Resources
Post Secondary Insititutions
The CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) consists of four member conference: Atlantic University Sport (AUS), Reseau de sport etudiant du Quebec (RESQ), Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canada West University Athletics Association. In total there are 52 Universities across Canada with 19 residing in Ontario.
Colleges are managed separately by the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA). This governing body has five member conferences: Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), Alberta Colleges Athletic Association (ACAC), Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, Reseau de sport etudiant du Quebec (RESQ) and the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA). There are a total of 85 colleges across Canada with the most, 28, located in Ontario.
All athletes that play post-secondary sports across Canada have to follow the guidelines and rules put forth by the CIS. There are some exceptions that allow each of the member conference to create their own guidelines for specific provinces.
Athletic departments in Ontario follow the guidelines used by the OUA, which incorporates a lot of the CIS rules as well as some of their own.
Every associations website offers pages and pages of their rules and regulations when it comes to recruting prospective athletes. Here is a summary of the rules and regulations that were involved in my story.
OCAA Rules
Academic Athletic Awards
- Schools in the OCAA are allowed to hand out Progressive Scholarship Awards to students valuing $500 or $1000 per semester depending on the year and sport.
- Student athletes can receive an Athletic Bursary of up to $2,500 per academic year.
- Athletes may be able to receive up to $500 depending on year of participation.
In order to be eligible for the awards a student must be enrolled full-time and carrying at-least 70% or course hours of two thirds of their course requirements.
Ontario University Association Rules
Rule VI, Athletic Financial Award
- First year students with an 80% average are eligible to receive up to $3,500 in their first year of University.
- Returning student-athletes can receive awards up to $3,500 annually provided they attain a 70% on all registered course work. (The maximum dollar amount will increase to $4,000 for the 2012-2013 academic year).
- All OUA athletes must demonstrate progress towards furthering their education and maintaining academic success. (Rule 6.1.4)
- Each university provides the funding for eligible student-athletes. Ontario University Athletics doesn’t provide the funding. OUA only administers the policy.
- OUA promotes gender equality in the implementation of the awards policy. (Rule 6.1.5)
- The total dollar amount of Athletic Financial Awards provided by an institution annually must be no less than 45% per gender of the total dollar amount. For example a $100,000 distribution could go $55,000 male and $45,000 female.
CIS Recruitment Rules
- Student-athletes are limited to one funded visit within an academic year, in whole or in part, to a CIS campus, although you are not limited to the number of unfunded visits to a campus or to the total number of schools you visit.
- A CIS school, inclusive of its alumni and boosters, is limited to providing you with product and/or services valued at $50 or less.
- Student athletes must be enrolled in a minimum of 3 courses (minimum 9 credit hours or equivalent) in the term in which they are competing.
- They also must successfully complete a minimum of 3 full courses, or 6 half courses (minimum 18 credit hours or equivalent) during the academic year.
- You are eligible to receive an athletic scholarship at the beginning of your first year at a university if you have a minimum entering average of 80% or equivalent.
- Thereafter, you are eligible to receive an athletic scholarship at the beginning of any year if you satisfy CIS academic requirements with at least a 65% average or equivalent in the preceding year (for Ontario universities, as per OUA policy, a 70% average is required).
The OUA and OCAA follow most of the CIS rules when it comes to recruiting.
