Student athletes fight stereotype, give back to community
On top of all the demands it takes to be a Division-I athlete, many go beyond what is expected of them by participating in the Student Athlete Advisory Committee to support their fellow athletes, campus and community.
Seniors Yamini Reddy and Lauren Bennett, Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) co-presidents, see the committee as an opportunity for student athletes to become more invested in both the university and Vermillion communities.
“We want to show what we, as athletes, can do both on and off the field,” Reddy said. “We want to participate in events and volunteer to help us get to know other students at USD that we may not have gotten to know simply from classes or from playing our sport.”
SAACs are required for every member institution in the NCAA. Each sport has two representatives who belong to this committee, but representatives can volunteer for their team or can be nominated by their coaches.
The purpose of SAAC is to act as a liaison between the athletes and the university administration. Committees also encourage athletes to get involved on campus and in the community by participating in community service projects, hosting campus events and supporting other student groups at USD.
“Our main goal is to listen to the athletes here at USD and relay any problems or concerns they may have to the administration,” Bennett said. “Yamini has really taken the reins this last semester and has done a great job with getting us involved with Student Government, the Coyote Crazies and the Vermillion community.”
SAAC has participated in several community service projects including its own shoe drive, which wrapped up at the end of the fall semester.
“For the Shoe Drive we reached out to other student groups at USD including Greek life and built relationships with these groups that not only helped us meet our goals but to assist them in projects of their own in the future,” Reddy said.
On top of its Shoe Drive, SAAC co-hosted a social mixer with SGA, the Coyote Crazies and the dance team. SAAC is also working on throwing several social mixers throughout this semester as a way to broaden its reach and involvement around campus.
“We are trying to change the stereotype we face as athletes,” Reddy said. “We want to show that we are a student group that not only does community service but hosts its own events and participates in other events that other student groups put on.”
Because SAAC is made up only of student athletes, it is tough for other student groups at USD and the Vermillion community to see that these members are striving to make a difference, Reddy said. Senior Ali Haines, serving as the historian officer for the group, echoed Bennett and Reddy’s hopes for the group.
“SAAC is great because it gives us athletes a group to participate in that we may not have had the time to participate in previously,” Haines said. “It’s just great to see how much we can do beyond our sport.”
This spring SAAC will put on its biggest philanthropy event, Food Fight. Food Fight is not only a philanthropy event for USD, but it’s a Summit League competition between all SAACs of each school in the conference to see which school can raise the largest amount of food.
“We are reaching out to quite a few Greek houses to help us with our philanthropy,” Reddy said. “We have SAAC members going to nine different Greek houses to talk at each chapter meeting and seek help with our cause. We hope to build a better relationship with the Greek chapters this way and in turn, help them with their philanthropies as well.”
In addition to its own philanthropy event, SAAC is helping with Dakotathon by forming a team of athletes and providing a few referees to participate in the dodgeball tournament Dakotathon is planning.
“SAAC provides us the opportunity to demonstrate to USD and the Vermillion community that we’re more than just athletes,” Haines said.
(Photo: Coyote fans watch the University of South Dakota men’s basketball team take on South Dakota State University Jan. 17 at the Old Lumber Company in downtown Vermillion. To support SAAC’s Food Fight philanthropy, 10 percent of sales made at OLC from 4-7 p.m. was donated to the cause. Collections from the event were donated to the Vermillion Food Pantry. Malachi Petersen / The Volante)
