit by a student-athlete or his/her relatives or friends unless (a) it is authorized by NCAA legislation, or (b) the same benefit generally is available to the institutions, students, their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.
The "benefit" could be any special arrangement provided by
a college employee or booster to a student-athlete or a
student-athlete's relative or friends.
Therefore, please be aware of the following:
1. A student-athlete may not accept a
prohibited benefit from an employee of Bridgewater College or
a representative of Bridgewater College's athletic interests
(e.g., use of a car, clothing, gifts, money, tickets for any kind
of entertainment, payment of long distance telephone calls).
2. A student-athlete may not accept free or
reduced cost storage space for personal belongings for the
summer months from any Bridgewater College employee or a
representative of Bridgewater College's athletic
interests.
3. A student-athlete may not accept
free or reduced priced merchandise or services from any
merchant unless that free or reduced cost item is also available to
the general student body.
4. A student-athlete may receive an occasional
meal from an institutional staff member or a representative of the
institution's athletic interests, provided that the meal occurs
within the locale of the institution and is infrequent.
5. A student-athlete may not use a Department of
Athletics copy machine, fax machine or make long distance phone
calls using departmental equipment or the long distance access code
of an employee of Bridgewater College or representative of
Bridgewater College's athletic interests.
6. Members of the Department of Athletics staff
or a representative of Bridgewater College's athletic interests are
not permitted to type reports, papers, letters, etc., for a
student-athlete.
7. A student-athlete may not receive a
special discount, payment arrangement or credit on a purchase
(e.g., airline ticket, clothing), or service (e.g., laundry, dry
cleaning) from an employee of Bridgewater College or
representative of Bridgewater College's athletic interests.
8. A Bridgewater College employee or a
representative of Bridgewater College's athletic interests may not
provide a student-athlete with a loan of money, a guarantee of
bond, the use of an automobile or the signing or co-signing of a
note to arrange a loan.
9. A student-athlete may not accept frequent
traveler miles for trips that are financed by the Department of
Athletics.
10. A Bridgewater College employee may provide a
student-athlete only reasonable and occasional local (i.e., within
a 30-mile radius of the Bridgewater's campus) transportation.
However, a Bridgewater College employee may not utilize a
College vehicle for purposes of assisting a student-athlete's move
from one residence to another.
The acceptance by a student-athlete of any of the above extra
benefits is a violation of NCAA regulations and places the
student-athlete's eligibility for intercollegiate competition in
immediate jeopardy. It is extremely important for everyone involved
with Bridgewater College athletics to know and abide by all NCAA
regulations.
At Bridgewater College, we are proud of the tradition of excellence that has become the standard for our teams and athletic programs. We are especially committed to promoting excellence through good sportsmanship and positive support for all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as well as for our opponents and officials.
BE LOUD! BE PROUD!! BE POSITIVE!!!
Bridgewater College is proud to participate in the fan sportsmanship initiative of "Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Positive!"
This initiative is a unified effort to promote respect for student-athletes, coaches and officials in Division III athletics.
At Bridgewater College, we know we can count on your support.
• Cheer for your team, not against the
opponents.
• Don’t get personal in your comments about players,
coaches, officials or fans in the stands.
• Do not use profanity, vulgar, racist or sexist
comments.
• Give players, coaches and officials their space by keeping
away from the playing and team bench area.
Thank you for your support.