Keene State College’s Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is in its 18th year.
Director of Athletics, John Ratliff, started the program when he came to KSC in 1997, according to keeneowls.com. SAAC is required by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
SAAC is made up of two or three athletes, male and female, from each team at KSC. These student athletes work with Ratliff to go over proposals made in the rule book for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and decide how they should be voted on, come time for the annual NCAA conference.
KSC is part of the Little East Conference (LEC), which is comprised of eight Division III New England colleges: Eastern Connecticut State University, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Boston, Rhode Island College, University of Southern Maine, and Western Connecticut State University. The LEC is recognized by the NCAA according to littleeast.com.
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“We usually try to have an upperclassman as well as a younger student, so that the younger athlete can begin to learn the ropes and filter through the system,” Ratliff said.
Student athletes are nominated and selected by their coaches. The students on the team are in good standings with the college and must meet the 2.0 GPA requirement of the college to be elligible for nomination.
Ratliff attends the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference each year to discuss the rules and generally explain how the students of KSC would like to vote on said proposals. A new book of proposals is released each year.
After the conferences, Ratliff brings back all of the new information for his students and the representatives from each team bring those back to their entire squads.
One rule that Ratliff expressed as being important is the recruitment rule that states a coach is able to talk to a recruit at the end of the day, during a multi-day tournament, after the player is released by his/her coach for that day. This rule was amended many times and was voted on with the help of SAAC.
“I really enjoy being able to see the business side of college sports,” sophomore Gabby Brzozowski said. Brzozowski is one of the representatives for the women’s swimming and diving team.
“It’s amazing how nit-picky the rules can be,” Brzozowski said.
“We really are one voice and it’s great to be able to see what’s going on within the NCAA,” Corrina Nickerson, also a member of the women’s swimming and diving team.
However, it’s not just about the conferences.
The students on the council help decide what sort of community service will be done. SAAC is currently trying to coordinate a community service event with the Special Olympics.
During the recent holiday months, the council decided to do something for the less fortunate. They gave meals from the students’ meal plans to people in need of food.
“We really like being involved in these things, but it is sometimes difficult, as all the student athletes are incredibly busy,” Ratliff said. “There is a huge impact on time demands, but we try to be as involved as we can be and give back.”
“It’s great being able to have a direct influence [in rule making and the community], I really feel like a student athlete,” Brzozowski said.
“The council is an accurate representation of Keene State College,” Nickerson said, “We like to show how we can make a difference on campus.”
The council meets many times throughout the year in hopes of closing the gap between student athletes and the rules of the NCAA.
Mary Curtin can be contacted at mcurtin@keene-equinox.com