Letter from the SAAC Chair, Ken Andejeski...
On behalf of the Midwest Conference and its ten member institutions, welcome to our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee page. The primary purpose of SAAC is to function as an accessible intermediate body between student-athletes and their governing bodies on the institutional, conference and national level.This is accomplished by promoting open communication and constructive discussion between these different groups. Every member school of the MWC has a SAAC that is composed of motivated, engaged student-athletes from every team that the NCAA acknowledges. The Midwest Conference SAAC takes two outstanding members from each institutional SAAC to embody the beliefs and concerns of their peers.
Beyond providing a voice for NCAA student-athletes, SAAC strives to encourage and facilitate educational and community-service opportunities for its members. On the national level, this is successfully accomplished through an established partnership with the Special Olympics and their athletes. On a conference level, this is performed through mandatory cause-driven events such as the Think Pink initiative. On an institutional level, active relationships are formed with neighborhood groups and organizations ranging from public schools to food pantries. The third function of SAAC is to promote and support athletics in all levels of competition. This is done through media, publicity and the generation of school spirit.
The ultimate goal of SAAC is to advocate leadership among its student-athletes by allowing them to influence the environment in which they participate and grow. This page exists as a means to display the experiences and achievements of the Midwest Conference SAAC and the outstanding individuals that allow it to succeed.
Thank you and come back soon!
MWC SAAC Chair Ken Andejeski (Beloit College) and Vice Chair Joe Puntoriero (Knox College) talk about SAAC and give a brief overview of the 2011 MWC SAAC Fall Retreat which took place November 12-13, 2011.
As privileged representatives of our fellow student-athletes, Midwest Conference SAAC members are guided in their actions and decisions by the following principles:
- Academics are primary; highlighting the “student” in student-athlete. Emphasis on a healthy and appropriate balance of academic, athletic and personal needs provides opportunities for personal advancement and self-improvement.
- Student-athletes are passionate about their participation, prideful of their competition and ambassadors of their institution, the conference and the national association.
- A firm and unwavering commitment to sportsmanship, student-athlete well-being and diversity in all its forms.
- Campus and community involvement and outreach broadens the experience and provides volunteer opportunities that enrich student-athlete leadership.
- Promotion of strong communication among all groups. All programs and student-athletes must have a representative voice in the decision-making process.
- Accessibility to information, education and discussion among fellow student-athletes, coaches and administrators is necessary to make informed decisions.
- Camaraderie and collegiality are primary considerations among and between student-athletes at all institutions and must be consistently reinforced. Respect is afforded to the traditions and unique differences among competitors.
2011-2012 MWC SAAC Officers
Chair: Kenny Andejeski (Beloit College)
Vice-Chair: Joseph Puntoriero (Knox College)
2011-12 SAAC Representatives
MWC SAAC Advisor
Chris Graham, MWC Commissioner
NCAA National SAAC Website
Institutional SAAC Pages
Beloit
Carroll
Grinnell
Illinois C.
Knox
Lake Forest
Lawrence
Monmouth
Ripon
St. Norbert
SAAC News and Notes
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11/17/11 - On the weekend of November 11, 2011 the Midwest Conference (MWC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) kicked off the eighth year of partnership with Special Olympics at the 2011 SAAC Fall Retreat. Along with Special Olympics participation the MWC SAAC also conducted its fall business meeting with 20 representatives from 10 institutions in Beloit, Wis.
On Friday night Special Olympian Adam Hale, along with his father Ed, spoke to the SAAC constituents about his time as an athlete and talked about how he is now going through classes to become a coach for other Special Olympics. Adam has also just been accepted as a member of the Special Olympics Wisconsin Athlete Input Council. Adam listed his favorite sports as bocce ball and bowling and his speech to the SAAC group was his first public speaking appearance.
[Full Story]
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3/2/11 - March 2nd, is the National Spread the Word to End the Word day. Over the past few weeks the Beloit SAAC has put together a series of student and faculty interviews intended to bring light to the improper use of the "R-Word".
Part 1
Part 2
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12/15/10 - Student-athletes at Monmouth College made Christmas a bit more cheery this year for nearly 50 special needs residents of Warren County.
The college’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee spent the last month collecting gifts for special needs young adults in the Monmouth area through an Angel Tree program. The tree, located in the Huff Athletic Center, had the names of special needs young adults in the immediate area.
By Dec. 13, the base of the tree was surrounded by presents for the angels. On Dec. 15, SAAC representatives Hillary Broms, Kimi Wegner and Trevor Newton and faculty advisor Melissa Bittner delivered the vanload of gifts to the Warren Achievement Center for distribution.
“We try to teach our student-athletes the importance of giving back to the community and helping those around you,” explained Bittner. “This is a wonderful time of year to put that lesson into practice. I’m sure our SAAC members got more out of the experience than they had expected.”
This is the second year Monmouth’s SAAC members have sponsored the Angel Tree.
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12/8/10 - The Ripon College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) volunteered at the Breakfast with Santa event Saturday, December 4, 2010, which was part of the 20th annual Dickens of a Christmas Celebration in Ripon.
At the Breakfast with Santa, children and their families enjoyed a hot breakfast, the opportunity to meet Santa and other fun children’s activities. The SAAC members helped children in the community get their picture with Santa and Mrs. Clause, frost and decorate Christmas cookies, and color Christmas pictures.
[Full Release]
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11/17/10 - For the second consecutive year, student-athletes at Monmouth College are getting into the Christmas spirit and helping others.
The college’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring an Angel Tree in conjunction with the Warren Achievement Center. The tree, located in the athletic office of the college’s Huff Athletic Center, has approximately 50 names of special needs young adults in the immediate Monmouth area.
[Full Story]
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