ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul redshirt freshman defensive back Davaris Cheeks has been selected to serve as the Northern Sun representative of the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
"This opportunity is second to none. Not only do I get to continue representing CSP and our community, but now I get to advocate for the entire NSIC and have the opportunity to create generational changes for years to come," said Cheeks. "It is truly an honor and I am so pleased to be selected for this year's National SAAC."
 
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) serves as the primary governance arm representing student-athlete interests in Division II affairs. SAAC members serve as student-athlete liaisons that monitor and discuss happenings on campuses, within conference and at the national level.
 
Representatives are responsible for gathering feedback and reporting on behalf of their conference, as well as relaying important events, hot topics and educational information to both the campus and conference levels. In addition to relaying information across campuses and conferences, the committee speaks on behalf of the entire Division II student-athlete body throughout the NCAA governance structure.
 
Division II SAAC members serve as voting members on a number of Division II committees, including the Management Council. The SAAC also has voting authority during the Division II Business Session at the annual NCAA Convention.
 
"We are extremely excited to have Davaris represent the NSIC on the National SAAC," said NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. "He has demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities working with our conference SAAC. His thoughtful insight has been a key component to multiple recent NSIC SAAC initiatives and we have no doubt that he will continue to shine at the national level."
 
Cheeks, a business management major from Aurora, Illinois, will begin service on the committee on January 23, 2022 and continue through January 15, 2025.
 
Speaking of his experiences working with SAAC, Cheeks said, "Being able to serve on SAAC has provided many opportunities for me to build connections, address concerns, and overall take my leadership to the next level. I started off as just a committee member and was eventually promoted to community outreach officer. I had the privilege to serve as SAAC President this year and it has been a great experience thus far! I just wish to continue magnifying this platform to ensure that student athletes know their voices are being heard."
 
After a redshirt year in 2019 and a season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cheeks made his Golden Bear debut in 2021, appearing in seven games, making 17 tackles to go along with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
 
"From the very beginning of his time on campus, Davaris quickly cemented himself as a leader within his team and in the greater CSP community," said Concordia-St. Paul Director of Athletics Regan McAthie. She added, "We're proud of him for earning this incredible opportunity and know he will be an excellent representative of CSP and the Northern Sun at the national level."
 
The committee consists of 28 members, including representatives from each of the 23 Division II multisport voting conferences, one representative of Division II independent institutions, two at-large representatives, and two members of the Management Council. The two members of the Management Council and one member of the Presidents Council serve as ex-officio and nonvoting members.
 
The Division II SAAC Nominating Subcommittee selects national committee members from a diverse pool of candidates that conference offices submit. The Division II Administrative Committee ratifies the appointments, and each student-athlete serves a non-renewable three-year term; however the student-athlete may serve only up to one year after exhausting his or her eligibility.
 
Speaking to student-athletes who may be interested in joining SAAC, Cheeks said, "The great thing about SAAC is that we have the ability to have representation from every athletic team on our campus. If you are a student-athlete that has been recognized as a leader on your team or if you want to develop more leadership qualities, just reach out to your coach or your team's current SAAC representatives and let them know that you are interested. Every student-athlete's voice matters and SAAC is here to ensure that we are heard and our experience is the best possible."