SAC requirement for athletic department

Collegiate athletes have their own affiliation called the Student Athletic Committee, which is based on a three fold focus: standing up for the rights and needs of athletes, getting involved with campus activities and working on volunteer duties in the community.
The SAC is a national organization required by the NCAA. Due to its obligations and responsibilities to collegiate athletes, the NCAA requires the SAC to be a part of every college campus for the sake of athletic rights. This way they also have established a common institution that can monitor college funds, making sure athletes are properly provided for, equally.
“The SAC is for the students and is suppose to give them the direct effect of what quality experience is about. Right now they are a little too loosely organized but they seem to be off to a good start,” John Dzik, athletic director, said.
With SAC at Cabrini for about a year, athletes are given the chance to voice their needs and concerns. The Cabrini SAC currently has about 16 representatives, or two per team. Their hopes are to get more people to support this committee in the upcoming years.
“We try to look into issues like whether or not other teams are talking trash on each other and how they can be fixed so there is a little more respect held amongst the different team members,” Tim Maddox, senior basketball player and a member of the national level SAC for Division 3, said. “This year we would like to try and add a new tradition before each game where everyone has to pay respect to our country by saying the pledge of allegiance before hand. We would also like to see the team players start to shake hands before and after games as a sign of good sportsmanship. This way our competition levels are brought down a notch and there is a little more respect brought out for each other through these formalities.”
Alissa Smith, student adviser for the SAC, said that the purpose of this committee is for athletes to come together as a form of support for one another. “It’s only the beginning but we do hope to get more than just the support of our teammates coming out to our events,” she said. “The next step the SAC hopes to accomplish this year is to add general representatives from the community at large.”
In the mean time, SAC members continue to carry on with their duties. Volunteer jobs, another main focus of this committee, is a big factor that plays into the obligations team members have to try and work together on. Last year, some of the volunteer jobs SAC members participated were working at the food bank and fundraising for the AIDS benefit. Another team helped at Fenimore Park, across the street, with environmental issues and planting trees.
Karen Pelky, the recreational supervisor for the Dixon Center and head adviser for the SAC, has a good feeling this year will bring in most of the wanted results they hope for. “It’s always hard to start out but once you get going, the ball just continues to roll.”