Alex Shepard and Hiwa Brown Attend the Midwest Conference SAAC Fall Business Meeting

Senior Alex Shepard and sophomore Hiwa Brown recently attended the Midwest Conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Fall Business Meeting, which was held in Beloit, WI in the beginning of October.

The NCAA explains that, “Student-athletes have a voice in the NCAA through advisory committees at the campus, conference, and national level. Each committee is made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on campus.” To better understand what SAAC is, please visit the NCAA website by clicking here.

Lake Forest College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is comprised of one student-athlete representative from each of our varsity athletic teams. Shepard and Brown serve as the College’s Midwest Conference SAAC Representatives, allowing them the unique opportunity to attend MWC sponsored business meetings and leadership opportunities. (To see the full Lake Forest College SAAC roster, click here!)

While at the MWC SAAC Fall Business Meeting, Shepard and Brown were able to participate in several important discussions and decisions. Conference SAAC representatives are charged with voting on NCAA proposed legislation, which takes place at this meeting each year. Also at this meeting, the different MWC institutions share important initiatives and activities happening on their respective campuses, including things like the MWC Canned Food Drive, student spirit events, annual volunteer and community events, and more.

This meeting also included a specific leadership development programming for the MWC SAAC representatives in attendance. RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality) joined the student-athletes to educate them on the importance of diversity and inclusion in athletics. The development session included multiple group exercises, discussions, and educational questions to initiate conversation on these important topics. The MWC SAAC representatives learned how to take this important initiative back to their own campuses and how to share this work with their fellow-student athletes.

Shepard and Hiwa already have a plan to share what they learned with the Lake Forest College community once they return to the weekly campus SAAC meetings.