Rule Interpretations and Eligibility Protests

Game protests are considered valid in stances of rule misinterpretation and participant eligibility. Protests based on the judgment of game officials in playing situations will not be accepted. Protests must be made to the game official and the Intramural Supervisor at the time of the rule misinterpretation and before play continues. All eligibility protests must be submitted in written and legible form to the Recreational Sports Office according to the protest procedures. Use of a player who is found to be ineligible will result in the game being forfeited. The office cannot check each participant's eligibility. When a specific case is reported, an investigation is made to determine whether the person in question is eligible.

1. Protest Procedures for Rules Interpretations
   All protests on rule misinterpretations must be made at the time of the misinterpretation and be resolved before play continues. The protested situation may be resolved by:
   1. The immediate correction of the rule misinterpretation ruling by the on-site supervisor or staff member. If there is no resolution see item 2 below.
   2. If the protesting team still feels the on-site supervisor's ruling is incorrect, the protesting team must submit a clearly legible statement citing the specific rules misinterpreted and the protested situation to the Recreational Sports office by 3:00pm the next regular school day following the protested contest. If upheld, play will resume following the on-site supervisor's ruling with both teams being notified that the game is still under protest. A copy of the formal protest is made available to the opposing team manager/captain. The Graduate Assistant responsible for the sport will then rule on the protest. For further information on such matters refer to the Appeal Process below.
2. Eligibility Protests
   1. All eligibility questions that occur during the regular season must be lodged with the Recreational Sports office by 5:00pm of the next working day. The Recreational Sports office encourages teams/individuals to submit player eligibility protests in a legible form by 5:00pm on the next regular school day following the protested contest.
   2. Protests during playoff games, due to the limited time between games, will be handled on site by the staff. If there is further dispute of the issue, a written protest must be submitted to the Assistant Director before noon of the next working day.
   3. Appeal Process All decisions by the Intramural staff are always subject to appeal by the participants. All sanctions and suspensions given through the Misconduct Point System may be appealed in writing to the Recreational Sports office. The appeal should be received the next business day by 3:00 pm. The following diagram clearly defines the process of appeals for all decisions:
      1. Officials' Call
      2. Site Supervisor
      3. Graduate Assistant
      4. Assistant Director of Intramurals
      5. Intramural Advisory Committee
      6. Associate Director of Programs

Organizations may appeal to the Associate Director. The appeal would be to the Intramural Advisory Committee, and the Committee makes a recommendation to the Associate Director. Please note: Any act of physical abuse (fighting, touching an Official, staff member or participant) or severe act of conduct or behavior could result in a more severe penalty, if warranted, and will be referred over to the Center for Student’s Rights and Responsibilities.

Complaint/Suggestion Form (pdf)