Division III schools have a lot of attractive qualities to student-athletes, one of which happened last week. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee just wrapped up their Division  III week, which was April 5 through 9. SAAC is a committee of student athletes who work to bridge the gap between administration and fellow student athletes. 

Each year, SAAC plans a week full of interactive events for all Hamline students to participate in. “The purpose of D3 week is to show our appreciation for attending a Division III school,” SAAC co-vice president Megan Rubbelke, a senior on the volleyball and softball team, said. 

Like everything else this year, Division III week was no different in the way the pandemic affected the celebration. In a normal year this week is centered around coming together “so that we can celebrate our time together at a D3 school,” Rubbelke said.

The committee worked hard to make fun and safe activities for the Hamline population to take part in. Starting on Monday, SAAC was handing out free Hamline t-shirts to anyone who wanted one. They tabled outside of Anderson Center handing out t-shirts and flyers with the rest of the week’s activities. 

On Tuesday there was a virtual trivia game on the SAAC Instagram, @hamlinesaac. The game consisted of questions about Hamline athletics and NCAA athletics in general. People who participated still had the opportunity to show their competitive side while playing. “The fastest to answer was the winner for that question,” Rubbelke said.

When Wednesday rolled around so did the sandwiches. SAAC gave out free sandwiches from Nelson’s Cheese and Deli, a local Saint Paul restaurant. There was supposed to be dinner and a show but the women’s softball game was rescheduled due to weather.

Thursday was a day full of talent. This day was another virtual event in which athletes could submit a talent to be highlighted on the SAAC Instagram story. The talents ranged from the women’s soccer team doing a team pyramid to track athletes doing backflips to a softball player naming all the United States presidents. Viewers of the talent show had the opportunity to vote on how good they thought people performed with a sliding poll feature. 

Finally, on Friday, Hamline students had the chance to test their skills at the riddle scavenger hunt around places on campus. This day was viewed as a way to “admire what our campus has to offer,” Rubbelke said.

This week gave the Hamline community a way to feel like one again after this long year of being distant. “We do a week full of activities every year so that we can celebrate our time together at a Division III school,” Rubbelke said.

With the season finally back in swing, SAAC has been able to help support other sports through attending outdoor events and checking out the sporting events schedule.

“I hope the athletes take away that as much as our lives and sports have changed with COVID, we are still making the best effort to appreciate everything we have been given this year,” Rubbelke said.