Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 2 | October 2016

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12 Inside Hokie Sports
The student-athlete voice may be more
important now than ever, with the ever-
changing landscape of collegiate athletics and
the influence that student-athletes have to
impact the overall student-athlete experience
at colleges and universities nationwide. One
way student-athletes across the Athletic Coast
Conference are making their voices heard is
through the Atlantic Coast Conference Student-
Athlete Advisory Committee, or ACC SAAC.
ACC SAAC was established to enhance
the lines of communication through which
student-athletes, conference administrators,
institutional representatives, NCAA
representatives and coaches discuss and take
action on issues relating to rules, regulations
and student-athlete well being. Each year, ACC
institutions are asked to nominate four student-
athletes to represent their campuses on ACC
SAAC and provide feedback and institutional
positions to the conference on proposed NCAA
legislation, conference policies and procedures,
and any other issues that affect conference-
wide aspects of student-athlete well being.
This year, Sydney Curtis (women’s soccer),
Brandon Fiala (men’s swimming), Marie
Johnston (women’s soccer), and M.J. Ulrich
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES abound
for student-athletes at the conference level
by Reyna Gilbert-Lowry
(women’s swimming) will serve as Virginia
Tech’s ACC SAAC representatives. All currently
serve on the executive teamof the Virginia Tech
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and Fiala
was selected as one of the three ACC student-
athlete representatives to participate as a
member of the NCAA Autonomy Committee.
“The No. 1 issue facing student-athletes, in
my opinion, is the lack of schedule transparency
and communication between student-athletes
and administration or coaches,” Fiala said.
“The time demands of student-athletes are at
the forefront of issues that the NCAA is looking
at, and I hope strides can be made to better
improve these issues soon.”
ACC SAAC representatives are encouraged
to provide input on legislative decisions that
impact student-athletes at their respective
institutions and across the conference. They
are also responsible for bridging the gap
between coaches and administrators, and as a
result, receive valuable leadership experience
and the opportunity to create a positive image
for college student-athletes.
“It means the world to me to be able to
represent Virginia Tech as a member of ACC
SAAC,” Curtis said. “I believe that great things
are being accomplished at this level, and to be
a member with an influence in decision making
is a true honor.”
Representatives participate in conference
calls three to four times annually and attend
in-person meetings twice a year. Conference
calls allow ACC SAAC representatives to
discuss important information with minimal
impact on their academic and athletics
commitments. The in-person meetings provide
representatives with the opportunity to have
impactful discussion with other student leaders
and share experiences from their respective
campuses. The ACC covers the expenses and
meetings are led by Shamaree Brown, ACC
Director of Student-Athlete Programs and
Compliance.
The most recent meeting took place July
15-17 at the Graylyn International Conference
Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and
Curtis, Fiala and Ulrich were in attendance.
During the meeting, student-athletes reviewed
some of the ACC partnerships from the 2015-16
academic year, which included the Project Life
Movement, One Love, and One Shirt One Body,
and were asked to provide feedback about the
partnerships and their impact on campus.
“For me, being a member of ACC SAAC
means a heavy responsibility,” Ulrich said.
“I am so honored to be a part of such an
incredible group of student-athletes, but with
this position comes a lot of expectation. I
hold myself accountable to be the voice of all
student-athletes at Virginia Tech and make
sure their needs are met and that their ideas
are heard.”
The Atlantic Coast Conference not only
supports student-athletes athletically, but
also provides opportunities to enhance their
overall student-athlete experience. These
student-athletes, and others like them, are
taking advantage of opportunities to develop
personally and professionally on campus and
throughout the conference.
ACC SAAC representatives provide feedback to the conference on a wide range of issues.