OVERVIEW
The UMass Dartmouth Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is a student-led organization comprised of student-athletes from the 17 Corsair intercollegiate athletic programs. Council members are selected by their respective head coaches. The committee meets at least once a month throughout the academic year.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the UMass Dartmouth and Little East Conference Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity for all student-athletes; protecting student-athlete welfare; fostering a positive student-athlete image; providing a forum for student-athletes throughout the LEC and NCAA, as well as, promoting a spirit of camaraderie by modeling positive sportsmanship while maintaining the tenants of the Division III philosophy:
DISCOVER,
DEVELOP, and
DEDICATE.
GOALS
- To serve as a representative body for University of Massachusetts Dartmouth student-athletes.
- To provide effective communication between student-athletes, the administration, coaches and student body.
- To actively encourage involvement from the student-athletes in campus, community and charity projects.
- To design, implement and promote programs that will encourage academic achievement, image and social responsibility of student-athletes.
- To represent UMass Dartmouth regarding all matters related to athletics and its respective Conferences and affiliations.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The UMass Dartmouth and Little East Conference SAAC will strive to develop a collective voice within the guise of the following principles: ethics, athletic integrity, fairness and a respect for sport and the tenets of diversity, which, shall include race, culture, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, gender and disability.
EXCUSED ABSENCE FORM
Fill out a form for each course, list all conflicts for games only, and give to your instructor the first day of class or at least 2 weeks before the first scheduled contest.
(See Form Here)
MEETING DATES AND NOTES
September 13, 2021
October 4, 2021
November 1, 2021
December 6, 2021
January 24, 2022
February 21, 2022
March 14, 2022
April 11, 2022
OFFICERS
| Name |
Title |
Sport |
| Adam Horowitz |
President |
Baseball |
| Adam Washington |
Vice-President |
Football |
| Devon Laing |
Secretary |
Volleyball |
| Jill Walsh |
Treasurer |
Softball |
| Erik Noack |
Advisor |
Ice Hockey |
SPORT REPRESENTATIVES
Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs)
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 also offers input on the rules, regulations and polices that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses.
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.
The information that follows will assist you in understanding how the network of SAACs, from individual campus committees to the conference and/or national committees, interact and support one another to shape intercollegiate athletics policy and enhance the student-athlete experience.
History of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
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 for the purpose of ensuring that the student-athlete voice was one that accounted for the myriad of educational and athletics experiences of both female and male student-athletes at all NCAA member institutions. In August 1997, the NCAA federated along divisional lines. The federation caused the SAAC to expand to three SAACs representing NCAA Divisions I, II and III.
Each national divisional committee is comprised of both female and male student-athletes charged with the responsibility of 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 student-athlete input on issues related to student-athlete welfare that are division-specific. (Federation has increased student-athlete participation in the governance process of intercollegiate athletics by increasing the number of SAAC members from the former Association-wide committee of 28 student-athletes to a sum total of 79 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 committee members have the opportunity to speak with their respective NCAA Management Councils, and the Divisions II and III SAACs continue to speak to legislative issues on the NCAA Convention floor.
National SAACs (Divisions I, II and III) at a glance:
• Generate a student-athlete voice within the NCAA structure.
• Solicit student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation.
• Recommend potential NCAA legislation.
• Review, react and comment to the governance structure on legislation, activities and subjects of interest.
• Actively participate in the administrative process of athletics programs and the NCAA.
• Promote a positive student-athlete image.
