SAAC Yearly Update

CIAA Yearly Update:

This year was a great year for CIAA SAAC. Institutions were involved in many activities and community service events. Student Athletes participated in activities to better themselves and learn more about the pioneers of their sports. All student- athletes gave back to their communities in some kind of way- for example: hosting a charity basketball game or selling raffle tickets to raise money for charity.

            This year started off with the CIAA Student-Athlete Action Academies. Student athletes met in October in certain regions of the conference. The academies are set in place to help develop better student-athletes in the conference. This year the guest speaker was sports columnist, author, and radio host Dave Zirin. Mr. Zirin spoke of the golden ages of athletics. When athletes spoke out for what is right and didn't worry about a paycheck. The rest of the academy was focused on the student-athlete and game environments. Moreover, to bring a positive image to your playing field because you represent your school and the CIAA.

            In December, Student-Athletes met in Durham, North Carolina to discuss 2009 NCAA Legislation and other SAAC issues. The discussion was very intriguing and the student athlete voice was well represented. All student athletes spoke at the luncheon to give their points of view on the legislation. At the December meeting, SAAC decided to develop a CIAA executive board; an executive board that would be represented by each institution for fall and spring conference call meetings.

In February, each institution was represented at the CIAA tournament. SAAC members participated in community service events as well as tournament activities. One major community service project was reading to the children in the inner cities of Charlotte, North Carolina.

During this year, institutions were very involved in community service activities. Some institutions held charity basketball games or gave away Thanksgiving baskets to the less fortunate. All CIAA schools participated in the Pink Zone/Kay Yow Campaign. Pink Zone is a national fundraiser to raise funds for breast cancer research. The fundraiser is held during basketball seasons and both teams wear pink in support of the cause. A major part of the CIAA SAAC initiative was fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. NCAA Division II holds a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

2008-2009 was a great year for CIAA SAAC, and the conference cannot wait to see what positive things its student-athletes are capable of in the 2009-2010 school year.