The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is a national group that has committees at every NCAA school. SAAC is exclusively a student athlete organization designed to give opportunities on and off the field, but what is it exactly?
“A group of student-athletes at university/college, conference, and national level that want to help other student-athletes,” Olivia Garner, senior co-president of SAAC, said. “Each level has different goals but overall, it is to be able to better engage student-athletes and provide feedback for administrators, conference offices, and NCAA personnel.”
This is an important opportunity for student-athletes to have their voices heard, not only by their schools, but at every level. SAAC tries to create the best experience at each school for their athletes.
“SAAC gives student-athletes a voice on their university’s campus,” Unique Savage, sophomore vice president, said. “Especially by giving feedback and creating experiences that help benefit student-athletes and the surrounding communities.”
Students don’t always feel like their voice is being heard, especially student athletes. At a school like Averett where such a large percentage of the student body is athletes, their opinions matter and need to be heard.
That is what SAAC is for, allowing those voices to fall on the correct ears to invoke change. But this only happens if you know where to start.
“You can become a part of SAAC by reaching out to your coach and asking to be involved as a team rep or by running as an E-board member,” Jack Turner, sophomore community engagement liaison, said. “At Averett each team has around two official reps and there are some meetings that are open to all student-athletes to attend as well.”
This means that any member of an athletic team can get involved and help make a difference on campus.
The opportunities aren’t restricted just to Averett’s campus, however. You can get involved in the community as well as in the conference.
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) hosts a conference-wide SAAC meeting each year that each school sends E-board members to. As well as a special Olympic game that all the schools in the conference help run.
With all the different possibilities there is ample room to find your interests.
“My favorite part of working with SAAC is being able to help facilitate a group of students who want to better the student-athlete experience at Averett and also seeing all their unique ideas,” Lyndsey Sear, SAAC advisor said. “I also love seeing each other at games and events.”
The facility really invests in SAAC because of all the possibilities that are presented with it.
“I got involved with SAAC at Averett as an advisor because of how much I enjoyed being a part of SAAC when I was a student-athlete,” Sears said. “I wanted to stay connected to student-athletes and what they wanted to do and see.”
With all the opportunities and support that SAAC provides and has, it is such a vital part of every college campus, especially at Averett.
