If you are a current Shark, this is a valuable resource to find information, updates, and answers to all of your compliance questions. Click on the links for the information you need:
LIU Student Athlete Handbook 2024-25 (PDF)
OUTSIDE COMPETITION
NCAA regulations applicable to "outside competition" vary depending on whether the outside competition in question is in a team or individual sport (e.g., men's basketball summer league vs. individual competing unattached at an open track meet). For both Team and Individual Sports, you must work with the athletics compliance staff for approval prior to being able to compete in any outside competition. The information you should have ready includes:
- Date and location of event(s);
- Name of outside team;
- How many LIU student-athletes are on the team;
- Type of event (e.g., club team open event, road race, National Team tryouts, Olympic trials); and
- Expenses related to the activity, including the source of payment for expenses (e.g., parent, institution, sponsor of event).
For those student-athlete who are planning to compete in an open event unattached please be reminded of the following restrictions applicable to this specific outside competition:
To compete
unattached, the following must be satisfied:
- SA represents only themselves in competition (as opposed to LIU).
- SA does not receive any expenses from LIU to compete in the event.
- SA may not wear any LIU-issued apparel or equipment to compete.
- LIU coaching staff members may not provide coaching to unattached competitors while they are competing in the event.
- SA may not utilize the services of an LIU athletic trainer unless the trainer is providing services to any/all competitors at the event, regardless of affiliation.
PRIZE MONEY: In individual sports, student-athletes may accept prize money based on place finish or performance up to actual and necessary expenses. Actual and necessary expenses may be calculated over the course of the calendar year (January - December), rather than on an event-by-event basis. Student-athletes should track and retain documentation of expenses & prize money to protect against exceeding permissible prize limits and jeopardizing their eligibility.
Please contact the Compliance staff if you have any questions related to Outside Competition.
CARA/RARA/VARA
What is CARA?
Any required activity with an athletically-related purpose that occurs at the direction OR supervision of coaches.
This includes strength & conditioning coaches, but some safety exceptions apply for S&C coaches to be present during S&C activities (but not skill instruction).
- Examples of CARA:
- Weight Training and/or Conditioning
- Practice (skill instruction)
- Film Review
- Competition
- Athletically-related individual meetings with SAs
- Required sport psychologist meetings
- Required yoga
- SA requests individual skill instruction from coach
- Exceptions for individual sports during summer months only
In Season CARA:
- Up to 20 hours per week
- Up to 4 hours per day
- Must take at least 1 day off per week
- Off day may include vacation/institutional holiday
- Competitions count as 3 hours
- Practice is NOT permitted following a competition (even film review on the bus, for example), except between contests, rounds or events during a multiday or multi-event competition.
- This also applies to vacation period competitions
- No CARA permitted after competitions
Out-of-Season CARA:
- Individual and Team Sports
- 8 hours per week, not more than four hours spent on skill related instruction.
- Football
- Only required weight training, conditioning and film review are permitted.
- Not more than two hours spent on film review.
- 2 required days off during the week
- If in 8-hour segment, no CARA/RARA permitted during:
- Vacation days/institutional holidays (Labor Day, fall break)
- Final exams
- All CARA prohibited one week prior to the start of exams (e.g. dead week), through the completion of finals.
What is RARA?
Required athletically related activities are any activities that are required of student-athletes and do not always count in the daily and weekly hour limitations.
Examples:
- Compliance meetings;
- Organized team promotional activities;
- Recruiting activities, including student-host duties;
- Media activities;
- Fundraising events;
- Community service events;
- Team-building activities; and
- Travel to and from away-from-home competition.
Health/medical activities, academically-related activities, required leadership and life skills involving multiple sports do not count as CARA or RARA.
What is VARA?
Voluntary athletically-related activities are any activity that a student-athlete chooses to do on their own volition. Voluntary activities do not count in the CARA limits.
In order for an activity to be considered voluntary, all of the following conditions must be met:
• Coaches may NOT be present.
• A coach's presence makes the activity non-voluntary even if the student-athlete requested to workout with the coach.
• Student-athletes may not be required to participate or report back to coaches.
• Athletics staff (e.g., managers, athletic trainers) who are present may not report back to coaches.
• Attendance is not recorded.
• There is no incentive/punishment for failing to attend.
EMPLOYMENT
During the academic year, winter and summer vacation periods, a student-athlete is permitted under NCAA rules to be employed. However, prior to being employed, a student-athlete and their employer must work with the LIU athletic compliance staff. So long as the following requirements are met, it is likely that employment will be approved:
- Student-athlete is paid the going rate for the position; and
- Student-athlete is paid for work actually performed.
Violations of this bylaw can result in significant extra benefits which would jeopardize the student-athlete's eligibility, cause the student-athlete to pay back extra benefits provided and could negatively affect the student-athlete's team at LIU.
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