Eastern University is a small school, which means students have many opportunities to get involved around campus. For student-athletes, one of the most active organizations under the athletic department is SAAC, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The purpose of SAAC is to ensure that student-athletes have a voice in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)matters and can influence decisions that directly affect them.
According to the NCAA, some of the main goals of SAAC are to promote communication between student-athletes and athletic administrators, allow student-athletes to provide input on potential NCAA rule changes and foster a sense of community and representation across all sports programs.
Specifically within Division III, each school’s SAAC selects two representatives to serve on the Management Council, which votes on proposed rules. If these proposals are approved at the divisional level, they move forward for consideration at the NCAA SAAC National Convention in January.
SAAC is not unique to Eastern, it is a national organization made up of committees from schools across the country. When Eastern’s Athletic Director, Brian Bingaman, was promoted he made it clear that continuing to develop SAAC was one of his priorities.
“The feedback that we’re getting from our student-athletes goes all the way up to the national level, and when we make decisions, we get a vote on it. It’s very important, and I want to continue to grow it,” says Bingaman.
Throughout the academic year, SAAC votes on a wide range of NCAA proposals. This year, the NCAA has presented 16 potential rule changes for SAAC programs nationwide to review. One proposal would allow student-athletes to bet on professional sports, a topic that must be approved through the SAAC voting process before moving forward. These votes are designed to give student-athletes a direct voice in shaping the collegiate athletic experience.
The current SAAC president at Eastern is Jason Karch, a senior on the cross-country team. He has a strong passion for the committee’s mission and values the collaboration it fosters between teams.
“I think it really brings together all the sports from a unique stage. You get to hear opinions from different perspectives since all of the sports have different focuses as a whole,” says Karch.
In addition to influencing NCAA policy, Eastern’s SAAC plays an important role in building community on campus. The committee organizes various events throughout the year to encourage student-athletes to connect with peers from other teams.
Recently, in mid-October, when SAAC hosted a pumpkin painting night. The event drew athletes from multiple teams who came together for a creative, lighthearted evening.
Eastern sophomore Anthony Zamichieli shared that he enjoyed collaborating with athletes from other sports.
“It was fun collaborating with other athletes to paint masterpieces on pumpkins. It took me back to my middle school days of having fun conversations while making art,” says Zamichieli.
Some participants even painted pumpkins on behalf of teams who could not attend.
“My favorite part was painting with my teammates. Not only that, but I was able to paint pumpkins for other teams who couldn’t attend so they didn’t feel left out,” says Eastern sophomore Chelsea Kipnis.
Another highly anticipated event each fall is SAAC’s annual flag football game, which takes place around Thanksgiving. The game is open to all student-athletes, and even non-athletes can sign up to play.
“The flag football game is on November 16th, and non-athletes can even sign up! It’s the third annual event. We’ll also be gathering money to make a special Christmas for a local family,” Karch says.
The flag football game has quickly become one of Eastern’s most popular traditions. It offers athletes a chance to compete in a sport outside their comfort zone while connecting with others across different teams.
“It was fun to see a lot of teams interact and play against each other in a sport that they don’t usually play,” says Eastern junior Robert Walton.
“I had a great experience at the SAAC flag football game. It was a lot of fun to see most people kind of out of their element. Not that people weren’t good at football, but it was fun that everybody was on an even playing field doing a sport they wouldn’t normally do,” adds Eastern senior Jeff Day.
SAAC continues to grow each year, expanding its influence and community impact. Beyond voting on NCAA legislation, the organization offers student-athletes a platform to build leadership skills, connect across teams and engage with the broader campus community. While Eastern University may be small, organizations like SAAC make a significant difference.