SAAC

STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAAC)

VI. Does your institution have a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in place per NCAA Constitution 6.1.4?

 YES

DEDRICK BURNETT, SAAC Advisor / Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach

Burnett joined The W staff during the 2019-20 season as the assistant coach for cross country and track and field. He took over the head coach duties on an interim basis in 2020-21 and, in 2021-22 had the interim tag removed as the head coach of all six teams for the Owls.

Burnett serves as The W’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Advisor, immediately organizing and getting the organization involved in campus and community events. Among those activities is the campus Oktoberfest fundraiser, as well as a Thanksgiving food drive which benefited both the United Way and campus food pantries.

Prior coming to The W, Burnett spent seven years in Jackson, Miss. as the equipment manager and graduate assistant coach at Jackson State University and a volunteer coach with the Mississippi Trackstars summer track club for youth athletes ages 6-18.

Volunteering with young athletes has been a desire of Burnett since he graduated from high school. Burnett has had the opportunity to coach several young athletes who qualified to compete at the USATF Junior Olympics Championships with some securing national medals and All-American honors.

As a student-athlete at Jackson State, Burnett competed in the decathlon, 800-meter run, 400 hurdles, long jump, pole vault, and threw the javelin. His coaches best describe him as a “Swiss Army Knife” because he was able to compete in so many events. He was a three-time allconference performer for his performance during the indoor seasons and four-time allconference performer for outdoor competitions.

Burnett is a native of Mobile, Ala., where he attended John L. LeFlore High School and graduating with an Advanced Honor Diploma in 2006. He later attended JSU and graduated with his B.S. in health, physical education, and recreation administration in 2012.

THE W SAAC OVERVIEW

Mission:

• To make our Athletic Programs better by serving as a liaison between the athletic teams and the Department of Athletics in the development of support services and enrichment programs for student-athletes. • Assist in the implementation of programs for all Athletic Programs in the community that will promote a positive image of intercollegiate athletics. • Emphasize academic opportunities and responsibilities of student-athletes in their college experience. o Encourage student-athletes to enrich the experience of being a student-athlete by applying what is learned in athletics to their course of study and ultimately, to their career development. o Encourage the development of leadership skills for student-athletes. ▪ Promote the opportunity for student-athletes to express their concerns with Athletic Administration and the Athletic Director. ▪ Encourage the student-athletes to increase public relations and work with the campus in their endeavors to increase community support. ▪ Emphasize the need of support from faculty and staff for all Athletic Programs.

THE W SAAC BYLAWS

Article I:

• This organization shall be known as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Article II:

• All committee members must be NCAA, conference, and institutionally eligible both academically and athletically and maintain a 2.0 grade point average. Additionally, board members must be a participating member of their respective sport. • All Advisory Committee members will be elected by their team, one upperclassman and one lowerclassman from each team, there will be no more than two (2) representatives, exclusive of officers of the board, for each team serving each academic year.

Article III:

Section 1 –

• The officers of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee shall consist of a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer. These elected officials will be known as the executive board. • A majority vote by the upperclassman Advisory Committee members will be used as the selection process for officers. o Election of the president will be held at the last Advisory Committee meeting of the academic year, the other officers will be elected at the first meeting of the Fall Semester.

Section 2 –

• The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will elect new officers to fill any vacant position if the elected officer is unable to carry out his/her obligation. The only exception applies to the office of the president, in which case the vice president will assume the responsibility. • President: Shall preside over all advisory board meetings. • Vice President: Shall act in the absence of the President and shall Chair the Constitution and By-laws committees. o Secretary: Shall be responsible for taking active minutes at each meeting and responsible for organizing committees. o Treasurer: Shall be responsible for working with the Athletic Director to establish an annual budget and expenditure of funds. Also responsible for receipt/deposit of all fund-raising money.

Section 3 –

• Meetings will be scheduled for once a month, date and time will be selected at previous meeting. o Attendance is mandatory, if an absence is necessary, the Secretary must be notified. Two absences with no excuse, and Advisory Officers will request a new team representative. Practice is not a valid excuse for absence. o The president may appoint an interim secretary who will be responsible for filling the spot if the secretary is not present at a meeting.

Section 4 –

• The procedure for voting will be a majority of the Advisory Committee members present at a meeting. The president has no voting power, except in the case of a tie, the president will cast the deciding vote.

• Members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will vote on the By-laws of the Constitution. Ratification will be a majority vote of the board members present.

Article IV:

• A quorum shall occur if half of the advisory board members are present at the meeting. o Regularly scheduled Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meetings will be "open" meetings, unless otherwise stated with appropriate notice and reason. o The executive board (the elected officers of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) has the power to rule on behalf of the advisory board when necessary. o The meetings of the executive board will be "closed" meetings. The executive board may open the meeting by invitation.

Article V:

• Any and all fund-raising activities will follow athletic fund-raising procedures and must be granted written approval by the athletic director. • No expenses shall be made without approval of the advisory board's advisor, the treasurer, and the athletic director.

Article VI:

• All amendments must be passed by two-thirds vote of the Advisory Committee. • The athletic director, or his designee, will be the advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory

Committee.

THE W SAAC OFFICERS AND MEMBERSHIP

DeAnna King Miranda Nash Madison Crosby Trey Jackson

Volleyball Softball Softball Men’s Basketball

President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer

NAME

SPORT REPRESENTED

Blake Estabrook Baseball Daniel Hunter Harper Baseball Trey Jackson Men Basketball Grayson Long Men Basketball

Rachael McGrew Women Basketball

Jasmine Shaw Brandon Jordan Mark Furnari Chesne Joyner Ta'Dashia Flowers Paulo Carniero Xavier Harrison Women Basketball Men's Golf Men's Golf Women Golf Women Golf Men's Soccer Men's Soccer

Lizzie Truelock Women Soccer

Adrianna Parsons Miranda Nash Women Soccer Softball

Madison Crosby Jonathan Corpstein Jacob Davis Emma Potter Karina Garcia Softball Men's Tennis Men's Tennis Women Tennis Women Tennis

DeAnna King Olivia Eubanks Joshua Gonsalves Carson Holly Aziyah Mcghee Kalee Sanders Volleyball Volleyball Men XC/Track Men XC/Track Women XC/Track Women XC/Track

Annually, The W Athletics is actively involved in a comprehensive slate of servant leadership events, which are focused on both our campus and community. In the Fall of 2021 through the Winter of 2022, the Owls’ intercollegiate athletics program has racked up better than 1,400 hours of volunteerism from its student-athletes and staff. Not only does this fit the model NCAA Division III institution, but it is also a core value of the Mississippi University for Women…and has been so for many, many years. Compassion for others is, you will find, a “strong suit” of The W, as a whole.

Just some of the ways in which Owls Athletics has given back this year alone are listed below:

SAAC Thanksgiving Food Drive – The W’s SAAC organization spearheaded a canned/dry goods food drive prior to Thanksgiving to benefit both the United Way, as well as the campus’ own food pantry for students in need.

City of Columbus Market Street Festival - An annual civic gathering to promote the downtown area, as well as the city’s Farmer’s Market. Oktoberfest – This is a campus fundraising event for organizations at The W. All of our athletic teams volunteered to help staff booths and activities.

SAAC carried out a full slate of activities for the annual NCAA Division III Week on April 4-10, 2022. Among the events were: a meet-and-greet event for the campus with athletics staff and coaches to kickoff the week; a video celebration of our top academic performing STUDENTAthletes; a cookout by athletics staff for our student-athletes; a “Thankful Thursday” where our student-athletes deliver a “thank you” card to a person of their own choosing on campus who has meant a lot to them; “Heritage Friday” (in conjunction with Alumni Office and Homecoming Week activities) with a campus walking tour with our President, followed by a 50th anniversary celebration of the 1971 national champion women’s basketball team; a seating dedication at the softball field in conjunction with Development), and; a hype video celebrating Owls Athletics.