Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Fitchburg State SAAC Leadership: 2024-2025

Fitchburg SAAC Membership: 2024-25

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 of 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 SAAC may vary across conferences and institutions; however, the following four purposes should serve as basic guidelines when developing 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.

Division III SAAC Mission Statement:

The mission of the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity for all student-athletes, protecting student-athlete welfare, and fostering a positive student-athlete image while maintaining the tenants of the Division III philosophy.

Division III Philosophy:

Colleges and Universities in Division III prioritize the overall quality of the educational experience and the successful completion of all students' academic programs. They seek to establish and maintain an environment where student-athlete athletics activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete educational experience. They also seek to establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among their student-athletes and athletics staff.