ACC Sportsmanlike Policy
Duties of Coaches, Student-Athletes, Band Members, Cheerleaders and Mascots
a. Public Criticism of Officials.
Public criticism of officials or public comments evaluating the officiating of particular contests is not in the best interest of intercollegiate athletics. Athletics personnel, players, band members, cheerleaders, and mascots are prohibited therefore from commenting while acting in official capacity on officiating other than directly to the Conference Office. Head coaches are responsible for the comments of assistants and other athletic staff members associated with their team.
Any coach who violates the prohibitions of public criticism of officials, as stated above, will be suspended from a future scheduled contest. Specifically, the coach will be allowed at the site of the contest up to an hour before the contest begins, after which he/she must vacate the playing area. This applies to all sports and includes all conference as well as non-conference contests.
b. Coach and Player Decorum.
While the Atlantic Coast Conference believes that one of the problems confronting intercollegiate athletics is the lack of adherence and enforcement of rules of decorum, it is cognizant that the majority of coaches, players, band members, cheerleaders, mascots, officials and administrators make a real effort to ensure contests will be conducted and played in a sportsmanlike manner.
Coaches and administrators have the responsibility to set the tone for responsible behavior on the part of their teams and followers. It is an infraction of the rules for coaches, squad members, team attendants, band members, cheerleaders or mascots to conduct themselves in an unsportmanlike manner.
Acts violating coach and player decorum rules shall include but not be limited to, the following and may subject violators to reprimand or suspension from additional contests as the Commissioner deems appropriate (Note: Person, for the purposes of this section, means coaches, squad members, team attendants, band members, cheerleaders or mascots)::
1. Any person who strikes or physically abuses an official, opposing coach, player or spectator;
2. Any person who intentionally incites participants or spectators to violent or abusive action;
3. Any person who uses profanity, vulgarity, taunts, ridicules or makes obscene gestures;
4. Any person who publicly criticizes any game official, conference personnel, a member institution, or institutional personnel;
5. Any person who engages in negative recruiting by making statements which are unduly derogatory of another institution or its personnel to a prospective student-athlete, parents, high school coach, or other person interested in the prospective student-athlete;
6. Any person who enters the competing area for an unsportsmanlike purpose;
7. Any other act of unsportsmanlike conduct not specifically prescribed.
COMPLIANCE & ELIGIBILITY
A. Eligibility
1. Certification Types
a) Initial Eligibility
All first-year students who wish to participate in a Division I intercollegiate athletics program (to include practice, competition and/or the receipt of financial aid) must receive initial eligibility certification through the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse prior to participation. This eligibility is monitored by the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance in conjunction with the Registrar's Office.
b) Continuing Eligibility
All continuing students who wish to participate in a Division I intercollegiate athletics (to include practice, competition and/or the receipt of athletics grant-in-aid) program must be certified for continuing eligibility each fall prior to participation. This process takes place through the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance who works directly with the Registrar's Office in the preparation of eligibility rosters. The Faculty Athletics Representative "signs off" on all certifications. All student-athletes must achieve a cumulative Georgia Tech grade point average of 2.00 by the beginning of each fall semester with 24 units from the previous year. Eligibility disqualification is made by the Vice-President for Student Affairs in consultation with the Director of Athletics.
c) Transfer Eligibility
All students who wish to participate in a Division I intercollegiate athletics program (to include practice, competition and/or receipt of athletic grant-in-aid) must be certified for eligibility through the Registrar's Office and/or the appropriate college by written evaluations of all transcripts and through a transfer tracer sent to all previous institutions attended for verification of eligibility status. Final rulings on eligibility are made by the NCAA Faculty Representative. Athletic eligibility certification process is a separate process from the Institute admissions and is managed through the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance.
B. Exit Interviews
Following the completion of the athletic season each student-athlete who has completed his/her eligibility will be required to participate in an Exit Interview.
DINING HALL
(Subject to Change)
