Washington State University Athletics
Kelsie Taylor Member of First Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team
October 27, 2015 | Track & Field, Student-Athlete Development
During her two-day visit at the Pac-12 headquarters in San Francisco, Washington State track and field student-athlete Kelsie Taylor was asked by the Pac-12 Networks how it feels to make history.
"It doesn't seem like I'm making history," Taylor said, reflecting on what she thought when she heard the question. "I'm just making something better for the future."
Taylor was the WSU student-athlete representative, one of 12, on the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) that joined Pac-12 Athletics Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives, and Senior Woman Administrators at the Pac-12 Council meetings, Oct. 21 and 22.
SALT is the newest subgroup of the Pac-12 Council. The Pac-12 is the first major conference to formally integrate the student-athlete perspective in its official governance structure.
“We are proud to welcome these exceptional student-athletes as important representatives for our 7,000 Pac-12 student-athletes,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott on the Pac-12 website. “We've made significant progress in many important areas facing college sports over the past 18 months, but there is more work to do. The perspective from our student-athletes and their contribution to our policies and processes is critical as we push forward a bold agenda to address issues and preserve the best of college athletics.”
Scott met with Taylor and the SALT upon their arrival to Pac-12 headquarters, Wednesday.
Members of #Pac12SALT meet with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott pic.twitter.com/9fN5kn2La5
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 21, 2015
The following day, Taylor and SALT participated in council meetings and helped cast their school's vote. The four representatives from each school act as a delegation and have one vote in the Council voting process.
"We discussed the different proposals and legislations," Taylor said. "The passion, the depth and the intensity the conversations went into, it was really cool to be able to collaborate with people on that level."
"It was clear they had the student-athlete well-being as a priority in all of their opinions," Taylor said of the Athletics Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives, and Senior Woman Administrators. "That was really reassuring to see."
SALT consists of two student-athletes from each Pac-12 institution (24 in total) with 12 members attending every Pac-12 Council meeting.
Taylor, who is the WSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Vice-President attended the fall meetings. Soccer student-athlete and SAAC President Alexis Thode will attend the spring meetings in May.
"This is long overdue," WSU Director of Athletics Bill Moos said. "We're meeting several times a year to act on legislation that ultimately has a direct effect on the student-athletes and I, along with many, felt it was important to be able hear their voice and concerns.
"Kelsie and Alexis are outstanding athletes, wonderful students and have very good leadership qualities," Moos added.
Taylor described last week's trip as "incredible."
"I'm very thankful to be selected to be a representative for WSU at the Pac-12 Conference Council meetings," she said. "To be able to contribute something on an equal level as our administrators is an awesome experience."
Kelsie Taylor, back row, center, with her fellow student-athletes on the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) at the Pac-12 Networks studio.
About the SAAC:
The purpose of SAAC is to provide communication between student-athletes and administration, raising the awareness of important topics including administrative policy and decisions, NCAA legislation, compliance, student-athlete welfare and community service opportunities. SAAC members strive to strengthen the relationship between student-athletes, athletic administration and the university. Each member is provided with a supportive open-forum atmosphere to voice student-athlete and team concerns. SAAC provides opportunities of leadership within athletic teams and facilitates cooperation between student-athletes, the athletic administration and the community to enhance the overall student-athlete experience at Washington State University.
Go Cougs!
Jason Krump, WSU Athletics
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