INDIANAPOLIS - This past Monday morning, the G-MAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee engaged in a service project to help build a home for Habitat for Humanity. Student-athletes gave up some of their free time to assist in building a home in the Springfield, Ohio community. The student-athletes dedicated time to the project, mainly working on the outside & inside framing of the house, including cutting out windows and doors, and installing exterior insulation.
“Having the SAAC GMAC experience is something amazing because it allows you to actually get to know the face behind the competitor,” said Trevecca Nazarene’s Brittany Eller, who holds the position as G-MAC SAAC President. “I feel like we are starting to develop some really great ideas and really starting to make leaps and strides within our conference. I really feel that GMAC is focused on the entire student athlete experience, on and off the court.”
Following the morning community service project, the afternoon’s business session reviewed several items and allowed for discussion regarding the 2013 NCAA Legislative proposals and grid completion process.
“The G-MAC SAAC meeting provided an opportunity for student-athletes to work collaboratively with their competitors, share opinions about issues affecting the student-athlete experience, and help guide decisions to be made at the institutional, conference and national levels,” said G-MAC Assistant Commissioner for Compliance Angela Tressel. “Providing this forum for G-MAC SAAC student-athletes allows healthy dialogue and furthers their institution’s commitment to enhancing SAAC. Above all, I am thankful to each student-athlete that participated in our fall SAAC meeting as well as our service activity with Habitat for Humanity. Their excitement and enthusiasm for the future of SAAC in the G-MAC is invigorating.
The group also covered the Division II Make-A-Wish fundraiser, best practices for enhancing SAAC at both the conference and institutional levels, enhancements to the SAAC Facebook page, the SAAC newsletter, and the SAAC page on G-MACsports.com.
“The G-MAC fall SAAC conference proved to be a profitable and informative gathering for the student-athletes representing each institution,” said Cedarville’s Austin Foote, the G-MAC SAAC Vice President. “Personally, I enjoyed the time to develop deeper relationships with my peers from other schools. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be on my institution's SAAC as well as the G-MAC conference's SAAC. I feel honored to be part of the building blocks for the G-MAC SAAC and look forward to its future development and influence in DII athletics.”