Albion 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 Albion College 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 Albion
College and the community of Albion 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 will be responsible for selecting two
SAAC representatives. These representatives shall be selected and
their names should be submitted to the SAAC advisor or President by
the first meeting in April. If special circumstances arise a third
or additional member may be chosen at that time. All SAAC members
will hold this position for one school year, with the possibility
of re-appointment for three years.
No first-year student or first-year athlete will be allowed to serve as a SAAC member unless voted in by a majority SAAC team vote.
The President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair of Community Outreach 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 will be given to
each varsity sport team. At present these teams include: baseball,
basketball (men’s and women’s), cross country
(men’s and women’s), football, golf (men’s and
women’s), lacrosse (men’s and women’s), soccer
(men’s and women’s), softball, swimming & diving
(men’s and women’s), tennis (men’s and
women’s), track & field (men’s and women’s),
and volleyball. Any additional varsity sport that is created will
not be allowed voting member status until they have been
established for one full year. A new team may petition SAAC for
early membership representation; however, they will not become a
voting member until that full "establishment" year has been
fulfilled.
Attendance
Attendance at all meetings and organizational events are
required. Each member will only be given two unexcused absences per
academic year. SAAC members that have a schedule conflict to the
meeting or event should submit a written excuse to the President or
Secretary at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting or
event takes place. In the event of an emergency the President
may grant an exemption to this rule.
Requirements for Membership
The officers and members of this organization must meet
the following requirements:
Have at least a 2.75 GPA at the time of their selection and it should be maintained through the duration of their term
Enrolled in a minimum of three units (exception: last semester before graduation)
Be in good standing with the college
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
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chair for community
outreach.
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
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 (co-chair of internal relations)
The President must be an entering senior and will have
been the vice-president the school year before (their junior year).
In the event that the President cannot fulfill their obligations,
he/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 his/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
He/she should attend MIAA meetings
It is the President's job to represent the SAAC at all events and meetings on campus (with the exception of Student Alumni Association)
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 (co-chair if internal relations)
The Vice-President shall be voted into office on the last
meeting in April. He/she should be entering his/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 Executive Board. A two-thirds majority vote must be
given to one man/woman. In the event that a two-thirds majority is
not reaches a new election will take place with the two candidates
who received the most votes. The person 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
He/she will monitor all committee activities
It is the Vice-President's responsibility to monitor all committee meetings
He/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 (chair of media relations)
The Secretary will be announced to SAAC by the last
meeting of the school year. All interested applicants must give
written intent to the President by the last meeting in March. Each
member of the SAAC will vote in the Secretary election, with the
exception of the current President and Vice-President. A two-thirds
majority vote must be given to one man/woman. In the event that a
two-thirds majority is not reaches a new election will take place
with the two candidates who received the most votes. The person
that receives 50% + 1 votes will be the new Secretary.
The Secretary will be responsible for all SAAC regular meeting minutes, sending minutes to web site developer for entry into SAAC website, creating the agendas, tracking and taking attendance, creating and maintaining all SAAC bulletin boards, and will be the liasion between student athletes and the sports information department and all media outlets.
He/She will be responsible for sending all community outreach stories sent from the chair of community outreach to the sports information director as well as any other stories SAAC wants to share.
He/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 adoption, to the SAAC 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
Treasurer (chair of fundraising)
Treasurer will be announced to SAAC by the last meeting of
the school year. All interested applicants must give written intent
to the President by the last meeting in March. Each member of the
SAAC will vote in the treasurer election, with the exception of the
current Executive Board. A two-thirds majority vote must be given
to one man/woman. In the event that a two-thirds majority is not
reaches a new election will take place with the two candidates who
received the most votes. The person that receives 50% + 1 votes
will be the new Treasurer.
The Treasurer is responsible for preparing and maintaining an accurate record of all funds and disbursal of funds as directed by the President and Executive Committee
Treasurer will be in charge of organizing and coordinating all fund-raising activities within SAAC
These documents and records should be available for public display upon request
The Treasurer will also attend every student alumni association meeting and will report back to the Executive Board after every meeting.
Chair of Community Outreach
The Chair of Community Outreach will be announced to SAAC
by the last meeting of the school year. All interested applicants
must give written intent to the President by the last meeting in
March. Each member of the SAAC will vote in the Chair of Community
Outreach election, with the exception of the current Executive
Board. A two-thirds majority vote must be given to one man/woman.
In the event that a two-thirds majority is not reaches a new
election will take place with the two candidates who received the
most votes. The person that receives 50% + 1 votes will be the new
Chair of Community Outreach.
Chair is responsible for running and maintaining the team volunteer hours mandated every year by SAAC. It is his/her responsibility to document via writing and pictures each volunteer expedition by each team and send to the Secretary for the SAAC website.
SAAC Advisor
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee advisor shall be
the Director of Athletics. In the event that the Director of
Athletics cannot attend a meeting, it will be the responsibility of
the Senior Associate Athletic director to attend
SAAC Representative
Is expected to attend every SAAC meeting
Will be a voting member 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 his/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
Must serve as a member or chair of at least one committee
Is responsible for the organization and completion of their teams volunteer opportunities and working with the Chair of Community Outreach for this.
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, he/she is required to make sure that their other team member that is a SAAC representative will be attending that meeting unless the entire team is away at an athletic competition. It is up to each member to communicate with the President or Secretary if they are unable to make a meeting
He/she is expected to report back to his/her team in an appropriate time span (within a week of the SAAC meeting)
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 month of January and December
All general meetings will be held on Mondays at 9 p.m.
The Executive Committee will establish the dates and places for all meetings one semester in advance
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/treasurer 24 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: Community outreach is a primary goal and responsibility of the SAAC and each individual team. Each team is required to fulfill hours of community service being overseen by the community outreach chair
Any additional service project will be sponsored by SAAC and will be participated in by all teams (example Special Olympics clinic). This additional project is up to the SAAC to determine, and it should be determined with a quorum present and a two-thirds majority vote. In voting for a new service project a team vote is necessary
Finances: All money belonging to this organization shall be deposited and disbursed through a SAAC line with the Briton A Club account. All funds must be given to the SAAC advisor within 24 hours after collection
The Treasurer will be responsible for the distribution of all necessary money transfers and will oversee reimbursements and allotments with the help of the SAAC advisor
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 (2) unexcused absences will be asked by the Executive Committee to relinquish their position. At the time, if the team chooses to elect a new representative, that person may 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