Brock Sports is taking steps to ensure its student-athletes are heard.

A new Student-Athlete Leadership Council (SALC) has been formed that will allow student-athletes to provide insight on the student-athlete experience to Brock’s athletics department.

“It’s important for student-athletes to have a voice and the ability to make change. The council’s feedback will be a collaborative component of Brock Sports to help elevate our program,” said Melissa Kirst, Director, Brock Sports. “This core group of leaders will address the needs of more than 900 student-athletes, calls to action regarding social justice issues and how programs can thrive.”

The council will provide feedback to Brock Sports on their policy creation and overall operations, which affect the lives of Brock student-athletes.

A total of 35 student-athletes were named to the leadership council, including co-presidents Madeline Hingston of women’s rowing and Johnathon Schaefer of men’s hockey.

Each member serves as the liaison between the council and their respective team.

“We are most concerned with creating an atmosphere that makes the entire athletic population at Brock feel like a family,” said Hingston, a fourth-year Kinesiology student. “Creating equal opportunities and equal access to resources for all student-athletes is a significant piece in developing this atmosphere. Our goal is to see the student-athlete population become one team, rather than a population made up of several different sports.”

The council meets monthly and members, who serve a one-year term, will receive mental health and first aid training annually.

“We take pride in representing all student-athletes at Brock. We want to elevate Brock in university athletics and within the Niagara community,” said Schaefer, a third-year Business Communication student. “The goal of the SALC is to create a better environment for student-athletes and ensure everyone enjoys their Brock experience to its full potential.”

The council will also form committees to assist Brock Sports with the nomination process for various awards and to provide a voice for student-athletes on club sports teams, including ball hockey, cheer, dance pak, dragon boat, equestrian, powerlifting and ringette.