When discussing civic engagement day, a legislated day off for student-athletes from games, practices and other countable athletically related activities in Division I the past two years, former New Mexico State swimmer Katherine Harston has heard a common question.
What is it?
Former University of the Incarnate Word swimmer Marissa Watters said she's heard a different but also telling inquiry about the annual Election Day pause, taking place on Nov. 8 this year.
Is it just about voting?
These types of questions, along with a general sense of responsibility, have fueled the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to do more to educate on and advocate for a day its members are collectively passionate about.
"Our goal as a group this year was to really get people thinking about ways we can actually actively get engaged and involved in our communities," said Olivia Summiel, a senior women's basketball player at Wake Forest and member of Division I SAAC.
Division I SAAC's passion for the legislation stems from its origins, as well as an ambition to see it become more than words in a manual.
In 2020, Division I SAAC recommended the Division I Council adopt legislation to specify that countable athletically related activities be prohibited on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 every year to promote participation in civic engagement activities. The council adopted the proposal unanimously ahead of the 2020 election. (Division II, led by its national SAAC, adopted similar legislation at the 2022 NCAA Convention that will take effect this year.)
"With every new legislation piece comes a time of education and a transitionary period," Watters said. "For us, it's important to continue educating all of these institutions on, 'What is this civic engagement day legislation? And why is it important? What's the purpose?'"
This year, the Division I Council approved an amendment to the legislation to provide teams competing in the championship segment of their playing season with more flexibility. Those teams now must take a day off for civic engagement opportunities within 15 days before or after Election Day. Teams not competing in their championship segment are still prohibited from athletics activity like games and practices on Election Day each year.
This change only doubled down on the need for education on the legislation and its intent.
Division I SAAC, led by its education subcommittee, on which Harston, Watters and Summiel serve, created a pair of educational resources to help meet that need. One resource provides examples of civic engagement in five categories: social responsibility, community research, advocacy and education, political involvement, and philanthropy and service. The other resource outlines implementation best practices and actionable ideas for each of these categories for conferences, schools and teams to implement.
"We wanted to make sure we were being very clear with the messages we were providing for student-athletes, making sure they understood all the pieces of it, and that they had little snippets of each kind of section that we broke it down into and how they could implement it onto their campuses," Harston said. "We really wanted to make these education pieces understandable so that not only student-athletes understand what this day is about but that also administrators do, too. Some of them asked me, 'What is this?' or they don't know the day or why we're doing it.
"I think that it's great that we put this legislation forward, but now we're actually giving it feet."
Creating the resources took months of work, starting at Division I SAAC's July meeting. The group did intense research and shared some of the civic engagement activities they've seen or been part of in their conference or on their campus. They've also engaged with national organizations like AllVoteNoPlay, which hosted a recent panel discussion on the importance of civic engagement with Stanford women's basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer, NBA star and former Davidson standout Stephen Curry, New Orleans Saints linebacker and Arkansas State product Demario Davis, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Throughout this research process, Division I SAAC members recognized the importance of communicating how this day can help in the holistic development of student-athletes.
"I think so many of us as student-athletes look at, 'How can we serve others?' That's kind of a value that's instilled in the NCAA, conferences and institutions," Watters said. "We're really being able to live out that value of giving back and being socially responsible. That's the blessing that this legislation is because we're actually putting feet to the ground of an idea and making sure our actions match our words."
Considering those words were part of the first legislative proposal Division I SAAC put forward since Division I governance was restructured in 2014 to give student-athletes a vote at every level of decision-making, Summiel said it means a lot to her peers to keep the day a priority every year. Regardless of how conferences, schools or teams decide to use the legislation, she said she's excited to see student-athletes continue to lead the charge in expanding the day's impact in the years to come.
"We're just wanting to make our mark and prove this is something that's worth honoring and celebrating and recognizing it because what a time to be engaged in our communities and to get involved in as many ways as possible," she said. "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing different ways that student-athletes across the country are able to make a difference."
