SAAC:
Athletes have rights too
By J.p. Lawrence
The heads of Oprah and O.J. Simpson made an appearance at Bard’s Hopson Cottage Nov. 13, albeit as printouts taped to the backs of members of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
These 20 students, delegates from Bard’s varsity and club sports, flitted from person to person as they tried to deduce just which celebrity’s head shot was attached to their backs.
The room was filled with the sounds of frenzied motion and laughter, as well as the smells of the freshly laid-out Chinese food in catering trays, but once the icebreaker ended and everyone took the printouts off their backs, it was time to get down to business.
That business is representing the concerns of varsity, club and intramural athletes at Bard, said SAAC president Jessica Philpott (who had Oprah on her back). Twice a semester, these students meet, eat Chinese food and talk to assistant athletic director Adam Turner about concerns such as athletic facilities, events and balancing schoolwork and sports.
The SAAC, which has existed since 2004, has through the years successfully lobbied for increasing per diem meal payment for athletes traveling to games, getting lights for the soccer field, creating new meal plans for students who cannot eat during normal hours, and allowing students to go to games without being punished for missing classes.
Turner, ‘06, was a forward on the Bard Men’s Basketball team and is now its head coach and the SAAC advisor since 2009. Since then, Turner said he has worked with the SAAC on gathering support for the current $2.1 million gym renovations, a project in which the SAAC played an instrumental role, at one point even making a presentation to the Board of Trustees.
Kim Larie, a women’s soccer player, women’s volleyball player and SAAC member, distributed questionnaires during the campaign. The Bard Senior said the questionnaires echoed the desire for more gym space even from students outside varsity sports.
“We don’t have enough space for people to go to the gym anymore, and that is a general health concern for our community,” said Larie, who had O.J. Simpson on her back, “not just the athletic teams but the Bardians who don’t have enough space to exercise.”
Armed with a 500-signature petition, questionnaires, and letters from parents, students, coaches and alumni, the SAAC met with Turner, who forwarded their concerns to Kris Hall, Bard’s athletic director, who then forwarded their concerns to Jim Brudvig, Bard Vice President for Administration, which eventually led to finding a donor for renovations.
“That was really good,” Philpott, a woman’s lacrosse and woman’s volleyball player, said, “because apparently Jim Brudvig came here and walked around in the summer and said, ‘We definitely need more space; there’s not enough room in here for everyone.’ ”
Currently, SAAC members are involved in the design process of the new gym, Turner said. A large part of the fall semester meeting was talking about what specifically SAAC members wanted to see happening in the renovation.
“Things as specific as how much new weight equipment versus cardio equipment, and what kind of organization do you want to see in that space,” Turner said. “We feel like it’s really important to get the opinions of student-athletes and have this $2.1 million expansion fit their needs, not just what we see as admins.”
For instance, discussion about the creation a study hall with computers and desks in the gym, so athletes can study before and after practice, is ongoing. Projects like these, Larie said, are a reflection of the unique demands on student-athletes. “We’re serious about athletics, but we’re also serious about schoolwork,” she said. “That’s why we have these special concerns.”
The next big project, Turner said, is finding a community service project so student athletes can make a difference outside the campus, but internal concerns are also addressed within the meetings. These include such matters as raising attendance at games and updating members on changes in NCAA regulations.
“We’re also the voice for our own teams,” said Philpott, “so if there’s something we need on our team, we talk about it and go to our SAAC leaders or our athletic department and talk about it.”
Philpott said that meeting and hearing the concerns of members from each sport helps build a sense of community among Bard athletes. “Varsity athletes are a big chunk of the Bard community,” Philpott said. “There’s roughly 200 of us walking around, so getting all ourvoices together is really powerful.”
Turner and Philpott both said that while SAAC is entirely a student initiative, they feel lucky to have access to an athletics department they feel is attentive to the needs of student athletes. “They want us to be successful as athletes, so they want to give us everything thatthey can as far as training and opportunities go,” Philpott said. “We also want to make sure we’re happy at Bard, happy and healthy.”