Nicole Monick, a sophomore business management major and varsity tennis player, has become the first Johnson State College (JSC) student ever to be chosen as a member of the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Already a member of JSC’s SAAC, Monick was nominated for the position by her coach, Michele Whitmore, and Assistant Athletic Director Elaine Harvey in December. She will now represent both the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), in which JSC resides, and the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).

Of her election, Monick said, “I’m really excited about it. I feel like it’s a really great opportunity for our school and community, because we deserve to have more recognition.”

The committee is comprised of 24 student-athletes from different conferences throughout the country. According to ncaa.org, “The SAAC represents the Division III student-athlete voice in the Division III governance structure.” They convene four times a year and review legislation, student-athlete issues, and national plans to enhance the community.

Monick attended her first national meeting as the new representative in San Antonio, Texas, from Jan. 13-16. For the first three days, the SAAC as a whole debated the aforementioned topics in the form of new proposals and how to implement them. Then, on the last day, each member voted on the potential changes and met with their counterparts from other conferences.

Once the convention ended and Monick returned to JSC, she shared her new experience and knowledge with the rest of the campus SAAC. When asked what she thought of her first exposure to the committee, she said, “It amazed me how much they value the student-athlete opinion. It made me really appreciate the program.”

During her term as representative, Monick plans to utilize her spot on the Division III SAAC to benefit JSC in any manner possible. “The big thing about me being on the national SAAC is that I can take all the information that I learn there and bring it to our SAAC here,” she said. “We then can use that info to better our school and community. I think I can bring things here that maybe we wouldn’t have known about.”

In addition to being the communicators between the student-athletes and the Division III President’s Council, the SAAC has been responsible for managing the division’s relationship with Special Olympics since 2011. They also sponsor an annual awareness initiative, like the “It’s On Us” campaign, which recently arrived at JSC.

Up next for Monick in her inaugural year as a representative on the Division III SAAC is the second convention of 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the month of April.