FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2013

SAAC members from Northeast-10 schools attend
yearend meetings to help discuss, draft social media policies

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Thirty members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representing all 15 Northeast-10 Conference institutions recently attended the conference’s yearend meetings in Falmouth, Mass. to help discuss and draft social media policies.

After an interactive presentation from Kevin DeShazo of Fieldhouse Media on June 3, the student-athletes conducted roundtable meetings with the 15 athletic directors from Northeast-10 schools in an effort to discuss how to effectively use social media on campus.

“As a conference, we felt the opportunity to pair SAAC members with our schools’ athletic directors in one room to discuss social media would be a helpful benefit,” said Northeast-10 commissioner Julie Ruppert. “Based on the feedback we’ve received from administrators and the student-athletes themselves, we are excited about the awareness raised and what actions ultimately come away from the discussions.”

The discussion was geared toward using social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr wisely, rather than discouraging the use of such entities.

“Kevin’s presentation provided examples of student-athletes representing small Division II or III programs that faced consequences from inappropriate tweets or social media posts,” said Jacob VanRyn, Northeast-10 Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Communications. “I think it opened our student-athletes’ eyes in that it’s not only mainstream Division I athletes that are under a microscope in regard to what they post online.”

“The presentation proved that social media is far more powerful than we thought,” said Pace University football rising senior Reza Zoroufie, who took part in the discussions.  “It’s time we start using it for networking like it’s supposed to be used, and stop with all the noise that doesn't add any value to anything.”

“I think it’s important for all of the SAAC members to go back to their campuses and educate student-athletes and coaches on ways to properly use social media,” said recent Adelphi University graduate Emily Dorko, who was also in attendance for the Falmouth meetings. “In cases where material may be offensive, we all need to be aware that our tweets or posts can directly affect our athletic department and our school.” 

"The presentation informed me that Division I athletes are not the only student-athletes held accountable for their actions on social media," said Southern New Hampshire University baseball rising junior Kyle Thomas. "The most important point I obtained was not to refrain from social media, but to use it effectively to better your online image and allow others to benefit from your contributions to the social media community."

For more on the work of Fieldhouse Media, please visit www.fieldhousemedia.net or follow them on Twitter (@fieldhousemedia).

The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

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