Big Sky Student-Athletes Voices Heard, SAAC Vote Approved
OGDEN, Utah (May 24, 2019) – The Big Sky administrators wrapped up their meetings on the campus of Montana State University this week. One of the big agenda items that was approved was the Big Sky Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s (SAAC) proposal to have a voice in voting matters.
“The SAAC vote being passed by the Joint Athletic Council (JAC) is a testament to both our student-athletes and administrators all working towards elevating our league,” Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “As a conference we have strived to work with the student-athletes for ways that their voices can be heard and this is a step in the right direction.”
During previous meetings and conference calls, enhancing student-athlete welfare and the student-athlete voice were discussions that the Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR) Council pushed forward. A discussion then began to allow a SAAC vote on legislation at the JAC and FAR Councils. The SAAC representatives in attendance supported the opportunity to vote. Additionally, allowing SAAC to propose legislation was discussed as a means to empower SAAC at the campus level and encourage
meaningful engagement.
The approval brings the voting members to 12 total - 11 institutions, plus one vote for Big Sky SAAC.
Three members of Big Sky SAAC executive team attended the spring meetings. President Justice Littrell, a student-athlete on the Northern Colorado football team, as well as vice president Charlie Bush, a Montana track & field student-athlete, and secretary Mackenzie Howie, a Northern Colorado track & field student-athlete.
“There’s a lot that goes into athletics beyond just going on trips and having fun at competitions,” Littrell said. “It’s cool to see how much the administrators do behind the scenes as well as how much they support us. It’s really obvious how much they support us in the fact that we unanimously passed the SAAC vote giving us a voice in FAR and JAC meetings.”
Big Sky SAAC updates have been slated on the administrator agendas for fall and spring meetings for the last 10 years. The approval of the SAAC vote is a part of the conference’s strategic plan in making sure the student-athletes’ thoughts and ideas continue to be heard and discussed.
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