STUDENT ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
What is SAAC?
A student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC) is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives. There is a SAAC at the institution, conference and national levels. Presently, there are separate national SAACs for NCAA Divisions I, II and III. NCAA legislation mandates that all member institutions have SAACs on their respective campuses. Further, NCAA legislation requires that all member conferences have SAACs.
History of SAAC
An Association-wide SAAC was adopted at the 1989 NCAA Convention and was formed primarily to review and offer student-athlete input on NCAA activities and proposed legislation that affected student-athlete welfare. The initial national committee was comprised of student-athletes from all membership divisions to ensure that the student-athlete voice accounted for a diversity of educational and athletics experiences at all types NCAA member institutions. In August 1997, the NCAA federated along divisional lines. The federation caused the SAAC to expand to three separate SAACs – representing NCAA Divisions I, II and III.
Each national divisional committee is comprised of both female and male student-athletes and is charged with two key responsibilities: assisting in the review of NCAA proposed legislation and representing the voice of the student-athlete in the NCAA governance structure. This is accomplished by providing input on division-specific issues related to student-athlete welfare. (Federation has increased student-athlete participation in the NCAA governance process by increasing the number of SAAC members from 28 student-athletes to a sum total of 85 members serving on the national Divisions I, II and III committees).
The input of the respective Divisions I, II and III SAACs continues to be sought by a variety of constituencies within the Association. Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members have the opportunity to speak with their respective NCAA Management Councils, Board of Directors, and the Divisions II and III SAACs continue to speak to legislative issues on the NCAA Convention floor.
Purpose of SAAC
The purpose of a SAAC may vary across conferences and institutions; however, the following four purposes should serve as basic guidelines when developing a SAAC and its strategic plan:
• Generate a student-athlete voice within the institution
• Generate a student-athlete voice within the conference
• Review and respond to proposed NCAA legislation
• Support the campus and conference community through community outreach efforts, with a primary focus on the NCAA Division III SAAC and Special Olympics partnership
Committee Membership and Communication Flow
The membership of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee should be representative of the diversity of your institution’s population and involve representatives from diverse sports. Each member serves as a liaison between the committee and his or her individual team.
