Cody Guerrero
Equinox Staff
According to KeeneOwls.com, a student athlete advisory committee consists of student athletes who provide insight on the student athlete experience and offer input on rules, regulations and policies.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requires that all member institutions have a student athlete advisory committee (SAAC) on their campus, meaning Division I, II, and III schools are all required to have a SAAC associated with their respective athletic programs. The committee also works on projects and fundraising events for various sports, and the athletes work closely with coaches to make these events successful.
“We try to get the committee involved in volunteer service and other community events,” Keene State College Athletic Director John Ratliff said. “Many of the teams have their own schedule of events that they take part in but the committee is a great way for the athletes and coaches to get involved in other volunteer and community work.”
Ratliff also said past athletes on the committee have assisted the Keene Police Department in various clean-ups around Keene as well as teaming up with the Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention to promote the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event.
Ratliff said that coaches typically provide recommendations of athletes they believe should be on the committee and typically there are two student athletes from each team on campus, one being an upperclassman and the other an underclassman.
“It gives us some continuity throughout the years to have an upperclassman and underclassman selected from each team,” Ratliff said. Ratliff also said that typically team captains are not the committee representatives for their respective teams.
KSC senior and member of the men’s basketball team, Ryan Martin, said being a representative was a good experience. “Coach Colbert came to me and said that they were looking for two representatives from every team and I thought it would look good on a resume as well as just the aspect of making decisions and working on different projects so I was glad to be a part of it,” Martin said.
KSC senior and member of women’s cross country and track, Maggie Fitter, also said that the committee is good for campus sports.
“We work on a lot of fundraising and community work and it is something that is really great to get involved in,” Fitter said.
Fitter also said that the committee gives student athletes the opportunity to get together and collaborate ideas which can be beneficial in many ways.
Ratliff also said that the committee has been great for campus sports. “It has been very beneficial for us because it has given us the chance to expand our work to the community and even going as far as redesigning some of the events we hold on campus to make those better so it has been great for the program,” Ratliff said.
According to the national mission statement of all SAACs, the general mission of a student athlete advisory committee is to not only enhance the student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity but to also promote a positive image on student athletes and expanding their talents outside of the field of play. KSC is certainly working with its athletes to uphold this very standard.
Cody Guerrero can be contacted
at cguerrero@keene-equinox.com