| Q: | What is the make-up of the Eligibility Committee and what exactly do they do? |
| A: | The Eligibility Committee is comprised of 5 UPA member volunteers, including 1 Eligibility Chair (Ed Plute, upa_coll_elig_comm@upa.org). In addition to hearing Eligibility Cases, they rule on Consortium Applications and take part in discussion to continually refine the Eligibiltiy Rules and process. |
| Q: | What is the scope of their role in handling inquiries and ruling on cases? |
| A: | The Eligibility Committee does *not* grant exceptions to the Eligibilty Rules, but instead deals with cases not covered by or unclear in the Eligibility Rules. Eligibility Exceptions are all outlined in the Eligibility Rules. Inquiries are fielded by the Eligibility Chairperson, with assistance by the National College Director and UPA HQ. The Eligibility Chairperson determines which inquiries become assigned cases, and only the Eligibility Committee (including the Chair) votes on case rulings. |
| Q: | What is the timeline I can expect from an inquiry? |
| A: | The Eligibility Committee is officially active between September 15th and March 1st. During that timeframe, your inquiry should be acknowledged within one week. There may be some back and forth with the individual if the situation is unclear, but the aim is to give individuals their "yes", "no", or "case" determination within a week. If your inquiry is elevated to be a case, then individuals should receive their case ruling within 3 weeks (2 for committee research/discussion, 1 for voting) of that determination. Between March 1st and the start of the College Series, cases will only be heard at the discretion of the Eligibility Chair. After the College Series, inquiries should be acknowledged within two weeks, although no new cases will be assigned to the Eligibility Committee until September 15th. |
| Q: | What if I don't agree with one of the Eligibility Rules? |
| A: | Members are welcome to draft and submit a proposal to the UPA Board of Directors if they have specific changes in mind for future editions of the Eligibility Rules. |
| Q: | What are the major rule changes since the 2009 College Eligibiilty Rules? |
| A: | The major rule changes include clarification on the definition of participation (Section III.A), the addition of a US Military Exemption (Section III.D.1), and two non-degree seeking exceptions (Section II.D.1 and II.D.2). |
| Q: | "I heard somewhere that you can now get 6 years of eligibility" |
| A: | False. This misconception likely has to do with the fact that a member can pay the College Membership Rate for a maximum of 6 years if they meet the criteria. Paying the College Dues level of membership does not confer academic or participation eligibility onto that individual. |
| Q: | "I heard that if you started a program at your school, you get an extra year of eligibility" |
| A: | False. Starting a new team at a school does not grant any extra eligibility. |
| Q: | "I plan on playing this Spring with my college team. If I play in the club series this year (the fall before the spring), do I lose an additional year of college eligibility?" |
| A: | No. There is no difference between a player who starts their clock in the Spring of 2010 and someone who starts their clock in the Fall of 2009. The cutoff point within a year is June 1. |
| Q: | I'm taking exactly X credits, is that enough to be considered half-time? |
| A: | Maybe. It is left up to the registrar to define what that school deems as half-time, as school often have different methods (# classes/credits/units) for determining what is half/full time. |
| Q: | I recently finished my first undergraduate degree this fall, and I plan on pursuing an additional undergraduate degree starting this spring, but I only have time to be half-time. Am I eligible? |
| A: | No. Unless you meet the Light Load requirements (Section II.D.3), individuals pursuing a 2nd undergraduate degree need to be enrolled fulltime. |
| Q: | I just graduated this past fall, but won't technically walk until the spring - am I eligible? If it matters, I'm actually still taking a few classes this spring. |
| A: | No. If you've taken the credits required for graduation in the fall, then you are no longer considered degree seeking. Even if you are still taking some classes, at that point you are considered to not be degree-seeking since all the course requirements for the degree have been met. |
| Q: | I'm taking classes at a local CC in the spring through a program which, upon completion will transfer the credits over to the local university I want to play on. Can I play with that university? |
| A: | No. You need to be enrolled at least half-time in a degree seeking program at that University in order to play with them. |
| Q: | I just graduated with my undergrad, and am taking pre-requisite classes for a graduate program at the same school that will be starting in that next fall. Although I am technically not degree seeking, am I academically eligible? |
| A: | Maybe, provided that you meet the criteria outlined in the rules (Sections II.D.1 and II.D.2). |
| Qs: | "There is a player who has been practicing with us all fall that goes to the Community College nearby. Can he play with us in the spring?" |
| "I don't go to School X, but I go to a nearby school. Can I play with School X if my school doesn't have a team?" | |
| "I am currently at a school that does not have an Ultimate team and does not have plans that I know of for starting one up. Am I allowed to play with a neighboring school?" | |
| A: | Unlikely. Merely being at a nearby school or being at a school without a team is not a criteria for being granted a consortium. Although there used to be consortiums granted to encourage growth, that is no longer the case. The consortium program is reserved for situations in which the two schools are so intertwined athletically and academically such that treating them as separate schools wouldn't make sense. The process/criteria for consortium applications is outlined here. |
| Q: | When was my start date? |
| A: | If you don't recall your initial participation date, email upa_coll_elig_comm@upa.org and we'll look it up in the database. That being said, if you know that you played in an event that would count (sanctioned) and we don't have a record of it, you and your team could still be in trouble if it is later revealed that you actually had participated in that event. |
| Q: | "I took off my Sopohmore year and didn't play in any events due to {financial reasons, family emergency, injury, service program}. Can I get that year back?" |
| A: | No. There is no way for you to get extra years of Eligibility for years that you did not participate in the College Series. This is due to many factors that include philosophy, fairness, tracking and consistency. The only exception to this in place is the Military Exemption, which is outlined in the Eligibility Rules (Section III.D.1). This exemption is not currently offered to military service for countries other than the US. |
| Qs: | "My clock started because I was on a Sectionals roster, but I didn't actually play that year because I was {out of town, injured, etc}. Can I have that year back?" |
| "I practiced with the college team my freshman year, and the captain added me to the roster without me knowing just in case I could make Sectionals. Can I have that year back?" | |
| A: | No. Participation as it pertains to the college eligibility rules is defined as a player playing at an event or a player being included on an official roster for an event. |
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