Division-I men’s basketball coaches can now make unlimited phone calls and send unlimited messages via text, Facebook and Twitter to recruits who have completed their sophomore year of high school.

The majority of The Daily Orange Editorial Board argues this new rule is inappropriate and should be removed, while some members contend it is a useful approach.

Those who disagree with the rule – passed in June 2012 for basketball and to be applied to NCAA football in August – maintain that high school students are too impressionable to be contacted directly and frequently via text and social media. High school-aged recruits may feel pressured and overwhelmed by college coaches, possibly leading to brash decisions and regretted commitments.

These members also reason that high school students need more guidance with arguably one of the most important decision-making processes of their lives. Returning to the use of a third party, a requirement for most contact between coaches and recruits before the new rule was instated, would allow high school coaches to help guide recruits in the best direction for their futures.

Frequent texts and social media messages may also be distracting to recruits, as they still have to focus on completing high school before joining a college team. Members of the board claim text messaging is too casual of a platform for recruits to be conversing with coaches.

A minority of board members argues that coaches should exercise the new recruiting approaches wisely. They should allow students to focus on their high school duties and not be too overbearing. These members feel that the new rule allows coaches to build stronger relationships with recruits. They maintain that unlimited texts, calls and social media messages will not necessarily create more violations within the NCAA’s recruiting process.

Members on both sides of the argument agree email is the most preferable method for contacting recruits, as it is a more fitting and formal platform, and is also less distracting for young recruits.