Since its re-establishment in 2019, Albion’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has played an active role on campus, hosting community-oriented events such as lacrosse clinics and youth basketball lessons.
Designed by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) to “enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image,” the Albion SAAC expands this mission by aiming to “establish and maintain an environment in which a student-athlete’s athletic activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete’s educational experience.”
Drew Renner, SAAC President and Brighton senior, said that when “SAAC was starting to go away from what it’s supposed to be,” the executive board revamped the organization and established committees.
In compliance with NCAA regulations, women’s lacrosse Head Coach Emily DiRado said that Albion College selects a student representative to attend a national conference and weigh in on decisions affecting college athletics.
“Our vote goes to national SAAC to let them know how we feel about new proposals and things, and then the student-athletes essentially get a vote on legislation,” DiRado said.
SAAC Committees
The Albion SAAC’s bylaws establish committees each year “that coincide with the objectives and goals the Executive Committee deems appropriate.”
Katie Woerner, Grosse Pointe Farms junior and SAAC equestrian representative, said that two prominent committees include planning for the Special Olympics and organizing the end-of-year awards ceremony, recently renamed the BOBs.
According to Serena Arnold, Lenox junior, women’s cross-country representative and MIAA representative, the BOBs stand for “Best of Britons,” an end-of-year award ceremony celebrating Albion’s men’s, women’s and co-ed sports teams.
Renner said the goal of the committees is “to make sure that student-athletes are getting the collaboration of each other, meeting each other, learning the leadership roles that they may not have received beforehand.”
Pinckney senior and SAAC football representative Luke Lovell said that “when we meet, it gives every sport a voice and makes sure everyone is represented.”
Athlete Advocacy
DiRado said a liberal arts education is about more than just athletics, which is why she makes sure that “they are the ones that are painting the picture of what that experience looks like.”
DiRado added that, with Albion being an athlete-heavy campus, student-athletes have significant input in shaping campus policies and structures.
One instance of SAAC’s advocacy came last year when athletes voiced concerns about the portion sizes of meals. Renner said that he told athletes, “if there’s ever an issue concerning size, take a picture, send it to me, we’ll get a change done.”
Change came about when Qdoba portion sizes, according to Renner, were reevaluated on behalf of SAAC’s initiative.
SAAC’s commitment to supporting student-athletes also extends to nutritional guidance. Arnold said that last semester, Albion College’s dietician, Ashley Palmer, met with SAAC to hear athletes’ feedback.
“We had a really good meeting,” Arnold said. “It’s refreshing to have someone really want to hear us and be there for us, support us.”
Kyndall Lewis, Albion junior and SAAC women’s lacrosse representative, said that SAAC is focused on continuous change and if students have concerns, “talk about it.”
Off-Campus Collaboration
In addition to its on-campus collaborations, SAAC has built partnerships with Harrington Elementary and Kids ‘N’ Stuff, contributing to one of the organization’s missions of providing athletes “more than 2,300 hours of community service per academic year.”
Renner said the baseball team loves going to Kids ‘N’ Stuff.
“When you have 50 guys come in, give them cleaning wipes, we can knock out that entire building in 30 minutes,” Renner said. “We do literally whatever is available.”
Alongside those new opportunities, though, stands the longtime tradition of SAAC hosting sports clinics for children in the community. DiRado, who was a student-athlete at Albion before she was a coach, said that she remembers clinics from her time in SAAC.
Lovell said the football team in particular works closely with Harrington Elementary, supporting students on their first day of school and offering clinics throughout the year.
“It’s just a great opportunity for kids in the community to come out and kind of work through every position group in the football field,” Lovell said. “We have a lot of fun, I think we might enjoy it more than the kids do.”
The women’s lacrosse team, according to Lewis, has worked with the Play Right Sports Academy which focuses on educational development and athletic training in tandem.
Renner said encouraging community service helps athletes feel like they’re giving back to their community, and gives the community the sense that “Albion College is really watching out for us with these student-athletes always helping out.”
The Future of SAAC
Looking ahead, Renner said this year is all about leadership.
That leadership, according to Lewis, is set to replace a routine of “just saying ‘here’s the leadership routine, now go do that.’”
Leadership training opportunities, according to DiRado, include activities like resume building and DiSC assessments, which evaluate how individuals align with four primary personality styles. Athletes are also encouraged to strengthen team spirit by supporting and attending other teams’ games.
Woerner said what she likes about the new style of meetings is that they give them more leadership opportunities, which is more rewarding than in past years.
In the words of Lovell:
“The future of SAAC is just to give the student-athletes more of a voice.”
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