10 | Bod Magazine
SAAC speaks through video series by Kyle Manthe
W
hile numbers in the record books will live forever, some members of the 2020-21 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee were looking for a different way to leave a lasting impact on Washburn University. With athletic seasons up in the air and social justice movements taking place on the ground across the country, the group’s leaders did not want to be left on the sidelines when discussing issues relevant to the student-athletes. This led to the creation of a video series that took place over the spring semester and brought in a diverse group of speakers. “Our student-athletes at the beginning of the fall semester had nothing to do,” said Kelsey Gordon, SAAC co-president and junior on the volleyball team. “We identified five different pillars in which we
wanted to make a profound impact on the student community and on the Washburn campus, and one of them was social justice.”
said Brittany Lauritsen, assistant athletic director, senior women’s administrator, and compliance director at Washburn.
“We identified five different pillars in which we wanted to make a profound impact on the student community and on the Washburn campus, and one of them was social justice.” It was a project with goals that did not come at a cheap price, but through the Washburn Day of Giving campaign and other studentrun fundraisers, SAAC amassed over $7,000 to bring it to life. It also required a dedicated group of people to make it possible and move it in the right direction. “She (Kelsey) came to me in the fall and said hey, this is what I want to do and that’s kind of where it started. Then we brought Hunter (Bentley) on board, and then I think things took off from there,”
Bentley leaped into her role as social justice education manager for the 2020-21 school year. She was hesitant to take the responsibility at first, but wanted to make an impact doing something important. “I was like hey, we are right by Brown vs Board, maybe we should have someone come speak to us,” said Bentley, senior on the women’s basketball team. “Then Kelsey took it and blew it out of the water. She invited all these people and made it a really big thing for us.” The group of Gordon, Bentley,
