FAQ
What is a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee?
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 policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.
What is the NCAA's mission for SAAC?
The mission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image.
What are the main goals for SAAC at the national level?
- 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 struc-ture 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.
How many levels of SAAC membership are there?
Presently, there are separate national SAACs for NCAA Divisions I, II and III. National committees meet in-person four times each year in January, April, July and November, and conducts teleconferences as needed. Additionally, NCAA legislation mandates that all member institutions have SAACs on their respective campuses. Further, NCAA legislation requires that all member conferences have SAACs.
What is the membership size and most important responsibilities of the Division III National SAAC?
There are 24 members on the Division III SAAC, 16 of which are chosen from each of the four Division III regions across the nation, and eight student-athletes serve on the committee as at-large selections. Two student-athletes from the committee are voting members of the Division III Management Council. In Division III, legislation is pro-posed to the Management Council from Division III committees, and the Management Council then has the option of forwarding the pro-posed legislation to the Division III Presidents Council for approval. If the legislation is approved by the Presidents Council, it is voted on annually at the NCAA Convention in January by each Division III member institution to determine if it will become new legislation. During the NCAA Convention, Division III SAAC members have an opportunity to speak to proposed legislation in front of the Division III membership.
What is the history of the NCAA SAAC program?
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.
FAQ SOURCES: NCAA DIII SAAC | FORMING A CAMPUS SAAC
