NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee maintained its Convention tradition of meeting with the Management Council and Board of Directors in a round-table format to exchange ideas on topics of interest. SAAC members met with the Management Council January 10 and the Board January 12.

At both sessions, SAAC members asked for feedback on their being more involved with selecting student-athletes for the committee. Currently, as with other Division I committees, conferences submit nominations that are reviewed by the Council's selection review committee and then ratified by the Council and Board. SAAC members do not believe that system to be flawed, but they would like to be included as a group that reviews nominations not only to ensure inclusive representation but to resolve a perception problem.

The student-athletes believe their involvement with the selection process would help alleviate the perception from some outside constituencies that SAAC members are "hand-picked" by the Council and Board. "Though we realize that is not the case, SAAC members believe that our involvement in the process would add credibility to the group overall," said incoming SAAC Chair Katie Groke from the University of Wyoming.

Both Council and Board members were receptive to the idea. The Council in fact agreed to allow SAAC members to review the nominations and offer recommendations to the Council afterward.

Other topics student-athletes discussed with the Council and Board included financial aid and student-athlete time demands. SAAC members voiced their unanimous support for Proposal No. 02-83-A, which would allow student-athletes to accept non-athletically related financial aid above the full grant-in-aid up to the cost of attendance. Proponents of the proposal note that there are instances under current rules that force student-athletes to turn down non-athletically based aid in order to stay within team limits. Ryan Morgan, golf student-athlete from Rice University, said, "It's wrong for student-athletes to be denied the opportunity to earn aid based on academics."

The majority of Council and Board members agreed with Morgan and his student-athlete peers, giving initial approval to Proposal No. 02-83-A during their separate meetings and sending it out for membership comment. The measure returns to those groups for a final vote in April.

SAAC members also applauded the Council and Board for appointing the working group to study the 20-hour rule. That group already has compiled and distributed educational materials about compliance with the rule, but SAAC members urged the Council and Board to be diligent about making sure more student-athletes, coaches and administrators become educated.

"There still aren't enough student-athletes who understand the rule," Groke said. "We like the fact that the rule exists, but we want the Council and Board to keep education of the rule as a priority."

-- Gary T. Brown