Gibbons Joins SEC Spring Meetings

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Jake Gibbons of the Texas A&M men's swimming & diving team was one of four Southeastern Conference student-athletes that participated in the SEC Spring Meetings, which took place via video conferences over the course of the last two weeks of May. These students participated in four virtual meetings over the course of those two weeks to provide institutional leaders feedback on the student-athlete experience, while also offering input on proposed SEC and NCAA legislation.
 
The group first met with the SEC's Faculty Athletics Representatives, followed by meetings with Senior Woman Administrators, a joint meeting of the Athletics Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives and Senior Woman Administrators and concluded with a meeting of the SEC's Presidents and Chancellors.

"The meetings this year were definitely unique," Gibbons said. "Rather than us all gathered in Destin, the individual meetings were conducted over video conference and were spread out over two weeks. The meetings were informative and ran efficiently, but I did miss the personal interaction of last year’s in-person meetings. I am grateful, though, that our conference leaders provided us student-athlete leaders the opportunity to have our voices heard in these important conversations."

Gibbons was recently named the SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award winner and earned SEC Men's Swimming & Diving Community Service Team honors earlier this year for his continued efforts away from the pool. He is a member of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and will serve as the SEC SAAC Chairman for a second straight year, representing student-athletes on the conference and national levels, after also serving as an NCAA Division I Autonomy Representative for the SEC this past year. Gibbons, who earned his undergraduate degree in political science as well as a Master's of public service administration and policy from in May, recorded the most volunteer hours by any senior male student-athlete at A&M. The Jacksonville, Florida native earned the Distinguished Letterman Award, presented to an individual who displays extraordinary talents in the areas of athletics, scholarship, leadership and service, at A&M's annual Building Champions Awards. 

Gibbons was joined by Mississippi State's Mitchell Storm (men's basketball), Ole Miss' MoMo Sanogo (football) and Arkansas' Jailyn Mason (women's basketball). The four student-athletes are all members of one of the SEC's Student-Athlete Leadership Councils or the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

"There was only one legislative proposal us student-athletes were asked to weigh in on this year and that involved some changes to graduate transfer policy. All of the administrative groups - FARs, SWAs, ADs, and Presidents - were eager and willing to consider student-athlete perspectives regarding this proposal. Overall, we supported a position that gives more academic freedom to graduate transfers to pursue an education path that best suits their aspirations.

"Beyond the legislative proposal, my primary message throughout the meetings was to promote continued and improved communication between administrators and student-athletes. The SEC and our institutions have done a tremendous job of including student-athletes in the decision-making processes surrounding COVID-19. I asked all of our administrative groups to make conscious efforts to continue to build upon these lines of communication into the coming school year.  Our conference has set the industry example in empowering its student-athletes and I am confident it will continue to do so."