After a move by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to reform the athletic recruitment process, Penn State's football recruitment organization has disbanded.

The Lionizers, a group formerly responsible for hosting football recruits on their official visits to Penn State, violated the NCAA's policy regarding specialized tour groups because it existed and catered to prospective football recruits.

"There were situations and certain high-profile cases around the country that confirmed that the process needed to be reviewed," said Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, who is also a member of the NCAA Task Force on Recruiting, which formed last February.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, allegations of rape by football players and recruits in Colorado last winter spurred the NCAA's task force legislation.

The task force's regulations, however, did not go into effect until Aug. 5, and they included a proposal forbidding prospective athletes from receiving tours from specialized tour guides.

According to the NCAA, some high-profile scandals involving football recruits included sex and drug misdemeanors, using private planes for transportation to prospective universities and paying for accommodations and meals on official visits.

The main goal of the task force was to eliminate any abuses in the athletic recruiting stage, Curley said.

Penn State tight end Jordan Lyons said he thinks the new regulations are warranted because of the behavior of groups at other schools.

"[Recruiting] was a problem in lots of places," he said "I heard about guys who would receive cars to persuade them to choose a certain school."

Curley said the change in policy is good for college athletics.

"Now that prospective players are entertained through normal recruitment arms, athletes can view the general student population," he said.

Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli said he thinks football recruitment scandals are not widespread.

"My official visits were with the coaches and players so I could learn about the school and the campus," he said.

Former Lionizer tour guide Alisia Schmidt (senior-marketing) said she disagreed with the group's dissolution.

"Some programs around the nation abused the system. We conducted ourselves with integrity," she said. "Besides knowing about normal student concerns, we had to learn things pertinent to the football program, like whether there was an orthopedic surgeon on staff, where the players eat and what they eat."

Penn State wide receiver coach and recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary said the end of Lionizers might hurt part of Penn State's football recruiting program. "You don't bring a kid in just to talk about football; you talk about class size, majors and other general student concerns," he said. "The Lionizers knew both sides of the issue."

Former Lionizer tour guide Naomi Williams (senior-management information systems) said despite new regulations that prohibit specialized tour groups for athletic teams, Penn State recruitment would remain strong.

McQueary said the new regulations would not affect Penn State as much as other universities.

"Some of the glitz and glimmer will be taken out of the process because when the players attend college, they won't be eating lobster dinners every night," he said. "This is a more realistic approach, and that's a good thing."