Warren Wilson College

Warren Wilson College
Student Athlete Advisory Committee
Constitution and Bylaws

I. Mission Statement

The mission of the Warren Wilson College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is to serve as a vehicle to promote communication between the athletic administration and student-athletes by providing a student-athlete voice within the department, discussing issues and concerns, and providing feedback as necessary. SAAC also serves in a leadership role recruiting fellow student-athletes to serve the campus, and the surrounding community through a variety of service programs and events.

II. Functions

• Promote communication between athletics administration and student-athletes.
• Disseminate information.
• Provide feedback and insight into athletics department issues.
• Generate a student-athlete voice within the campus athletics department during its formulation of policies.
• Build a sense of community within the athletics program involving all athletics teams.
• Solicit student-athlete responses to proposed conference and NCAA legislation.
• Organize community service efforts.
• Create a vehicle for student-athlete representation on campus-wide committees (e.g., student government).
• Promote a positive student-athlete image on campus.

III. SAAC Advisors

The Advisor(s) of SAAC will be full-time members of Warren Wilson College Athletics staff or other designees by the athletic director. They will provide council with pertinent information involving student-athletes, discuss athletic department issues affecting student-athletes and services provided to the student athletes, and any relevant information involving the College and the NCAA.

IV. Membership

At least one student-athlete from each of Warren Wilson College’s varsity teams will serve as a general representative on SAAC. The representatives will be chosen by the head coach.

Duties of SAAC representatives include but are not limited to:

1. Attend all SAAC meetings and related events.
2. Serve as a liaison between the member’s respective sport to the committee and the athletics department.
3. Serve the needs of fellow student-athletes via leadership and support.
4. Serve on at least one SAAC sub-committee with active involvement.
5. Promote a positive student-athlete image on campus and in the community.
6. Assist in the growth and development of SAAC.
7. Play an integral role in the structure of our athletics departments and its formulation of policies regarding student-athletes.

Membership Requirements

• All candidates must be full-time undergraduate student-athletes at the College and must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits. All candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.5.

V. Meeting Dates

SAAC will meet once a month during the course of the academic calendar year. With a few exceptions, meetings will be held on:

• September 24, 2023
• October 29 2023
• December 3, 2023
• February 4, 2024
• March 17, 2024
• April 7, 2024

Attendance Policy: Representation from each team at all SAAC meetings is mandatory. After one (1) unexcused absence, the head coach and team representative will be notified by email of their warning. After two (2) unexcused absences, the member shall be expelled and the search for a new representative will begin. If a member is removed due to attendance issues, his/her team will not be able to gain another voting seat in SAAC until the following year.

Unexcused Absences: An unexcused absence is defined as an absence from a regularly scheduled meeting without providing written notice to the Secretary at least three days in advance. Documented medical emergencies are the only excused absences without prior written notification.

VI. Executive Board

The NCAA recommends the creation of some type of executive board to oversee the operation of SAAC. Warren Wilson will consist of one President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

President

Role Description: As the President of SAAC, he/she/they will represent all student-athletes at the College and Athletic Department level. This person is responsible for helping to set the vision, goals, and objectives of SAAC, with assistance of the SAAC Advisor and executive board. President will commit to all scheduled events. They will represent SAAC and all student-athletes at athletic department, coaches, and leadership team meetings. The President will set the executive board meeting agenda and the general assembly agenda. He/she/they will be responsible for communicating with internal and external organizations, as needed.

Expectations:

• Comfortable speaking in public.
• Organizes, conducts and oversees monthly
• SAAC meetings and executive board meetings.
• Prepares monthly SAAC meeting agendas.
• Disseminates meeting reminders with prepared agendas at least three days prior to every meeting.
• Serves as a representative of student-athletes for all departmental functions and meetings.

Time Commitment: The President can expect to work 3-6 hours per week.
This includes, but is not limited to,

• General Assembly meetings (monthly, 1 hour)
• Athletic Department meetings (quarterly, 1 hour)
• Athletic Department Leadership Team meetings (as needed)
• Coaches meetings (as needed)
• Projects (as needed)

Value/Benefits:

As President of SAAC, you will have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from high level athletic department team members, College faculty, and staff. You will gain leadership experience and the skills to manage an organization. You will have the opportunity to serve as the face of an organization and hone your professional development skills.

Vice President:

Role Description: The Vice President is responsible for overseeing the operations of the General Assembly. This includes attendance, keeping track of participation on committees, facilitating meetings, etc. He/she/they will be expected to keep a pulse of the student-athlete reps, making sure all needs are addressed. In addition, he/she/they will be responsible for assisting the President as needed.

Expectations:

• Comfortable speaking in public.
• Performs duties of the President(s) in their absence and assumes position of President if he/she/they are unable to properly fulfill presidential obligations.
• Collaborates with President on SAAC monthly meeting agenda.
• Prepares event calendar for SAAC members.
• Maintains and updates the SAAC Bulletin Board and/or social media.

Time Commitment: The Vice President can expect to work 2-4 hours per week. This includes, but is not limited to:

• General Assembly meetings (monthly, 1 hour)
• Quarterly Athletic Department meetings (as needed)
• Coaches meeting (as needed)
• Special Projects (as needed)

Value/Benefits:

The Vice President will have the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience. He/she/they will learn how to effectively manage their peers. They will improve their public speaking and facilitation skills.

Secretary:

Role Description: The Secretary is responsible for keeping a written or electronic record of all meetings. He/she will distribute minutes of meetings to the members via e-mail. In addition, he/she/they will be responsible for assisting the Co-Presidents as needed.

Expectations:

• Comfortable speaking in public.
• Performs duties of the President(s) in their absence and assumes position of President if he/she/they are unable to properly fulfill presidential obligations.
• Keeps attendance at all SAAC meetings, events and functions.
• Takes minutes at all SAAC meetings.
• Prepares event calendar for SAAC members.
• Maintains and updates the SAAC Bulletin Board and/or social media.

Time Commitment: The Secretary can expect to work 2-4 hours per week. This includes, but is not limited to,

• General Assembly meetings (monthly, 1 hour)
• Special Projects (as needed)

Value/Benefits:

The Secretary will have the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience. He/she/they will learn how to effectively manage their peers. They will improve their public speaking and facilitation skills.

Treasurer:

Role Description: The Treasurer is responsible for preparing, maintaining and reporting on the annual SAAC budget. This includes balancing the SAAC account, tracking all expenses and revenue and reporting to the General Assembly. He/she/they will be in charge of organizing and coordinating all fundraising activities within SAAC; these documents and records should be available for public display upon request.

Expectations:

• Manages the SAAC budget, including serving as liaison to the budget office, balancing the SAAC account, reporting revenue, and processing reimbursements.
• Tracks all expenses and revenue through official income statement.
• Reports to the general assembly on budget status, revenue generation and expenditures.
• Brainstorms and generates fundraising ideas for SAAC.
• Implements and supervises fundraising projects and delegates duties for events.
• Serves as the primary contact in budgetary decision-making.

Time Commitment: The Treasurer can expect to work 1-2 hours per week. This includes, but is not limited to,

• General meetings (monthly, 1 hour)
• Coaches meetings (as needed)
• Special Projects (as needed)

Value/Benefits:

The Treasurer will have the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience. He/she will learn how to effectively manage a budget. They will improve their public speaking and facilitation skills.

Election Procedure:
Eligible SAAC general assembly representatives (those in good academic, work, and community engagement standing) have the opportunity to apply for an executive position.

Term of Office
A member of the Executive Board will serve one (1) academic calendar year in his/her/their role. A member of the executive board may elect to resign from his/her/their position prior to election time. The entire SAAC will be notified of this vacancy and will have the opportunity to fill the open position. If the vacancy occurs during the fall semester before elections, the newly elected member will maintain the position until the following fall semester. If the vacancy is the position of the President, the Vice President will assume the role of President and the election will be for the Vice President position. A member may run for the same position again, or another executive position if he/she/they so chooses.

VII. Committees

We have identified the following committees for SAAC: Community Engagement, Fundraising.

The Community Engagement committee is responsible for the promotion, organization and assessment of all community engagement related activities that SAAC works on during the academic year.

The Fundraising committee is responsible for the ideation, promotion, execution, and reporting of all fundraising related activities for SAAC during the academic year.

Community Engagement Chair:

1. Identifies, organizes and executes at least one community engagement events/initiatives per semester.
2. Fosters relationships with designated community service partners.
3. Tracks and reports all community engagement to the Secretary.

Fundraising Chair:

1. Identifies, organizes and executes at least one fundraising event/initiative for SAAC per semester.
2. Fosters relationships among student-athlete body.
3. Generates new ideas for making a connection between teams on and off campus.

VIII. Commitment To Engagement

Warren Wilson SAAC will build relationships with the center for community engagement on a continuous basis. The goal is to give teams the opportunity to choose one community engagement opportunity per semester; by providing several opportunities within each semester it not only allows the student-athlete to cater to their own interests but more suitable work it in to their schedule. The expectation is that ALL student-athletes are responsible for attending the event/day/initiative of their choosing and coaches subsequently are responsible for enforcing attendance.

IX. Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by two-thirds affirmative vote of the General Assembly. The proposed amendment must be posted at least one week before action is taken. The Athletic Department must first approve of the amendment.

The Constitution will be updated annually and as needed.

SAAC Representatives:
2023-24 President: Tabitha McBrayer
2023-24 Vice-President: Timmy Carcel
2023-24 Secretary: Lee Nix