Who is the average Division II student-athlete? Is it the 18- to 21-year-old Caucasian female? Judging by the composition of many Division II conference and institutional student-athlete advisory committees, you might think so.

In reality, what helps make Division II unique is its diverse composition of student-athletes -- diversity in ethnicity, gender, sport and religion. At the institutional and conference levels, however, we are falling short of our commitment to represent the wants and needs of all Division II student-athletes. Unless all SAACs are truly representative, then we risk sacrificing or ignoring the needs of one constituency just because that group doesn't have a seat at the table. That is an unwanted outcome.

The Division II SAAC recently has made a concerted effort to set an example for our conference and institutional SAACs. We have high-quality members representing diverse ethnicities, sports, genders and religions, but we still see a prevalence of Caucasian student-athletes on this committee. In order to continue to work toward our goal of diversity on the national SAAC, conferences need to carefully submit nominations in accordance with certain guidelines. This process should be respected and upheld for all our student-athletes to be represented.

The national SAAC requires each conference to submit two nominees, one male and one female, from which the committee chooses the final representative. In addition, these nominees should be from two different sports, and neither nominee should be from the same institution as the outgoing national SAAC member from that conference. These three qualifications will help ensure gender, sport and institutional diversity on the national SAAC. If a conference fails to submit two nominees who meet this criteria, the nominees will be returned for reconsideration at the conference level.

Although these issues in diversity are extremely important, the national SAAC believes that ethnic and religious diversity is very valuable in ensuring that the needs of all Division II student-athletes are met. In order for

Diversity is an important goal that cannot be attained on the national committee without a commitment at all levels. Therefore, the national SAAC asks all institutional and conference SAAC advisors to look at the composition of their committees and to ensure that they, too, are making commitments to diversity. If this occurs, then the national SAAC truly will be a committee that reflects the faces of all Division II student-athletes.

Diversity is not the only qualification used in selecting Division II SAAC members. Criteria such as leadership, involvement, participation in community service and academic standing also must be considered, and our conferences are aware of those expectations.