University of Southern Indiana Athletics

Welcome Screaming Eagles! As a student-athlete at USI, you have certain responsibilities and expectations to uphold. Essentially, all eyes are on you all of the time. Consequently, we ask that you always think before you act and ask questions whenever in doubt.

In our commitment to NCAA Compliance education, this section is designed to provide you with information to help you excel and succeed as a student-athlete at USI. Included you will find a downloadable copy of the Student-Athlete Handbook and valuable links providing information continuing eligibility, gambling, drug testing, and financial aid information.

Name, Image and Likeness: 
USI NIL Policy
NCAA NIL Assist website 

Links:
2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook
FAFSA
Federal Graduation Rate
NCAA's Don't Bet On It
NCAA Drug Testing Info
USI's Institutional Equity Office 
USI's Student Financial Assistance

Extra Benefits
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interests (i.e., donor) to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relatives or friends a benefit that is not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit is not a violation if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution's students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g., international students, minority students) determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.

Impermissible Benefits
An institutional employee or representative of the institution's athletics interests may not provide a student-athletes with extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to:

• Special discounts, payment arrangements, or credit (e.g., credit line at a store) on a purchase or service (e.g., dry cleaning)
• Use of institutional telephones, long distance access codes or credit cards for personal reasons
• Use of institutional copy machines and fax machines for personal reasons
• An automobile or use of an automobile
• Free or reduced-cost services, rentals, or purchases of any type
• Free or reduced-cost housing (any location)
• Free or reduced-cost storage of personal belongings
• Loan of money, signing or cosigning of loans or guarantee of bond
• Transportation (e.g., a ride home with a coach, ride with a donor)
• Cash or like items (e.g., gift certificates)
• Tangible items (e.g., clothing, cars, jewelry)
• Impermissible academic services (e.g., typing reports, papers, letters for a student-athlete)
• Free or reduced-cost entertainment services from commercial agencies (e.g., movie tickets, dinners, use of car, reduced admission to institutional or community events)
• Educational expenses (other than from permissible institutional and outside sources)

A student-athlete cannot accept anything from a USI employee or donor. The acceptance by a student-athlete of any extra benefits is a violation of NCAA regulations and places the student-athlete's eligibility for intercollegiate competition in jeopardy.

Permissible Benefits

• A hometown group may pay reasonable and necessary expenses of a student-athlete returning home to receive an award for athletics accomplishments.
• A student-athlete may receive reasonable local transportation (within a 30-mile radius of campus) on an occasional basis from a USI employee.
• A student-athlete or the entire team in a sport may receive an occasional meal in the locale of USI's campus (within a 30-mile radius of campus) on infrequent and special occasions from an institutional staff member.
• A student-athlete may receive an occasional meal from representatives of athletics interests on infrequent and special occasions provided it is at the individual's home (as opposed to a restaurant) and may be catered.
• USI may provide student-athletes with reasonable refreshments (e.g., soft drinks, snacks) for student-athlete's educational and business meetings and, on an occasional basis, for celebratory events.

Employment
All student-athletes are eligible for employment during any part of the year. Compensation may be paid to a student-athlete: (a) only for work actually performed, (b) at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services, and (c) an employer shall not use the athletics reputation of a student-athlete employee to promote the sale of the employer's product or services. A donor may not employee a prospective student-athlete until they have graduated from his/her high school. For any work that is not through an established business (i.e., babysitting, yard work, dog sitting, etc.), the USI Compliance Office must approve employment prior work beginning.