The University may be violating an NCAA policy regarding extra benefits by arranging for sophomore football players to live in Nittany Apartments, which are reserved for juniors, seniors and graduate students.

According to article 16.02.3 of the 1993-94 NCAA Manual's Operating Bylaws, extra benefits are defined as "any special arrangement by an institutional employee or representative of the institution's athletics interests to provide a student-athlete . . . a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation."

Extra benefits are also mentioned in that article as being allowed only if the same benefit is generally available to other students or special groups of students, such as minority or foriegn students.

The University's policy regarding Nittany Apartments is that only juniors and senior undergraduates are eligible to enter the lottery used to select residents, according to the terms, conditions and regulations of the housing and food service contract for Nittany Apartments.

Housing Assignment Office Manager Lynn DuBois said in January that "no exceptions are ever made to the policy."

Ten sophomore football players currently live in the furnished two-bedroom Nittany Apartments. In January, Laurie Wortham, assistant manager for the assignment office, said those players did not have to go through the lottery system.

The apartments contain a bathroom with double sinks, a complete kitchen, a living room, three cable TV hookups, two phone lines and convenient nearby parking. They are also more expensive than standard double dorm rooms, which are generally one room with one phone line, two beds, desks and closets, a combination refrigerator and microwave and no bathroom. Some double dorm rooms have a cable TV hookup.

After hearing a description of the apartments, the lottery system and the exception made for football players, Ed Lupomech, an NCAA investigator, said, "We have determined that that would probably be a violation, based on the information . . . because it gives them a benefit that is not available to the rest of the student body."

Lupomech said it was not a "bigger" violation, but that the NCAA may send a letter to Penn State asking the University to explain the situation.

Head Football Coach Joe Paterno said he believed sophomore players living in Nittany Apartments was not a violation.

"You're springing something on me I don't know anything about," Paterno said.

The University's NCAA Compliance Director John Bove also said he was unaware of the situation. He said he did not see the article on the housing situation that appeared in the Jan. 14 edition of The Daily Collegian, but that he was sure NCAA policy allowed athletes to live in any residence hall on campus.

"I doubt it's a violation," he said, adding that he would look into the situation.

University President Joab Thomas said he would have to get all the facts before he could comment, adding, "I would be very reluctant to believe we have any NCAA violations."

DuBois said in January that one reason some football players live in Nittany Apartments is because the apartments are close to the team's practice facilities. But freshman football players reside in Pollock Halls and some sophomore players live in suites in Nittany Hall, a dorm where all students except freshmen can reside if they win a lottery.

Wortham said football is the only team that reserves spaces in Nittany Apartments.

In a Feb. 1 letter to the editor printed in the Collegian, Director of Housing Fred Fotis said, "At Penn State, some dedicated housing is created to support student athletes, but also to support sororities, the variety of interest houses, the University Scholars Program, etc."

Interest and sorority houses reserve floors in dorms, while students in the University Scholars Program have the option to live in Atherton Hall, also a student dorm with standard rooms.

Sororities have never requested reserved spaces in Nittany Apartments, said Jen Stolbach, vice president of relations for Panhellenic Council.

"It would defeat the purpose (of sorority living)," Stolbach said. "A sorority has the responsibility for filling a floor. If they can't fill it, it gets filled by independent students."