Hello Penn Staters!

We look forward to starting another exciting year for the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB). This year, SAAB is focusing on the three "I's", Inclusion, Involvement, and Investment. We really want to work on Inclusion in all senses of the word, both on an inter- and intra- organization level inclusion of all 31 sports and spirit teams. Inclusion of all athletes, not just SAAB representatives but with other, student organizations to help with the things we want to accomplish.

One of this year's main goals is Involvement. One of the ways we would like to accomplish this is to connect with other organizations. SAAB is excited to partner with PRIDE: The Sportsmanship Team and the Blue & White Society to form a "Triad" thus making SAAB an active competitor for Homecoming. With the help of PRIDE, we are proud to have introduced the revamped Code Blue Rewards Program. Students will have the opportunity to gain points by swiping their PSU ID's at athletic events. For every competition they attend, they receive one point. During a Code Blue Blast Event, they receive three points. Prizes for Code Blue range from hats to football season tickets. The idea behind this initiative is to not only increase fan attendance at our sports' events, but also to educate fans on what it means to be a good sportsperson. We look forward to working with PRIDE to make this a force for years to come.

We also want to focus on Investment. How can we as student-athletes feel invested in some of the things we are doing? We have worked hard to rework the SAAB committees this year, and have already had great success in the first few weeks. The Diversity Committee has been working hard with the Athletic Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, our Information Dissemination Committee has already had a tremendous impact with Twitter and Facebook, and all our other SAAB committees have been working hard to make this year an amazing one. The more our student athletes get invested, the more intangible rewards they will receive.

THON, the largest student run philanthropy in the world, raises money to provide financial and emotional support to the children, families, and staff of the Four Diamonds Fund. SAAB's board has elected to set the bar high to raise $100,000. Leading the charge on our THON board is Kristen Rodman (Thon Chair/Comm Captain), Perri Hammershlag (Pep Rally/Entertainment Captain), Jason Pelletier (Fundraising Chair) and Jamie Lavin (Family Relations Chair). We plan to bring back "Thon-letes" as a way to help our fundraising efforts. With your support, we are confident that we will reach our goal.

SAAB is only as strong as the people working round the clock behind the scenes. I am honored and proud to have such an incredible group of student-athletes on our executive board: Vice President Anna Muzio (W. Track & Field), Treasurer Clay Steadman (Wrestling) and Secretary Lauren Bauch (W. Fencing). We have already had much success with in such a short time. We are proud of the commitment and enthusiasm of our student-athletes, and together with the efforts of the representatives and our athletes, we look forward to again making this a productive year for Penn State student-athletes.

Thank you for the everlasting support of my fellow student athletes. Success with Honor,

Mike El-Saleh
Men's Fencing
2011-12 Student Athlete Advisory Board President

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