Student-Athletes Visit the SWAC for Annual SAAC Meeting

The Southwestern Athletic Conference hosted its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) meeting this past weekend at the Birmingham, Ala., headquarters.

Fourteen student-athletes from seven SWAC institutions traveled to Alabama, representing a collection of sports – baseball, bowling, football, soccer, track and field and volleyball.

“These meetings really provide a great opportunity for the student-athletes to get an in-depth understanding of how the NCAA and the SWAC operate from an administrative standpoint,” said Jared Williams, SACC Conference Coordinator.

“The goal is to promote student-athlete welfare and SWAC SAAC meetings allow the student-athletes to have an active role in the adoption of policies and procedures that ultimately affect the student-athlete.” 

Students-athletes arrived Friday afternoon for a tour of the SWAC office and their first meeting session with Associate Commissioner, Edgar Gantt, and Associate Commissioner for Championships/SWA, Donyale Canada. During this meeting, student-athletes discussed the future of SWAC SAAC and ways to increase its awareness among other students.

After the meeting, student-athletes gained the chance to bond among each other as they enjoyed a night full of bowling and laser tag.

The final day focused solely on preparing the student-athletes for their professional futures. Chris Rogers of TAP. Inc. was Saturday’s guest speaker as he discussed proper interview behavior, career preparation, resume building and overall personal branding. As a former student-athlete, Rogers related with the 14 attendees and stressed the importance of a smooth transition to life after athletics.

The 2015-16 SWAC SAAC Officers were decided and they include: Alabama State University’s Mariel Smith – President; Grambling State University’s Takyra Beverly – Vice President; Jackson State University’s Shannon Parker – Secretary; University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Willie Duncan – Parliamentarian.

For more information about SWAC SAAC, contact Jared Williams at j.williams@swac.org.

Source: http://www.swac.org/