Student-athletes at Northern Oklahoma College will now be able to be paid for the use of their name, image or likeness.The Northern Oklahoma College Board of Regents approved a new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy, pending approval from legal counsel, at their Wednesday meeting in Tonkawa. The policy allows student-athletes to be compensated by companies outside the college for a variety of uses including, personal appearances, autograph sessions, and use of their photo.NOC Athletic Director Alan Foster explained the concept of NIL and that the policy is in alignment with recent legislation approved by the Oklahoma State Legislature and the current NJCAA bylaw that promotes and provides opportunities for student-athletes in the area of name, image, and likeness.Foster added the goal of the policy is to explain to student athletes what is available to them regarding NIL and at the same time protect the student athlete’s eligibility at NOC and at four-year institutions.“We don’t want to do anything that jeopardizes our athletes’ eligibility,” he said. “We want them to have all the information they need.”In the president’s report, president Dr. Clark Harris explained to the regents that as enrollment is down it will continue to be a focus for 2022.Harris added that the Building a Better NOC initiative that was presented at the November BOR Meeting has begun. It allows NOC faculty, staff, students and community members to have input into issues to improve NOC, and to allow participants to provide possible solutions. The first set of meetings focused on the residence halls where students, faculty, and staff discussed ideas to improve the residence halls.Harris also reported that through fund-raising efforts the Enid Higher Education Council has secured over $300,000 in funds in donations/pledges, exceeding the campaign goal of $250,000, that will apply to scholarships for NOC Enid and NWOSU Enid.In the administrator’s report, Vice President for Community Relations & Development Sheri Snyder announced that Mr. Joe Kreger and Dr. Tara Vaughn are the NOC Distinguished Alumni for 2022. Their induction is set for March 26, 2022 at NOC Tonkawa.Other items approved were the 2021 Annual Fire and Safety Report, the 2022 Master Lease Property Projects agreement, Requests for changes in Academic Service Fees, and the approval of the college’s new Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan.In the program showcase, Snyder and Vice President for Financial Affairs Anita Simpson provided an historical overview of the Northern Oklahoma College Foundation.The next meeting ...
