NORFOLK, Va. – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) conducted the annual workshop on November 13-15, 2015 at the Marriott Chesapeake Hotel in Chesapeake, Virginia.
The workshop brought student-athletes from all 13 MEAC member institutions together, as one body, to discuss and engage on various topics including: leadership skills, team building, NCAA legislation, hot topics and campus SAAC initiatives.
This year’s theme was “Leadership: Sharing the Vision and Shaping the Future.”
The event kicked off with a discussion from Reginald Bean, the Director of Multicultural Marketing for Coca-Cola, as he spoke about five keys in life to unlock future opportunities.
“You, as student-athletes, are no stranger to hard work,” Bean said. “You know the work that’s required when nobody’s looking to get to a certain point. Integrity is one of the main keys in athletics. You have student-athletes that will say that they want to make it to the next level, but won’t put in the work necessary to do so. It’s all about what you do when nobody is looking.”
During the second day, a panel of MEAC administrators, including Keith Davidson, Director of Athletics at Maryland Eastern Shore; Mary Hill, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations/Senior Woman Administrator at Delaware State and Dr. Carray Banks, Faculty Athletics Representative at Norfolk State who discussed their roles at their respective institutions.
The panel discussion gave Howard SAAC representative and freshman tennis student-athlete Nicole Hutchison ideas to take back to the school’s athletic department, including how to utilize the athletic advisors better.
The student-athletes didn’t just learn how to lead within SAAC, but also worked on ways to be leaders in the community.
Dr. David Lindsay, the Executive Director for Project Life Movement, spoke to the student-athletes on ways they can get involved with different organizations. The Project Life Movement is a campus-based national marrow donor organization that strives to increase the potential pool of donors by testing and registering college students.
The second day ended as the student-athletes conducted a community service by creating Thanksgiving food baskets, for the ForKids organization, to donate to families in the local community. The ForKids program works with 175 families every day to ensure they have a safe place to stay while they gain essential skills, stabilize employment, reduce debt and work toward self-sufficiency.
The workshop concluded on Sunday, November 15 as Sonja Stills, MEAC Senior Associate Commissioner, answered questions from the student-athletes, including how to manage their busy schedules during the sports season.