Committed To Making A Difference
8/15/2019 12:05:00 PM | Football, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
DENTON — For North Texas wide receiver Deion Hair-Griffin, serving others and being active in his community is just part of his DNA.
As an adolescent, the Fort Worth native volunteered his time with various groups such as Habitat for Humanity and he's had the ambition to be a football coach as well as a minister once he graduates.
"I feel passionate about giving back to the community," Hair-Griffin said. "I want to make sure I let the community know that I appreciate them, because they've supported me in so many ways.
"I think most of us appreciate our community but not enough go out and give back," he added.
Since arriving in Denton in the fall of 2016, Hair-Griffin has continued his devotion by volunteering at libraries, elementary schools and more. But directly with North Texas he's taken on the role of being a heavily active member in it's Student-Athletic Advisory Community, also known as SAAC.
And his drive to better the committee over the past three years is slowly making a difference.
The mission of SAAC is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image.
Function of SAAC include: Generate a student-athlete voice within the NCAA structure. Solicit student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation. Recommend potential NCAA legislation. Review, react and comment to the governance structure on legislation, activities and subjects of interest. Actively participate in the administrative process of athletics programs and the NCAA. Promote a positive student-athlete image.
"Once I got comfortable within SAAC as a freshman I quickly noticed that we needed greater involvement," Hair-Griffin said. "We as a whole needed to understand what SAAC was and why we need to support each other."
Joining SAAC as a freshman, Hair-Griffin wasn't exactly sure what he was getting himself into but all he knew is he'd be part of a group that'd be shaping the student-athlete experience. Three plus years later, Hair-Griffin finds himself at the forefront of not just North Texas' advisory committee but Conference USA's.
"Deion has shown a commitment to making a difference at UNT and making sure his peers' voices are heard," said North Texas Athletic Director of Compliance Alic'a Oliver who serves as UNT's SAAC advisor. "He also wants to make sure when he leaves it's bigger and better than when he got here."
Hair-Griffin's commitment to his peers doesn't just end at SAAC.
He is a regular at all UNT sporting events and he tends to bring with him a group of teammates and friends.
"As a student-athlete I have a pretty tight bond with not just my football teammates but all UNT student-athletes," Hair-Griffin said. "Even if we play a different sport, I know directly all the hard work they're going through and the difficulties we go through. We are our own community. I'd be crazy not to support them at their most important athletic moments."
Along with supporting his fellow UNT student-athletes at sporting events, Hair-Griffin can be found talking to them to make sure they know what SAAC is and that their voices are heard not just within UNT but also at C-USA.
In July, Hair-Griffin represented North Texas at C-USA's Summer SAAC conference in Dallas.
At the conference, Hair-Griffin helped lead discussions on mental health and how it can be improved within college athletics. The group also spent a morning volunteering at the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Frisco.
"It was a great experience for a lot of reasons but also to see how other schools within C-USA run SAAC," Hair-Griffin explained. "Here at UNT we've increased our attendance at SAAC since I was a freshman and I believe it's because more student-athletes understand what SAAC is and why it is here. And because they know why it is here they are giving more of their time and it's become more important to us a whole.
"But we can still do better and I believe we will," he added.
As an adolescent, the Fort Worth native volunteered his time with various groups such as Habitat for Humanity and he's had the ambition to be a football coach as well as a minister once he graduates.
"I feel passionate about giving back to the community," Hair-Griffin said. "I want to make sure I let the community know that I appreciate them, because they've supported me in so many ways.
"I think most of us appreciate our community but not enough go out and give back," he added.
Since arriving in Denton in the fall of 2016, Hair-Griffin has continued his devotion by volunteering at libraries, elementary schools and more. But directly with North Texas he's taken on the role of being a heavily active member in it's Student-Athletic Advisory Community, also known as SAAC.
And his drive to better the committee over the past three years is slowly making a difference.
The mission of SAAC is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image.
Function of SAAC include: Generate a student-athlete voice within the NCAA structure. Solicit student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation. Recommend potential NCAA legislation. Review, react and comment to the governance structure on legislation, activities and subjects of interest. Actively participate in the administrative process of athletics programs and the NCAA. Promote a positive student-athlete image.
"Once I got comfortable within SAAC as a freshman I quickly noticed that we needed greater involvement," Hair-Griffin said. "We as a whole needed to understand what SAAC was and why we need to support each other."
Joining SAAC as a freshman, Hair-Griffin wasn't exactly sure what he was getting himself into but all he knew is he'd be part of a group that'd be shaping the student-athlete experience. Three plus years later, Hair-Griffin finds himself at the forefront of not just North Texas' advisory committee but Conference USA's.
"Deion has shown a commitment to making a difference at UNT and making sure his peers' voices are heard," said North Texas Athletic Director of Compliance Alic'a Oliver who serves as UNT's SAAC advisor. "He also wants to make sure when he leaves it's bigger and better than when he got here."
Hair-Griffin's commitment to his peers doesn't just end at SAAC.
He is a regular at all UNT sporting events and he tends to bring with him a group of teammates and friends.
"As a student-athlete I have a pretty tight bond with not just my football teammates but all UNT student-athletes," Hair-Griffin said. "Even if we play a different sport, I know directly all the hard work they're going through and the difficulties we go through. We are our own community. I'd be crazy not to support them at their most important athletic moments."
Along with supporting his fellow UNT student-athletes at sporting events, Hair-Griffin can be found talking to them to make sure they know what SAAC is and that their voices are heard not just within UNT but also at C-USA.
In July, Hair-Griffin represented North Texas at C-USA's Summer SAAC conference in Dallas.
At the conference, Hair-Griffin helped lead discussions on mental health and how it can be improved within college athletics. The group also spent a morning volunteering at the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Frisco.
"It was a great experience for a lot of reasons but also to see how other schools within C-USA run SAAC," Hair-Griffin explained. "Here at UNT we've increased our attendance at SAAC since I was a freshman and I believe it's because more student-athletes understand what SAAC is and why it is here. And because they know why it is here they are giving more of their time and it's become more important to us a whole.
"But we can still do better and I believe we will," he added.
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