BOT 703: Student-Athlete Conduct Policy

Student-athletes are high profile members of the Michigan State University (MSU) community. The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics views students who meet the academic standards and who have the athletic ability to participate in intercollegiate competition, through team membership, as talented, dedicated representatives of MSU. Student-athletes who have earned the privilege of representing MSU in intercollegiate athletics are expected to uphold high standards of personal conduct and are subject to all team rules, as well as to general University rules and regulations governing student conduct and disciplinary procedures.

Any student-athlete who, while a member of an MSU intercollegiate athletic team, is convicted of a felony1 will be suspended from the MSU intercollegiate athletic team of which he or she is a member and thereby precluded from participation in games and all other benefits related to team membership.2 The student-athlete may request an exception to this rule. The President, upon recommendation of the coach and after consultation with the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics may grant such an exception.

A former student-athlete who has been suspended from the team may submit a written application for reinstatement to the team to the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. The application must include a recommendation from the team's coach that the former student-athlete be reinstated. After reviewing the recommendations of the coach and the advice of the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, the President shall decide whether to grant or deny the application for reinstatement. If the President grants the application, the President shall determine when and on what terms or conditions the former student-athlete will be reinstated.

1Felonies are serious crimes. They usually involve conduct that creates a significant danger to the community. In most states, the following types of crimes, among many others, are likely to be felonies: murder, arson, rape, robbery, burglary, and the manufacture, sale, or other distribution of illegal drugs. Major thefts (like stealing a car), crimes committed with weapons, serious assaults and other crimes involving violence, frauds, the possession of illegal drugs other than small quantities of marijuana, and sexual assaults are often felonies. Students, who commit felonies but become participants in programs that may result in the removal of the felony conviction from their records if certain conditions are met, will not be considered to have committed a felony for purposes of this policy unless the student-athlete violates a condition of the program and the felony is entered permanently on the student-athlete’s record.
2These benefits include, for example, weight training and conditioning, training table meals, travel with the team, dressing for games, practice with the team, athletic academic support services, and athletic medical support services. Violation of this policy and suspension from the team may also result in nonrenewal of the student-athlete’s athletic scholarship.

Enacted: 3/7/96

Amended: 1/25/13

Retired Policy No. 06-18-01

Policies