Sioux City, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) will create an Association of Student Athletes (ASA). The GPAC ASA was approved after a vote of the Council of Presidents (COP) at their fall meeting earlier this month in Fremont, Nebraska.
The GPAC ASA will be developed over the coming months, with their first in person meeting scheduled for April 2020 at the league meetings at Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota.
The mission of the Association of Student-Athletes (ASA) is to serve as the voice of all GPAC student-athletes in the conference. The ASA provides a platform for student-athletes to discuss issues of concern to them, offer feedback to GPAC leadership, and to organize initiatives that are important to them.
The ASA will serve as an advocacy group on behalf of GPAC student-athletes to enhance their collegiate athletics experience. Additionally, the ASA will offer its members the opportunity to develop their leadership skills as they represent all GPAC student-athletes.
“This is one of the most exciting developments within the 20-year history of the GPAC,” said GPAC Commissioner Corey Westra. “Our league has over 6,000 student-athletes and now they have a platform to work together on issues and initiatives that are important to them. I am very excited for our outstanding student-athletes of the GPAC to have this new forum within the league.”
The Chair of the GPAC ASA this year will be Nishesh Yadav from Doane University. Yadav is a senior men’s soccer student-athlete for the Tigers from Las Vegas, Nevada. He currently serves as the Chair of the NAIA Association of Student Athletes (ASA).
“Much credit goes to Nishesh for the development of our GPAC ASA,” said Westra. “He has worked very hard to bring this vision to reality for the league. He has been an outstanding leader for the NAIA and will play a key role for the GPAC as our ASA is developed.”
Each member institution of the GPAC will have representation on the ASA.
