SAAC/Life Skills | 11/13/2026 10:06:31 PM
NORFOLK, VA — The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held its annual meeting on day one in Virginia Beach, VA, on November 13th.
The day kicked off with the MEAC staff sharing insights into their roles, followed by an energizing greeting video from Commissioner Sonja Stills. MEAC staff highlighted exciting opportunities for students, including volunteering and internships within the conference.
First on the agenda, Neema Connor, the MEAC Associate Commissioner for Compliance & Administration, spoke with student-athletes about what they are currently doing on campus.The conversation turned to how MEAC could further support student-athletes, with ideas for expanding career development programs. Student-athletes voiced campus concerns and collaborated on ways to strengthen current initiatives rather than create new ones.
Second on the agenda, Hayden Makins from the NCAA discussed SAAC at the national level. Makins emphasized the importance of student-athletes’ voices and experiences, urging students to get involved by building professional skills, leading new initiatives, and forging connections with peers. He also explained how legislation is passed at the national level for SAAC.
SAAC operates at several impactful levels
National SAAC- Influence national policy, legislation, and initiatives.
MEAC SAAC- synthesize common themes and conference context.
Campus SAAC- provide lived experience and institutional impact.
Next, Daniel Shannon from Wells Fargo discussed financial literacy topics such as 401K, budgeting, and teaching student-athletes the difference between net income and gross income. Shannon ends his segment with a real-life budgeting activity such as living costs, insurance costs, food, and unexpected situations.
For the last activity for the day, Connor also broke down the MEAC Cares within the SAAC Strategic Priorities session, highlighting with SAAC help developed initiatives.
MEAC Cares will be set to launch later in November.
Lashea Morlu, South Carolina State (Hitter)
“It was amazing to be able to connect with athletes across the conference. My favorite part of the day was definitely when we all collaborated and shared our own ideas, and I actually saw multiple ideas that were similar across different institutions.”
Janea Hudson, North Carolina Central University (Pitcher)
“My favorite part of the day was definitely just being able to voice some things that we think need to be addressed within our schools and how we could better the conference and make us seem more appealing on a national scale. Despite the rivalry, I feel like South Carolina State and North Carolina Central are like brother and sister schools where we get along really well. She brought some really great information this weekend that I plan to take back to North Carolina Central.”
UP NEXT: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held its annual meeting on day two in Virginia Beach, VA, on November 14th.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) enters its 56th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2026–27 academic year. Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the MEAC is comprised of eight distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) along the Atlantic seaboard: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, and South Carolina State University. Since its founding in 1970, the MEAC has been dedicated to promoting academic excellence, sportsmanship, and the personal growth of student athletes. For more information, visit www.MEACSports.com.