By Kevin Peterson | Photo by Patil Khakhamian
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee, or SAAC, strives to improve the student athlete experience. Although it is an organization relating to sports at Colorado College, the SAAC encourages Colorado College athletes to become part of campus life in other ways and to engage in the greater Colorado Springs community. The committee serves as a liaison to bridge the gap between student athletes, coaches, and athletic directors. Whether it be organizing community service events or events for the various athletic teams, the SAAC is working hard for CC’s student-athletes.
The SAAC is separated into subcommittees. A few of these subcommittees focus on one specific annual or biannual event, while others have a broader focus. The event-specific subcommittees are Quony Cup, which organizes a six-versus-six campus wide soccer tournament; Show of Talents, who puts on an annual talent show featuring representatives from each varsity team; Athlete Ice Cream Social; Parent’s Night Out, which organizes an evening of free child care for local parents provided by CC student athletes; and the End of the Year Banquet. The final two subcommittees, therefore, represent the broader focuses of SAAC; Community Outreach and Campus Events. The entire SAAC meets about once per block, but individual subcommittees may meet more frequently to plan the various events of which they are in charge.
The SAAC is lead by President Anna Gurolnick ’20, who has been the president for two years now, along with five officers from various sports teams. Currently, the committee has 37 representatives with about two to four representatives from each team on campus.
Tayla Wheeler ’21 is a representative from the women’s soccer team for the SAAC.
“I love being on the SAAC board,” Wheeler said. “It’s a very open and accepting environment, so I feel comfortable speaking my mind and proposing new ideas where they seem fit. I serve primarily on the Parent’s Night Out board and I’m the rising officer for that fundraiser.”
In order to become a part of the SAAC, younger student athletes are nominated by teammates to take their position once they graduate. In addition to the nomination, student athletes interested in joining the SAAC must fill out an application and be accepted. Each year, returning representatives must fill out this questionnaire to determine whether they are still a good fit for the SAAC.
Gurolnick discussed several exciting changes coming to the SAAC.
“The thing I have been the most involved in this year is figuring out how to implement structural changes and raising expectations for all involved members,” said Gurolnick. “At the forefront of this is the creation of our Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee that will work with ALL of our committees to infuse and integrate D&I within [them] throughout the year.”