Communication is key when thinking about the relationship between student-athletes, coaches, Wittenberg’s administrative staff and members of the NCAC in order to ensure everyone involved with the NCAA can have a fair and equal say in everyday functions.
To ensure a healthy and positive relationship, Wittenberg created the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which is made up of representatives from each intercollegiate team on campus.
To become a member, teammates nominate and select individuals who are eager and willing to play an active role in building these relationships daily.
“I’m extremely grateful for being able to take the role of treasurer for SAAC,” Colin Cahill, ‘19, said. “To me, it means a title of responsibility. My job is to ensure that we can fund various events to help promote our athletics and connect non-athletes around campus.”
SAAC, and its representatives, play a huge role in organizing activities that encourage members of the Wittenberg community to come out to the games and show support for the Tigers. They host events like the annual Tiger Tailgate to kick off the fall sports season, three blood drives a year and they select which games are going to be the Code Red events for that season. These events are the biggest home events for each team, at these events, fans dress in all red and show what it means to Tiger Up.
“It’s awesome seeing how much support each team has for each other,” Cahill said. “The best part is the connections that are made and being able to spread our Tiger pride with everyone.”
At the NCAA Division III level, the student comes first. This concept is well represented by the organization through their actions and the way they carry out their mission statement: To enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image.
SAAC has over 40 members and offers each of them an opportunity to do many things, whether that’s one of the four leadership positions or the opportunity to provide insight and input on the rules, regulations and policies of Witt athletics.
“This is my second year being involved with SAAC and I’ve already learned so much from it,” Cahill said. “Taking the role of treasurer has taught me a lot about financial management and how to allocate money. It’s taught me how to work together with various groups in order to help them achieve their goal and have successful events.”
