Throughout my two semesters here at NYU Abu Dhabi I have noticed a common characteristic among many students, including myself. We all like to complain about everything; we like to criticize harshly the senior leadership and their decisions, but at the end of the day, we do not do anything to implement change. Please do not misinterpret my words. I am not saying that it is necessarily a bad characteristic, I am simply observing a characteristics shared among NYUAD students.

As I see it, there are two reasons students do not get involved in student committees. First, some students think that such committees are a waste of time. Second, not all students are aware of the committees they can be part of. It is important to note that Student Government has done an outstanding job in trying to make them more public to the students via Student Government open houses. But essentially, lack of awareness is the reason why I am writing on behalf of one of the committees. We are certain that the majority of the student body does not know much about the Student Athletics Fitness Advisory Committee, commonly referred to as the SAFAC, and thus we want to introduce SAFAC and its purpose.

The SAFAC is one of the many student committees within Student Government. Its mission is to work with the Athletic and Fitness and Wellness Departments on outreach to students as well as athletics policy or programming development, while also serving as a liaison between the department, Student Government and the student body. In short, we are here to listen to your concerns and suggestions regarding any athletics or fitness and wellbeing issues that you may have.

In the past, we have been lucky to have Marko Mladenovick, director of the Fitness and Wellness Department, and Peter Dicce, director of Athletics, as SAFAC members. And, to be honest, part of the reason that we, as student members of the committee, are so optimistic about the committee’s potential to have fruitful discussions with the Athletics and Fitness Department is because Mladenovick and Coach Dicce have always asked for our input in major changes or decisions to the programs.

For Mladenovick, the SAFAC is a very valuable committee that connects students with Fitness Center and Athletics staff. He sees it as “a great opportunity for students and staff to discuss new ideas, solve challenges and create sustainable programming that will support healthier lifestyles.” Moreover, he believes that the committee serves as a platform to “discuss, communicate and work towards finding the best solution and support for both the students and departments.”

Similarly to Marko, Coach Dicce is a strong believer that teamwork in a community like NYUAD leads to progress and success. In his words, “The SAFAC was born out of a desire to formalize and ensure that a dialogue would continue between the students and the Athletics and Fitness departments."

"Although the Department of Athletics’ open door policy and willingness to collaborate with students remains, as the size of the university grows there was a concern that students as a whole may naturally experience a degree of disconnect from the department’s decision makers. The SAFAC provides the platform for and facilitates a continuous discussion around athletics and fitness at NYUAD. This interdependent relationship helps us collectively build a community and evolve programming, while focusing on those areas of most importance to us all.”

At the end of the day, there is no doubt that all parties that are part of the SAFAC are working hard to satisfy the demand and needs of the student body.

As the student body continues to grow, we all will strive to maximize the resources available in an effort to make our NYUAD experience the best it can be. The Department of Athletics and Fitness and Wellness are prepared to support our athletic and fitness needs, but that require us to continue communicating and let them know what we believe is essential for the student body.

We often get asked or overhear queries like: “Why is the equipment room not opened on weekends?” “Will Athletics organize a trip to Ski Dubai this year?” “When will we get a nutritionist?” “Why is the Fitness Center closed at eight p.m. during the weekends?” Thank you to all those student who approach us or Student Government about these concerns; but we are certain that the student body has many more questions and suggestions for the Athletics and Fitness and Wellness Department, and we would like to hear them.

If anyone is interested in being part of the SAFAC or has any concerns, questions or suggestions please contact any of the current members – Julia Saubier at julia.saubier@nyu.edu, Kristaps Zeltins at kristaps@nyu.edu or myself at carlos.escobar@nyu.edu, and we will be more than happy to work with you.