Guest policy change allows for recruits

Temple has amended its guest policy to allow for athletic recruits to stay overnight when on campus for an official visit, among other changes.

The guest policy change, announced Jan. 14, was the second time the policy had been amended this scholastic year.

The university’s guest policy was changed at the beginning of the fall semester to prohibit non-student minors from staying overnight at residence halls, among other tweaks.  The changes were spurred by a recommendation during the summer from Temple’s Task Force on Institutional Integrity, which was created to analyze Judge Louis Freeh’s report on Penn State’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal and how the university could better itself from the findings.

In the fall, Temple policies and procedures prevented student-athlete recruits from staying overnight on when on campus for official visits. The Temple News reported in the fall that the policy had caused recruits to stay overnight in area hotels. 

The new guest policy states that Temple athletic teams must email or fax consent forms to a prospective recruit’s parent or guardian which must be filled out before hosting the recruit for an overnight visit.

The change to the guest policy was first recommended in the fall because the university had no policy regarding non-matriculated minors staying overnight. The task force recommended the university review its overnight guest policy, and University Housing responded with an immediate moratorium on overnight visits by non-Temple minors.

-Joey Cranney