Conference Office Hosts SAAC Representatives

Conference Office Hosts SAAC Representatives

The Big 12 Conference hosted its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) meeting on July 27-28, which representatives from each member institution attended. The valuable discussion topics included mental health and wellness, the NCAA Division I governance structure, personal/professional branding, and selecting the Conference SAAC Chair and Vice-Chair for the 2018-19 academic year.

The Conference SAAC is comprised of 24 student-athlete representatives. Each member institution selects one male and one female representative. One student-athlete serves as the Big 12 representative to Division I SAAC and three student-athletes serve as Conference representatives to Autonomy Governance.

Among their responsibilities, Conference SAAC representatives provide student-athletes an avenue of engagement within the NCAA and Big 12 governance structure, the ability to develop leadership skills beyond their athletic experience, and to educate their fellow student-athletes with information to share with institutional SAAC that assists with decisions that influence student-athletes on campus.

During the weekend, Conference SAAC representatives actively engaged in discussion surrounding mental health and wellness topics, which was led by Dr. Dayna Charbonneau, the Director of Clinical and Sport Psychology at West Virginia University. Dr. Charbonneau and Conference SAAC representatives discussed their experiences associated with mental health, resources to cope, and how to promote wellness.

In addition, the Conference SAAC representatives studied and discussed the NCAA Division I Governance structure in order to continue their efforts to effectively engage in national governance discussions. The group held a mock forum to provide their positions and comments on possible future legislative concepts.

Student-athletes also learned how to build their personal and professional brand. One of the SAAC goals is to assist student-athletes in building professional skills and learning how to leverage their student-athlete experience in their future professional career. Conference SAAC has made it a priority to emphasize the need for student-athletes to engage in professional development opportunities outside of the classroom and the field of play.

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