Saint Mary's College - Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Constitution

• Mission
  • "The mission of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare, and fostering a positive student-athlete image." (Adopted from the mission statement of the National SAAC)
• Philosophy
  • The Saint Mary's SAAC will maintain a philosophy similar to that of Division-III. SAAC will place high priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students' academic programs. We will seek 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. We also will seek to establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity among our student-athletes and athletic staff. (Adopted from Division-III philosophy)
• Name
  • The name of this student organization shall be known as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
• Purpose
  • The purpose shall be to assist communication between student-athletes and administration and to help members further develop leadership skills, while promoting the opportunity for the exchange of ideas among student-athletes of different sports. Student-athletes should also strive to be "role models" for the Saint Mary's community and the larger community as well. This committee will also be assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience and to offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athlete's lives.
• Selection Process
  • Each athletic team, in consultation with the coach, will be responsible for selecting two SAAC representatives. These representatives shall be selected and their names should be submitted to the advisor and President of the SAAC by the first meeting in April. If special circumstances arise a member can replace the SAAC rep. All SAAC members will hold this position for one school year.
  • No first-semester first-year student or first-year athlete will be allowed to serve as a SAAC member.
  • The President, Vice-President, Secretary and MIAA representatives will not be considered as team representatives.
• Teams on SAAC
  • Varsity Sports Teams will be allowed membership into SAAC. A varsity sport is a sport that has been accorded that status by the institution's chief executive officer or committee responsible for the intercollegiate athletics policy. One vote per SAAC rep, up to two votes per team, will be given to each varsity sport team. At present (August 18,2014) these teams include: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. Any additional varsity sport that is in their provisional year will be granted membership on SAAC but will not be granted voting rights. Once a team is established as a varsity team, they will have full voting rights.
• Attendance
  • Attendance at all meetings and organizational events is required. Each member will only be given one unexcused absence after a prior warning. SAAC members that have a schedule conflict to the meeting or event should submit a written excuse to the President at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting or event takes place. Prior to the meeting or event the SAAC member shall contact the President or Vice-President to discuss the agenda. In the event of an emergency the President may grant an exemption to this rule.
• Requirements for Membership
  • The SAAC team representatives of this organization must meet the following requirements:
    • Have at least a 2.50 GPA at the time of their selection and it should be maintained through the duration of their term.
    • Enrolled in a minimum of twelve credit hours.
    • Be in good standing with the college.
    • Must uphold the standards of athletic conduct as defined in the Student-Athlete handbook.
    • Must be listed on the official roster of a varsity team. If status changes and rep is no longer listed on the official roster, a new member must be appointed. 
    • All are subject to removal from this organization by the Executive Committee or SAAC advisor, should the SAAC member fail to maintain the requirements described above.
    • The SAAC executive committee must meet the following requirements:
    • Have at least a 2.50 GPA at the time of their selection and it should be maintained through the duration of their term.
    • Enrolled in a minimum of twelve credit hours.
    • Be in good standing with the college.
    • Must uphold standards of athletic conduct as described in the Student-Athlete handbook.
    • Executive committee must be on the official roster of a varsity sport to be voted into the Executive committee. If roster status changes and the individual is in good standing with the athletic department, advisor, coach and the code of conduct listed above, the officer would be allowed to finish her term.
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• Executive Committee
  • The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, and SAAC advisor
  • It is their responsibility to establish committees at the beginning of the year that coincide with the objectives and goals the Executive Committee deems appropriate
  • No single varsity team will occupy all positions of the Executive Committee
  • Any member must receive endorsement from their coach prior to being considered for the vote onto the executive committee. Players must approach their coach and coaches must send an endorsement email to the President and SAAC advisor to then develop the ballot.
  • They will meet at the beginning of the week leading up to the general SAAC meeting. It is preferable that the Executive Committee meet at least 72 hours before a general SAAC meeting is held, however that scheduling is the responsibility of the Executive members
• President
  • The President must be a rising second-semester junior and will have been the vice-president the first semester of their junior year. In the event that the President cannot fulfill their obligations, she must submit a letter of resignation. At that time the Vice-President would take over the remainder of the year. The election for the Vice-Presidency position would occur two weeks after the Vice-President has taken office. The Vice-President then would be allowed to hold the Presidential office for two years (the interim year, and her actual year)
  • Will preside over all regular SAAC meetings and Executive Committee meetings, as well as communicate with the SAAC advisor
  • The President's main concern is to ensure that all matters that pertain to the purpose, philosophy and mission of the SAAC are being addressed and resolved
  • She should communicate and work with the MIAA Representatives and the SGA Representative to ensure that athletic needs are being addressed to the broader constituencies
  • It is the President's job to represent the SAAC at all events and meetings on campus
  • It is the responsibility of the President and Vice-President to register SAAC as a recognized student organization through the Student Involvement and Multicultural Services office. This involves submitting any updates to the constitution and a roster for the following year.
  • The President will not vote at SAAC meetings unless there is a tie
  • The President also reserves the right to ask the advisors to not attend SAAC meetings provided that a legitimate and reasonable rationale is given
• Vice-President
  • The Vice-President shall be voted into office on the first meeting in April. She should be entering her junior year. All nominations for the position should be submitted to the President by the last meeting in March. Each member of the SAAC will vote in the Vice-Presidential election, with the exception of the current President and Vice-President. A two-thirds majority vote must be given to one woman. In the event that a two-thirds majority is not reaches a new election will take place with the two women who received the most votes. The woman that receives 50% + 1 votes will be the new Vice President
  • The Vice-President will preside over regular SAAC and Executive Committee meetings in the absence of the President
  • She will monitor all committee activities
  • It is the Vice-President's responsibility to monitor all committee meetings
  • She should answer questions, provide guidance, and ensure that the goals of each committee are being met
  • It will be the Vice-President's job to keep the Executive Committee informed on all committee activities
• Secretary:
  • The Secretary will be announced to SAAC by the first meeting in April. All interested applicants must give written intent to the President by the last meeting in March. A joint decision between the President and Vice-President will be made to determine the secretary/treasurer
  • The Secretary will be responsible for all SAAC regular meeting minutes, creating the agendas, tracking and taking attendance, and recording and documenting all individual team and all athletic community service projects
  • She will also be responsible for disseminating all information and communications to all SAAC members
  • It is the secretary's responsibility to send SAAC minutes, after approval from the committee, to the Athletic Department’s Sports Information Director and faculty advisor
  • The overall main objective of the Secretary should be to keep SAAC as organized as possible and make sure that all minutes, agendas, projects, committees, etc. are properly documented and kept for future use
  • The Secretary will also be responsible for preparing and maintaining an accurate record of all funds and disbursal of funds as directed by the President and Executive Committee
  • Secretary will be in charge of organizing and coordinating fund-raising activities within SAAC
  • These documents and records should be available for public display upon request
• SAAC Advisor:
  • The Student Athlete Advisory Committee advisor shall be the Director of Athletics or his or her designee. In the event that the advisor cannot attend a meeting, he/she will have another member of the athletic staff to attend the meeting.
• SAAC Representative:
  • Team representatives are expected to attend every meeting
  • The team representatives serve as voting members of the SAAC
    • In the event of a team vote, a SAAC representative is required to vote in a manner that reflects the opinion of her team
    • In the event of an individual vote, the SAAC representative should strive to vote in a manner that is consistent with their personal beliefs as well as the SAAC philosophy and mission
  • Team representatives must be open to serve as a member or chair of at least one committee
  • Needs to attend all required SAAC functions, which include all community service projects sponsored by SAAC. If one is unable to attend a required event, it is up to the discretion of the President to determine whether the reason is excusable
  • In the event that a SAAC representative cannot attend a meeting, she must inform the president in advance and she is required to find another team member to fill her spot for that meeting unless the entire team is away at an athletic competition. This temporary member will be allowed to vote for the absent SAAC member as long as the absence is an excused one. Failure to contact the President in advance will result in a warning and an unexcused absence. A second unexcused absence will result in removal from SAAC.
  • She is expected to report back to her team in an appropriate time span via email in the time designated and announced by the SAAC president. The SAAC president, SAAC advisor, sport coach and team should all be included in the report. Failure to send out an email in the allotted time-span will result in a warning; after 3 warnings from the President or the advisor, both representatives will be removed from SAAC. If both reps are absent due to a match or game, their sister team reps will be responsible for including them in their teams email and the absent reps would then forward that email onto their teams.
• MIAA Representatives:
  • Applications for the position will be made available the first week in March. The applications must have the endorsement of their coach and will be due the last week in March. It will be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to fill the positions. Once the Executive Committee has made their selection they will ask the members of the SAAC for any objections. If a SAAC voting member poses no objection and a two-thirds majority is received, the positions will be filled. However, in the event that a member objects to an applicant and another voting member seconds that motion, the Executive Committee will be expected to meet and submit another name for the position
  • MIAA Representative will be expected to attend all SAAC meetings as well as all MIAA SAAC meetings
  • They will give reports to SAAC after all conference meetings
  • The MIAA Representatives should represent all the interests of the entire athletic community
  • MIAA Representatives are seen as voting SAAC members and will be held to the same requirements and standards as all other SAAC members
• Meetings:
  • All general SAAC meetings will be held every other week with a total of at least two meetings per month, with an exception for the months interrupted by breaks
  • All general meetings will be held on Fridays at noon unless otherwise noted
  • The Executive Committee will establish the dates and places for all meetings at the start of each semester
  • The Executive Committee reserves the right to schedule additional meetings as long as a quorum of the membership can attend the meeting
  • Proposed agenda items must be submitted to the secretary  72 hours before the general SAAC meeting
  • The Rules of Order for all SAAC meetings are as follows:
    • • Meeting is called to order by the President
      • Team Updates/Reports
      • Minutes are adopted (available at the next meeting)
      • Officers present report
      • Committee Chairpersons report on respective committee business
      • Special committees present reports (only if necessary)
      • Unfinished business is discussed
      • New business is presented and discussed
      • Adjournment
• Quorum: A quorum shall consist of fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of the membership and must be present to conduct official business
• Voting:
  • The Executive Committee will determine what issues can be brought to the representatives for voting. The Executive Committee will also decide if voting will be done by team or individual vote. Though team and individual vote are described below, when each is called upon is at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Only a voting member may vote. Representatives who are not present at a SAAC general meeting at which a vote occurs are required to have a teammate present to cast their vote; in the event that a SAAC representative does not find a replacement, their vote is forfeited
  • Team vote: A team vote will occur when a decision needs to be made specifically regarding our athletes and/or athletic teams
  • Individual vote: Each SAAC member is a voting member, with the exception of the President, who votes only in the event of a tie. Individual voting will occur when a decision regarding SAAC rules and policies needs to be made. However, individual voting is not restricted only to this definition, rather it is at the discretion of the President
• Service:
  • Volunteering is a primary goal and responsibility of the SAAC and each individual team. We have already established and will continue to sponsor an event with the convent; Christmas caroling and a spring event with permission of the sisters.
  • SAAC team representatives is responsible for the organization and completion of two individual team service projects; of the two service projects one must be through Special Olympics, Hannah and Friends or Logan Center organizations. The other can be an on-campus or off-campus service project of the teams’ choice.
  • Once the service project is completed, the representatives must report back to the secretary for proper bookkeeping with a short summary and pictures to be posted on the SAAC webpage. Attendance at all service projects will be taken by the SAAC reps and reported back to the secretary who will report it back to the SAAC advisor.
• Finances:

At this writing, SAAC is not a funded organization unless the executive committee wishes to request funds from SGA. Should the committee take this direction, the following will apply.

• • All money belonging to this organization shall be deposited and disbursed through a SAAC line with the Belles Varsity Club account. All funds must be given to the athletic administration within 24 ours after collection
  • The Secretary will be responsible for the distribution of all necessary money transfers and will oversee reimbursements and allotments
  • The Executive Committee will establish and announce the SAAC budget by the last meeting of the school year
  • In the event that the SAAC requires more funds than allotted they will either have to petition the proper resources or fundraise
• Removal Procedures:
  • Any member or officer that has more than one (1) unexcused absence will be asked by the Executive Committee to relinquish their position. At the time, if the team, in consultation with their coach, chooses to elect a new representative, that person will become a member of the SAAC
  • An individual member of SAAC or the committee as a whole reserves the right to dismiss any SAAC member that does not uphold our mission and philosophy. A petition of intent shall be submitted to the Executive Committee and a vote of dismissal shall be put to the entire SAAC voting body. In this instance each individual member will be given a vote. A two-thirds majority is needed to dismiss a member
• Amendments:
  • Any voting representative can present amendments to the constitution in writing to the Executive Committee
  • Amendments will be introduced and discussed at the conclusion of any general meeting and voting on such amendment will occur at the following meeting
  • ALL amendment voting will be processed using and individual vote
  • Amendments will be adopted if they are supported by two-thirds of the voting members and will take effect immediately upon adoption