ODAC Student-Athlete Advisory Meeting
Randolph-Macon
Woman’s College – November 12, 2006
Welcome:
The
meeting was called to order at 10:40am
Commissioner
Bankston welcomed all the participants.
Commissioner
Bankston asked that each rep split into groups and introduce someone not from
his/her school.
Commissioner
Bankston distributed the conference Directory and Records Book – explaining the
purpose of the directory and answered any questions the group might have
concerning its production and purpose.
Old
Business:
Commissioner
Bankston reviewed the conference SAAC listserv instructions. He indicated the
listserv would be up-to-date and workable for the group no later than Dec. 1st.
Commissioner
Bankston asked that all schools that currently have a SAAC constitution and set
of by-laws forward them to the conference office. Once received, the by-laws
will be posted on the conference SAAC website.
The
websote was reviewed at the meeting. Commissioner
Bankston indicated the need to update some of the links to conference minutes
and various additional NCAA links.
A
partial roster was distributed and the committee members were asked to update
their information (phone, email, mailing address, etc.).
Role
of SAACs on Campus:
The
group was pleased to see national SAAC representative Alecia
Weddle at the meeting. Ms. Weddle talked to the group on the work of the NCAA
DIII SAAC and how they can work on their campuses to establish a functioning
SAAC.
Ms.
Weddle also called attention to various pieces
The
group discussed the role each of their SAAC plays on their individual campus.
They divided into small groups to discuss their functions on campus and
reconvened to discuss their findings. Each school was asked to discuss recent
community service projects and any suggestions they might have for other
committees just beginning.
There
was a better representation from the membership on functioning SAACs and those working to make things better on their
campus. The exchange was worthwhile and allowed some student-athletes to take
additional ideas for SAAC work back to their campus.
Many
reps suggested the need for greater administration support (ADs,
Coaches) to their mission. Some lacked the necessary support to meet on a
weekly or monthly basis. They believed with encouragement by the ADs and specifically the coaching staff, they would be able
to accomplish more.
Regional Leadership
Conference:
Several
members of the conference SAAC also attended the National Regional Leadership
Conference. Those present reflected on the experience and talked of the many
things they learned while in
Guest Speaker – Dr. Joel
Fish:
The
group welcomed Dr. Joel Fish to the meeting. Dr. Fish talked with the group
about the value of leadership and some of the tough decisions that leaders have
to face throughout their role in collegiate athletics and life in general. The
student-athletes had several role-playing exercises and discussed real life
experiences among themselves providing feedback to each other depending on the
situation. Post-talk evaluations were submitted with positive responses to Dr.
Fish’s talk.
Old Business:
The
group reviewed the conference’s success with the annual food drive. It was
VOTED that the conference SAAC, in conjunction with each individual campus
SAAC, create a food drive that would conclude at the end of March (31st). The
group determined that the drive would be competitive between the conference
schools with each item counting as one point. Each school would be responsible
to report its number to the conference office on March 31st and file a report of
the number of items donated to its local food pantry. The winning team would
receive a prize from the conference office. Plans for the implementation of the
contest will be distributed following the Board meeting in December.
New
Business:
2005
NCAA Convention and Legislation:
Commissioner
Bankston and Sameer Khan reviewed the upcoming NCAA
legislation for the 2006 convention. Only pieces that pertained to
student-athlete welfare were reviewed.
Individual
Agenda Items:
Several
reps brought their own agenda items for the meeting:
1. The
group discussed non-traditional season participation and its value in DIII
athletics. One of the SAAC members had brought this subject to the attention of
the group. In conclusion, a majority favored maintaining the practice in DIII
but did value the limitation on their time in the off-season.
2.
Competitive Resources Group (CRG) was introduced. The group had recently
preformed a function at
Leadership
of Committee:
Randolph-Macon’s
Jason Carmichael will serve as the committee chair for another year.
The
meeting was adjourned at 3:45pm