Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

What is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)?

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, or SAAC, is a committee comprised of student-athletes joining together to share their insight and opinions about the student-athlete experience. SAAC members offer their input regarding issues such as rules, regulations, and policies, that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

There are currently separate national SAACs for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III. As the NCAA legislation mandates, all member institutions must have SAACs on their respective campuses, and, the legislation also requires that all member conferences have SAACs as well.

History of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

At the 1989 NCAA Convention, an Association-wide SAAC was adopted to review and offer student-athlete input on NCAA activities and proposed legislation that affected student-athlete welfare.

The initial national committee consisted of student-athletes from all membership divisions in order to ensure that the student-athlete voice was one that accounted for the many educational and athletic experiences of both the male and female athletes at all NCAA member institutions. In August of 1997, the NCAA federated along divisional lines, causing the SAAC to expand from one to three separate SAACs, one for each of the correlating NCAA Divisions.

Each national committee is comprised of both male and female athletes that are responsible for assisting in the review of NCAA proposed legislation, and representing the voice of all student-athletes in the NCAA governance structure. This is done by providing student-athlete input on division-specific issues pertaining to the student-athlete welfare. (Student-athlete participation in the governance process of intercollegiate athletics has improved by increasing the number of SAAC members from the former Association-wide committee of 28 student-athletes to a sum total of 85 members serving on the national Divisions I, II, and III committees).

The input and contributions of the respective Divisions I, II, and III SAACs continue to be sought after by various constituencies within the Association. Student-Athlete Advisory 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.

Purpose of SAAC

Though the purpose of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee may vary across conferences and institutions, the following five points reflect the primary purposes of SAAC and should help serve as a guideline when developing the SAAC’s strategic plan.

· Generate a student-athlete voice within the institution

· Solicit student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation

· Suggest potential NCAA legislation

· Organize community service efforts

· Create a vehicle for student-athlete representation on campus-wide or conference-wide committees

National Mission Statement