Bylaws of the University of Pennsylvania Student-Athlete Advisory Committee - Revised: June 2016
ARTICLE I – PURPOSE
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is intended to serve the following purposes:
1. Act as a liaison between the administration and student-athletes, thereby providing student-athletes with a voice in the Athletic Department decision-making process.
2. Alert student-athletes to issues concerning them.
3. Encourage and facilitate the involvement of student-athletes in campus and community issues and build a sense of community within the athletics program.
4. Provide a forum to discuss and generate positions on Ivy and NCAA legislation.
5. Promote a positive student-athlete image on campus.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
1. Each varsity sport shall elect up to two voting representatives, who must maintain academic and athletic eligibility.
2. Any varsity athlete who is not a representative can attend and participate in meetings, but cannot vote. The attendance of non-voting student-athletes shall be noted in the minutes for Quaker Cup SAAC Attendance points.
3. The length of the service shall be one academic year, from August to May.
4. Executive Committee members shall be voted on at the end of the academic year prior to the year of service and will retain their positions, responsibilities and voting privileges through the end of the academic year for which they are elected.
5. At the end of the term of service, each representative shall organize the selection of his or her replacement with consideration to their team with his or her coaches. The following SAAC Representative Best Practices will be taken into account for selection:
a. Initiative
b. Dedication and commitment
c. Interest in student-athlete issues
d. Communication skills
6. Representatives may be of any academic year.
7. Attendance
a. Attendance is mandatory and attendance shall be taken by the Secretary at each meeting.
b. One excused absence with notice to the SAAC Advisor will be permitted. In addition, one unexcused absence may be utilized.
i. If more than these absences occur, the Representative will be asked to relinquish their position on SAAC.
c. Teams which have official team events are excused and may vote by proxy. However, they must notify the SAAC Advisor and Secretary.
ARTICLE III – STRUCTURE
1. An EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE shall be elected annually by vote of the voting members. Each voting member shall have one vote. A procedure for voting-by-proxy shall be determined and made known to the membership not later than one week prior to the scheduled vote.
a. A PRESIDENT who is responsible for organizing and running meetings and acting as a spokesperson for the council. The President will plan, develop, and implement objectives for the year and maintain regular communication with the SAAC advisor.
b. A VICE PRESIDENT who will assume the President’s duties in the President’s absence and will assist the President whenever necessary. The Vice President will assist the President in organizing and running meetings and in the spokesperson role.
c. A SECRETARY who will record and distribute minutes for both general and executive board meetings, alert representatives of meetings, take attendance at meetings, and help the SAAC advisor monitor voting.
d. A TREASURER who will submit budget proposal for approval to the Athletic Director Liaison and monitor SAAC spending. The Treasurer will also create, plan, and implement any fundraising activities for SAAC.
e. A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE IVY LEAGUE SAAC, who will represent Penn SAAC at Ivy League SAAC meetings and conference calls and will report back to the membership the discussions and actions occurring at such events
f. The three subcommittee leaders.
i. PUBLIC RELATIONS/SCHOOL SPIRIT:
1. Establish a relationship with the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Athletics Marketing, and Athletic Communications in order to promote both SAAC and SAAC events.
2. Promotion of SAAC events.
3. Facilitate a student-athlete community.
4. Maintenance of the SAAC website with the SAAC Advisor and the Senior Associate Athletic Director, Student Development.
ii. STUDENT-ATHLETE AFFAIRS:
1. Address concerns relating to athletic facilities.
2. Address concerns relating to student-athlete well-being (i.e., health, discrimination, academics, etc.)
iii. COMMUNITY SERVICE
1. Create opportunities for student-athletes to participate in meaningful ways to give back to both the Penn and Philadelphia communities.
iv. An additional subcommittee deemed to be necessary to the attainment of a Penn SAAC goal or objective may be created by the Executive Committee provided there is a majority vote of the entire membership to do so.
2. SUBCOMMITTEES – Each SAAC member shall serve on a committee of their choice. The Executive Committee has the power to make subcommittee appointments for balancing purposes.
ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS
1. SAAC meetings occur every other week that classes are in session. The schedule for general SAAC meetings, which are open to any Penn student-athlete, is to be determined for the upcoming year at or prior to the final general meeting of the current academic year.
2. The Executive Committee shall meet between general body meetings as required.
3. The general agenda will include a summary of the previous general meeting, a report from each sub-committee, business from the Athletic Department, new business, and an open discussion.
4. Resolution shall be passed by a simple majority of those representatives in attendance if a quorum is present.
5. A quorum shall be one-third of all teams.
6. Amendments to the SAAC Constitution require two-thirds vote of quorum.
