PNW’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is committed to showing the school’s athletes that they are part of a community larger than their teams.

Initially organized to represent student-athlete concerns at PNW and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the SAAC has expanded its mission to get athletes comfortable playing with bigger teams.

“Community events are extremely important,” said Salma Raslan, SAAC president and member of the Women’s Tennis team. “Trunk-Or-Treat is one of the best ways to give back to our community and impact them in such a positive way, especially the children.”

Trunk-Or-Treat is a community event held before Halloween presented by PNW SAAC every year around Halloween. Student-athletes set up their cars in the NILS parking lot in Hammond, decorate them and hand out candy that each team buys. 

The event last fall drew in a crowd of over 300 children and their families.

“A lot of thought goes into what would children in the community like most and how would it benefit them,” said Raslan. “We think about possible dates and times that would be suitable for them and in some ways, what would be the best way to help them have fun.”

Last month, SAAC hosted a talent show for campus athletes.

“It was the first-ever talent show hosted by PNW SAAC,” said Raslan. “Sometimes life gets so busy with school and playing our sport and continuous matches. It’s always good to disconnect and have fun activities that get student-athletes together.”

The talent show was a hit. 

Each team was required to participate. A baseball player played the piano, three women’s basketball players performed a roller skate dance and other athletes showed off a variety of skills and talents beyond their sports.

The winner was Men’s Soccer player Miguel Rodriguez De la Garza, a forward on the Men’s Soccer team, who is a junior Marketing major. During his performance of magic tricks, he picked someone from the crowd with a $100 bill, lit the bill on fire, then recovered the bill in a fresh orange. The audience was amazed.

Thanks to his performance, the Men’s Soccer team won a $1,000 check to be used for the dinner of their choice.

PNW SAAC holds monthly meetings to plan activities and events. During the meetings, the group also creates goals for the organization and identifies priorities for PNW’s athletes.

“[It] is a voice for our student-athletes,” said Natalie Jarrett, Assistant Athletic Director for Student Success at PNW and the group’s advisor. “It gives them an outlet. They are the voice. Our administrators lean heavily on our SAAC.”

SAAC was designed to ensure every campus athlete is represented when the NCAA weighs legislation. The decisions they make are voted on directly by the athletes themselves who are members of SAAC. SAAC members speak for their athletic community on campus. 

But the group also works hard to make sure athletes are engaged in the university community.

“It creates an outlet for student-athletes to just be students and do activities that they don’t usually get the opportunity to do,” said Jarrett.