Behind the Scenes: Compliance

Beyond the Field sat down with Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, Ben Messerli for a behind the scenes look at the Compliance Department the University of Northern Iowa.

Ben got his start working in compliance at the University of Tennessee, where he volunteered with the compliance office when he was in graduate school. He also volunteered within other departments during his time at Tennessee. Once Ben completed grad school, he applied for 150 jobs in three different areas: Compliance, Event Management, and Athletic Academics. He was offered a post-graduate position as a Compliance Assistant at the University of North Dakota and then earned his first full-time job at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He then came to UNI almost two years ago to serve as the Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance.

The Compliance Office at UNI provides guidance in regards to NCAA rules, regulations, and standards. The most important aspects are to educate, support, monitor, and enforce NCAA rules and regulations. The Compliance Office is in charge of monitoring and certification for initial eligibility in regards to practice, financial aid, and competition. The Compliance Office coordinates all facets of the National Letter of Intent program and departmental grant-in-aid offers to prospective student-athletes, as well as monitoring all aspects of student-athlete financial aid. The Office also approves prospective student-athlete official visits and monitors all official and unofficial prospective student-athlete visits.

One of Ben's favorite things about his job is working with all of the team/athletes and not just specific teams. Working at an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level  school allows Ben to work with all the sports and get experience with all facets of the job. Most FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) compliance offices mix up how they are set up. They either work with specific sports or specific bylaws. Ben gets the opportunity to work with all sports and all bylaws at UNI.

There is a somewhat negative connotation that comes with working in "compliance." Ben noted that most people only hear of compliance when something negative happens with the NCAA. Other than this minor issue, Ben stated that he doesn't mind many areas of his job.

Ben always pictured himself working in the sports industry because he always enjoyed sports. He said that he never pictured himself doing anything else. He really enjoys watching UNI teams/athletes compete the most. No matter where he has been, it is always his favorite part to see athletes compete. He enjoys knowing what hard work has been done behind the scenes by all departments to make events at UNI have the best atmosphere possible.

Finally, Ben offered this advice for those looking to get involved within athletics. "My biggest advice is to be willing to get involved. If you don't know what exactly what you want to do, try different areas. Working in different areas of athletics helps you see how everyone works together. Volunteering is not bad, and infarct, normal. Get involved."

Ben and the Compliance Office play a key role in the behind the scenes operations at UNI and many people do not understand the hard work that they do for the university. The Compliance Office is one of the hardest working departments at UNI and I cannot thank them enough for what they do.