[This article was originally published in the June 19th issue of Irish Today.]

Mike Karwoski is serving as assistant athletic director for compliance at Notre Dame after serving five years as Notre Dame's director of compliance, one year as the assistant director of compliance and two years as an intern in the department.

Karwoski works with all 26 of Notre Dame's sports programs and is involved in all facets of the day to day operations of the compliance office. His responsibilities include developing and maintaining all compliance systems for the athletic department and serves as the primary contact for legislation, as well as for providing interpretations of NCAA and BIG EAST Conference rules and regulations. He serves as the athletic department's liaison with the University's financial aid office, academic services for student-athletes, undergraduate admissions, registrar and alumni association, as well as the NCAA and BIG EAST Conference on compliance related matters. In addition, he represents the University at national and conference compliance meetings and functions. He is a former member of the BIG EAST Conference men's and women's soccer committees.

I have known Mike as a determined, hard working defender of Notre Dame. Mike has advised me as to what should and what should not be done for over two years in a friendly and straightforward manner. I would venture to say that he takes second place to no one in his attitude and determination to do what is right.

MORRIS: What rules prevail when an athletic coach at Notre Dame speaks about current recruiting activity with a person outside of the Notre Dame athletic picture?

MIKE: NCAA rules state that an institution (coaches and staff) may not make any public comments about those prospective student-athletes they are recruiting. Comment about a prospective student-athlete may only be made after a prospect has signed a National Letter of Intent. Prior to a prospect signing a National Letter of Intent, an institution may only comment publicly to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the prospect. The institution may not comment about the prospect's ability or the contribution the prospect might make to the institution's team. In addition, the institution may not comment as to the likelihood of the prospect signing with that institution.

MORRIS: Is that situation against Notre Dame policy and or rules?

MIKE: Institutional preference is that our coaches should not comment to anyone who is not an institutional staff member about those prospects they are recruiting. However, so long as no NCAA rule is violated, it is a decision left up to the particular head coach.

MORRIS: As a follow-up, what is University policy with regard to an athletic coach if the spoken-to individual publishes this information on a web site openly stating they received information from a coach?

MIKE: If any institutional staff member, including a coach, comments on a prospect prior to the prospect signing a National Letter of Intent and that information is then published somewhere, newspaper or web site, the result would be a violation of NCAA Bylaw 13.11.2.

MORRIS: What would occur if a coach comments on a prospect in such a public manner?

MIKE: If a coach publicly comments on a prospect who has not signed a National Letter of Intent, the University could lose the opportunity for that prospect to attend its institution.

MORRIS: If a ND alumnus invited an athlete to lunches or other entertainment without charge, how would that affect his status?

MIKE: NCAA rules allow institutional staff members and booster, (e.g., alumni) to provide current student-athletes, not prospects, only with an occasional home meal. Such a meal must be at the home of the staff member or booster and must be on an infrequent basis or special occasion.  In addition, NCAA rules allow for the staff member or booster to provide transportation to the student-athlete for the sole purpose of attending such a meal. However, that means the meal must be in the locale of where the prospect resides and does not allow for the staff member or booster to provide airfare, bus or train fare to transport the prospect. The meal must be within a 30-mile radius of where the prospect resides (e.g., home or campus). The meal may not be at a restaurant. At no time may this type of benefit or any other benefit be provided to a prospective student-athlete.

MORRIS: Let's talk about the Dunbar matter. Explain the added probationary period after the punishment phase.

MIKE: Any time an institution is found to have committed a major violation of NCAA rules and is placed on probation, that institution is subject to the repeat violator provision. There is a five-year window from the time the original probationary period starts. Therefore, Notre Dame is subject to the repeat violation provision until December 16, 2004. If any sports program at Notre Dame is found to have committed a major violation during this five-year period, that program is subject to severe sanctions, including the "Death Penalty." However, once that five-year period ends, that does not mean that the University should not remain strongly committed in its efforts to avoid violations of NCAA rules.

MORRIS: Is there one source of potential problems that concerns you more than another?

MIKE: Issues with boosters and providing extra benefits to current and prospective student-athletes is an extremely troubling issue. Notre Dame spends a great deal of effort to educate our alumni and other boosters. However, there are many folks who are fans who could still get the University in trouble in this area. Simply put, no one should provide a current or prospective student-athlete with any kind of benefit, (e.g. transportation, gifts, meals and loans) without first seeking approval from the Notre Dame Compliance Office.

MORRIS: Have you determined how the internet might be affecting or threatening to affect an athletic program?

MIKE: The internet is essentially unregulated with regard to college athletics and many folks use the internet as a source of information about college athletics. Many folks who have internet sites about athletics claim to be media. That is not necessarily accurate in my opinion. Too often information is incorrect or completely false, especially in the area of recruiting. Recruiting should be left up to the institution and no one else should be involved. With so many people trying to get information about recruits, it becomes a major intrusion on the privacy of the prospective student-athletes and makes an institution's job that much more difficult because so much misinformation is out there.

MORRIS: Who bears the responsibility of advising freshmen athletes in the rules of the compliance area?

MIKE: It is the responsibility of our Athletic Compliance Office and other institutional staff members (e.g., coaches, administration) to educate all
student-athletes about NCAA rules and regulations.

MORRIS: Are they advised every year?

MIKE: We do many things to educate our student-athletes. To list all of them would be too difficult for this forum. However, to give you an idea, we meet with all of our teams 2-3 times each academic year and we send them many e-mails and letters to provide them information about NCAA rules.

MORRIS: How are coaches schooled in this area?

MIKE: We have monthly meetings with our coaches and athletic staff and we also have meetings with support staff and other departments on campus. We do a newsletter for staff, articles in institutional publications, campus-wide e-mail notices and other publications.

MORRIS: If there is a question from an athlete, what steps would he take to receive counsel?

MIKE: Anytime a student-athlete has questions about NCAA rules, they know they should go to their coaches or to the Athletic Compliance Office. Essentially, we provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

MORRIS: Can athletes take low-interest loans or no-interest loans from anyone outside of the University family?

MIKE: Student-athletes may not take loans from anyone based on their future earnings potential as a professional athlete. The only exception would be to obtain a career ending injury insurance, which is sponsored by the NCAA. Any other type of loan, which a student-athlete might need, could only be through an official lending agency (i.e., bank) and based on the same criteria as any other person seeking a similar loan. Staff members and boosters may never provide loans to student-athletes for any purpose. In addition, staff members and boosters may not co-sign a loan for a student-athlete.

MORRIS: Can an internet message board respond to a parent urging their acceptance of an offer to attend ND on an athletic scholarship?

MIKE: No. No individual, other than an institutional staff member may encourage or urge a prospect or a prospect's parent to accept a scholarship to attend any institution.

MORRIS: In the light of the past Dunbar violation, when can you consider a fan as a representative of ND athletic interests according to NCAA rules?

MIKE: The NCAA defines an athletic representative as any individual who is known or should have been known by an institution to: (a) Have participated in or been a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's athletics program; (b) Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution; (c) Be assisting or to have been requested by the athletics department to assist in the recruitment of prospects; (d) Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or (e) Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program. This is a very basic definition.

MORRIS: If you are referred to as a representative, what can't you do?

MIKE: Keep in mind that once an individual is identified as an athletics representative/booster, they remain so indefinitely. Once identified as an athletics representative/booster, the individual should never be involved in the recruitment of prospects and should never provide benefits to current or prospective student-athletes without first seeking counsel from the Athletic Compliance Office.

MORRIS: Does the University encourage its alumni, fans and benefactors to question the propriety of actions they have observed if they appear suspicious?

MIKE: Yes, we encourage all of our constituents to keep their eyes and ears open and to communicate potential problems with the Athletic Compliance Office.

MORRIS: I assume that your office is always open to questions from fans concerning what is right or what isn't according to established ND policy. If so, what are the e-mail addresses where they might seek your input?

MIKE: My email address is -----*. Also, Sandy Barbour, our Senior Associate Athletic Director can be contacted at -----*.

MORRIS: You have my personal thanks for the time you took to converse with me and let me also add the thanks of the irish Today staff of Coach Tom Pagna, Coach Tom Beck, Ross Browner, Rick Schutt, Travis Donnelly and Darrin Donnelly. God bless and Go Irish!

*NOTE: Contact webmaster@uhnd.com if you're interested in obtaining the email addresses listed above.