Loyola University New Orleans Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
CONSTITUTION
Article I. NAME
The name of this organization will be the Loyola University New Orleans Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (LoyNO SAAC).
Article II. PURPOSE
The purpose of the LoyNO SAAC is to enhance all aspects of the student-athlete collegiate experience by serving as the voice of the student-athlete community to the university administration, Loyola community, and the Southern States Athletic
Conference.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
A. Composition:
Each varsity sport shall have at least one representative from each team. This is comprised if and only if a team has a gender division (such as Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball). Each varsity sport without a gender division, such as volleyball, shall have two representatives.
B. Criteria
1. Representatives: The representatives shall be a current student-athlete in good standing who has completed at least one year as both a student and an athlete at Loyola University New Orleans. Athletes must be on campus for two semesters of the year that they serve as a voting member.
C. Selection
1. The representative of each team shall be appointed to a one-year term by any method chosen by the coach so long as the nominee meets the criteria. A one-year term shall begin in the fall and continue through the end of the next spring term. A student can be appointed to multiple one-year terms.
2. The representatives for the following year must be elected by May 1st of the preceding year.
D. Duties of Membership
1. Actively participate in SAAC committee and special-committees meetings and activities.
2.Each member will serve as a liaison between the committee and his/her respective team
3. Promote a positive student-athlete image both on campus and in the community.
4. Design, implement, and evaluate programs, which encourage community relations, school spirit, and sportsmanship.
5. Facilitate discussion of issues and agenda between the respective teams at the SAAC meetings.
E. Meetings
1. The SAAC shall meet at least once a month, but additional meetings may be set as deemed necessary by the executive board.
a. The meeting date, such as every other Wednesday of every month, beginning in September, shall be set by the incoming SAAC committee in the spring before the University adjourns for the summer break.
b. Any member may call for a meeting by submitting a request to the executive officers. The meeting is called when 2 officers move and second the request.
2. Members must attend all meetings unless prevented by an excused absence. Should a member know they will not be attending for an excused absence, he or she must notify the president or secretary in advance or the absence will be considered unexcused. In the case that a member misses a meeting because of an emergency that could not be communicated prior to the meeting, the officers may, by majority vote, consider the absence excused. If a member misses a meeting without a legitimate reason the first two absences will be documented warnings. A third unexcused absence in one year shall result in removal of membership.
a. Excused absences include: varsity sport participation, required academic event, and any other absences that would be excused by the university registrar for a class.
F. Executive Officers
1. The following six executive officers shall be elected or appointed:
a. President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Media Chair and Events Chair.
i. President: Shall preside over meetings, delegate duties and committee assignments, and maintain communication with the advisor and Athletic Director. Shall also act as SSAC representative and communicate with national SAAC representative.
ii. Vice-President: Shall assume the President's duties if he or she is unable to perform them. Shall also act as SSAC representative and communicate with national SAAC representative.
iii. Secretary: Shall record, publish and report all meeting minutes as well as document attendance and warnings.
iv. Treasurer: Shall be responsible for managing the SAAC's finances, preparing and presenting a budget.
v. Social Media Chair: Shall be responsible for the active presence and promotion of the SAAC on all social media platforms and within the loyola community.
vi. Events Chair: Shall be responsible for the planning, preparation and coordination of all SAAC events along with managing the relationship between partnering committees.
2. Criteria for president and vice-president: Must be a member of the SAAC for at least one year and must be in there third academic year. They must be elected by a majority vote.
3. Criteria for secretary, treasurer, social media chair and events chair: Must be a member of the SAAC for at least one year. Must be elected by a majority vote, unless special circumstances require the president and vice-president to appoint a new e-board representative.
4. Election: the officers shall be elected for the following year from and by the incoming SAAC members when the SAAC meets for the last time of the academic year. If every member is not accounted for at the time of the elections, the positions needed to be filled will be appointed by the advisor present. The vote will begin with a nomination of members. Members can nominate themselves or others. Members may also turn down nominations if they do not wish to be an officer. The nominations will be followed by a ballot vote. The attending advisor will secretly count the votes to determine the results.
5. In the event of a tie, the two candidates with the most votes shall be voted for again in a runoff.
G. Advisors
1. The Athletic Director or appointed coach shall oversee the committee.
2. There shall be at least one coach to serve as advisor.
3. The requirement of faculty advisors will be determined after consultation with faculty advisory special-committee. Will be added in after ratification.
H. SAAC Warnings and procedures for removal
1. A documented warning will be given for:
i. GPA below requirement for sport.
ii. First disciplinary action from University.
iii. First and second unexcused absence from mandatory meetings.
iv. Any other behavior or action deemed unacceptable by SAAC officers and advisors
2. Extradition of membership:
i. Ceasing to participate in a varsity sport at LoyNO.
ii. Second disciplinary action from the University.
iii. Three unexcused absences from mandatory meetings, including committee meetings.
iv. Three warnings in an academic year.
v. Any other behavior deemed unacceptable by SAAC officers and advisors.
3. Actions taken if a member loses membership:
i. If a member is removed from SAAC, he or she will no longer be a team representative and the coach will be notified that the team will need a new representative.
Article IV. COMMITTEES
A. Standing Committees
1. Sportsmanship
i. Shall promote sportsmanship and fair play in campus athletics.
2. Faculty Advisory
i. Shall be appointed by the Head Athletic Director (AD)
3. Public Relations
i. Shall promote SAAC activities to the student body.
ii. Shall maintain social media and campus athletic website.
4. Community Service
i. Shall organize community service projects for SAAC.
5. Activities
i. Shall organize and coordinate special activities with other organizations.
6. Expectations
i. Members shall be clear representations of the Five Core Values of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
B. Special-committees
1. Special-committees will be created as needed for specific assignments each year. Committees may last all year, or may only be needed for several weeks.
Article V. VOTING
A. Voting Quorum: At least two-thirds of members shall participate in a vote in order for it to count. Should a member have an excused absence, the advisor may vote in his or her place. Should both representatives have excused absences, each member may submit his or her vote to the President prior to the meeting via email or messaging.
B. Voting may take place via any method deemed appropriate by the executive committee.
Article VI. AMENDMENTS
A. Ratification: This constitution shall take effect immediately upon receiving 85% support from entire SAAC.
B. This constitution may be amended with three-fourths support of all members.
