Commitment to Service and Leadership

To engage the student-athlete in service to his/her campus and surrounding communities. The Athletic Department has created a strong tradition in Team Gamecocks, the community outreach program supported by the department. Student-athletes from all teams are encouraged to give back to the Carolina community. Volunteer opportunities are available for a variety of service projects throughout the year.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
The Athletic Department sponsors the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), an organization made up of student-athlete representatives from each sport team. Meetings are conducted twice per month. SAAC is designed to be a means for student-athletes to communicate with athletics administration about issues that affect all student-athletes. It also provides a leadership opportunity for student-athletes to have a positive impact on the Athletics Department, the institution, and the community.

Team Gamecocks
The University of South Carolina Athletics Department's Community Service program, "Team Gamecocks," represents a continuing commitment by Gamecock student athletes, coaches and staff to respond with both time and effort to the needs of their local communities. Student athletes actively and directly involve themselves by sharing individual talents and experiences with a variety of audiences throughout the Midlands.

Every year, student athletes from different athletic teams coordinate team projects by taking responsibility to serve as goodwill ambassadors not only for their respective programs, but also for the Athletics Department and the University of South Carolina as a whole. In addition, a number of student athletes elect to perform individual community service hours in a variety of areas. The University of South Carolina Athletics Department is committed to providing volunteer opportunities for student athletes to connect with people in the surrounding community. The greater Columbia community is invited to utilize members of Team Gamecocks to serve as role models and volunteers.

A few of the many ways Team Gamecocks have served the Midlands has included reading to local elementary school children, collecting food for the Harvest Hope Food Bank, visiting both hospitalized veterans and children, and interacting with kids in after-school programs. There are ongoing opportunities for Team Gamecocks as well as scheduled events. Student athletes can select service opportunities in which they are most interested.

The Coordinator of Team Gamecocks must receive requests at least three weeks prior to the event. A Team Gamecocks Request Form is available to print from this web site. As a reminder, there is NCAA guidelines to which we must adhere. These include limiting participation to events within 30 miles of the University of South Carolina and restricting involvement with student to those in the eighth grade or younger. For more information please call 777-8704.