McGann, Roberto Attend Annual Patriot League SAAC Retreat
8/15/2023 3:52:00 PM | Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Caroline McGann, a senior on the Bucknell women's swim & dive team, and Jack Roberto, a junior on the men's soccer team, both represented Bucknell at this year's Patriot League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Retreat on Sunday, July 30 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. The annual event brings together SAAC members from across the conference to discuss and collaborate on various ideas in order to improve the welfare of Patriot League student-athletes. Following the retreat the Patriot League joined the IVY League to host its second Mental Health Summit on Monday, July 31.
During the retreat, SAAC representatives from all 10 member institutions are able to come together with Patriot League representatives to share campus updates and best practices, Patriot League SAAC bylaws and policies, responsibilities and expectations, and strategic planning across a variety of areas.
This year's retreat placed special emphasis on several key topics, including anti-racism, mental health and well-being, sexual assault and violence prevention, name, image & likeness, NCAA legislative proposals, and community engagement.
"The retreat was an extremely valuable experience. Having meaningful conversations between Patriot League staff and their student-athletes is exactly what will drive the conference forward and is necessary as the conference aims for future success," said Roberto, who was voted Bucknell SAAC's director of initiatives for the 2023-24 academic year. "It was nice to have these face-to-face interactions with the staff as well as other athletes. Being able to bounce ideas off one another and share what we think is in the best interest of the league is something that helped facilitate high-level conversations."
Among the notable guest speakers at the retreat was Jen Fry, who serves as a sports geographer, tech founder and educator. Fry facilitates conversations and skill-building with organizations regarding best practices that create more equitable organizations, communities, and teams.
"Our conversation with Jen surrounded the idea of being proactive rather than reactive and gave us a lot of tools and techniques to help us become better leaders in our own teams and communities," said McGann, who is serving as Bucknell's SAAC president.
The group also held discussions with Josh Walker of Team IMPACT. Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams in order to create a long-term, life-changing experience.
"Walker from Team IMPACT shared incredible stories of matches for children with disabilities or serious illnesses with college teams. Walker informed us how we can start to get our campus more involved with the program to continue paying it forward and making a difference in a child or family's lives," said McGann.
During this portion of the retreat, the Patriot League SAAC representatives teamed up with members of the IVY League in yet another collaborative effort. The student-athletes also worked together to make school bags with supplies for children in need in the Easton area.
Additionally, the group learned about various efforts the Patriot League is putting forth in the areas of communication and social media, as well as championships and future policies.
Each subcommittee at the retreat broke out into brainstorming sessions to help develop future ideas and initiatives that can be implemented on each member school's campus and within the league office. Both McGann and Roberto said they came away from the event with exciting ideas to bring back to the Bucknell campus.
"While I am excited about multiple things for the upcoming year and for our own SAAC program at Bucknell, I am stoked to continue working with the Patriot and Ivy League SAAC organizations," McGann said. "We have some really cool initiatives in the works that I know are going to make a true impact not only in the organizations but also around all of our campus and student-athlete communities."
"This upcoming year I am most excited about using my newest exposure from the retreat to better the overall student-athlete experience here at Bucknell," Roberto said. "Every Bucknell student-athlete deserves to get the most out of their college experience, and I'm hoping I can help accomplish that in any way possible."
Monday's Mental Health Summit was a day-long event where student-athletes, coaches and the leagues' member institutions gathered to learn and discuss a range of mental health and well-being-related topics with experts, professionals and service providers in the space. Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, the Vice President of Wellness and Clinical Services for the NFL, and Shoshana Engel Lewis, the Assistant Vice President for Athletics and Recreation/Governance and Performance at Brown University, were leading speakers. McGann was among the student-athletes asked to speak on the panel as well.