The student-athletes who will represent Arizona Athletics on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2020-21 tell you their own stories of why they serve and the mission of this important organization. Bryce Wolma spent two years on SAAC as a member of Arizona Football and will be co-president in his final year.

This coming year will be my third year serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, also known as SAAC. This committee serves as the voice for the student-athlete population at the University of Arizona and has numerous representatives from all of Arizona's programs.
 
Coming into my senior year, I was honored to be elected co-president. In this role, I will strive to put student-athletes in the best place to succeed. This is very important to me because being an upperclassmen, I have seen a range of different positives and negatives in the world of college athletics. SAAC allows for a way for me to use my voice to communicate with Athletic Director Dave Heeke and President Robbins to make the lives of student-athletes as stress free and successful as possible.
 
As co-president, I want fans to know that this committee allows student-athletes to have a say in a lot of important decisions that are made in the world of college athletics at the University of Arizona. Dave Heeke and President Robbins come to us as a group on current issues and future plans happening on campus. As spokesmen and women of our respective teams, it is our duty to best reflect the feelings of our teams as a whole. It is a powerful feeling knowing that our word and input means something to faculty and the culture at UA.
 


Within SAAC, there are four different sub-committees that we are involved in as well. These sub-committees are Career and Leadership Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Community Service, and Health and Wellness. Career and Leadership Development focuses on how to help aid the life of student-athletes after their athletic careers are over. We do this by hosting events like "Resume Nights" where student-athletes have help creating and editing their professional resumes. We also help spread information about when and where career days are happening on campus. The Diversity and Inclusion group puts on events that help people of color, minorities, and international students to help them feel more comfortable acclimating to the hectic life of living in today's culture as well as being a full-time student-athlete.
 
As role models in the community, it is important to allow opportunities for athletes to get involved as much as possible! The Community Service group works with local organizations to create opportunities for athletes to get involved in the community of Tucson. The final group, Health and Wellness, has the primary focus of maintaining and supporting the mental health of student-athletes. Being a full-time athlete and student at the division one level is hard, so this group works to provide a safe space to have real conversations and mental check ins. Every individual in SAAC is a part of at least one of these groups!

SAAC EXECUTIVE BOARD
Bryce Wolma - Co-President - Football
Sam Thomas - Co-President - Women's Basketball
Trevor Volpe - Co-Chair of Career and Leadership Development - Track & Field
Jordan Geist - Co-Chair of Career and Leadership Development - Track & Field
David Laskin - Co-Chair of Health and Wellness - Men's Golf
Noah Reid - Chair of Community Service - Swimming & Diving
Victoria Navarro - Co-Chair of Diversity and Inclusion - Swimming & Diving
Eric Correa - Co-Chair of Diversity and Inclusion - Swimming & Diving
Merle Weidt - Co-Chair of Health and Wellness - Volleyball