Advising the Student Athlete

Rockhurst University recognizes the importance of class attendance by all students. When student athletes compete, an “on location” notice is sent out by the dean’s offices to the respective faculty of that college or school. All faculty advisors should be familiar with the attendance and “on location” policies of Rockhurst University, located both in the current RU Catalog and RU Student Handbook. These policies address faculty and student responsibilities when students are off-campus representing the university at an athletic event.

The following information is provided to faculty advisors regarding details on advising the student athlete.

Activities Considered as "On Location" for Athletes

Games and travel time to games are included in the “on location” policy. Pre-game meals and practices are not part of the “on location” policy. Student athletes who have been given a red-shirt* for the year do not travel with the team. If an injured athlete is unable to play for the duration of the time the team will be competing, that student will not travel with the team. However, if the injured athlete may be able to play at a later game in the “on location” time allotment, he/she will travel with the team. (e.g. an injured basketball player who cannot play on Friday but could play in the Saturday game will travel with the team to the Friday game.) Per the NCAA guidelines, a team cannot leave more than 48 hours before an event and must be en route to return within 24 hours after an event. 

* “red shirt(n): a college athlete who is kept out of varsity competition for a year in order to extend the period of eligibility. [fr. the red jersey commonly worn by such a player in practice scrimmages against the regulars]” (from Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary)

Graduate Student Athletes

There are two instances in which a graduate student may be involved in “on Location” activities for athletics: 1) if a student athlete is red-shirted in his/her freshman year, he/she may have one year of eligibility to play in the first year of a graduate program, 2) if a student athlete is red-shirted for medical reasons anytime in his/her athletic career at RU, then he/she may have one year of eligibility to play in the first year of a graduate program. 

Course Advising

The following table of typical game and travel days per each sport is provided for faculty reference when advising student athletes. Please keep in mind that weather and other circumstances may change game and travel days. Particular attention must be paid to game and travel days when recommending a class to a student athlete that meets only once per week or in an accelerated format.