Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) opens year with positive meeting

Every other Tuesday, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee meets in the Campbell Sports Center conference room to discuss issues regarding athletics and to plan upcoming events. Required by the NCAA, SAAC’s purpose is to create an open dialogue among student athletes and athletic directors. 

Each team is required to have two SAAC representatives who attend the biweekly meetings and act as liaisons between the athletes of their respective sport and SAAC. In addition, SAAC is responsible for planning events such as Midnight Madness and has a hand in planning Homecoming. 

This year, SAAC is headed by Owen Marks ‘14, with Yolanda Cando ‘17 and Patrick Newsom ‘17 serving as vice president and treasurer, respectively. All three athletic directors, Kristin Maile, Chris Ehmer and Erin Pomykala, were in attendance, as well as the newest addition to the athletics department, men’s soccer coach Scott Miller.

SAAC members discussed several topics at this meeting. First, the group was broken down into four committees: Advertising and Public Relations, Community Connections, Events Committee and the “Morale Committee,” which is dedicated to inter-athlete relations. 

The group then discussed Midnight Madness, a yearly event where the Sports Center remains open late and each team hosts a small game with a theme related to their respective sport. It serves as a celebration of athletics as well as the beginning of basketball season. This event will take place on Oct. 14, 2014. 

SAAC meets during B Weeks on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the Campbell Sports Center.

by Colette Harley
Sports Editor
charley@gm.slc.edu