Runner uses spare time to give back

September 14, 2009 —

Playing two varsity sports, cross country and track, while taking 16 credits would be plenty for most student- athletes.

Cortland Seaver does not carry the workload of most student-athletes. Seaver, a biology senior, is also the vice president and national representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a resident assistant (RA) at SVSU.

“Being an RA is an unending job,” said Seaver. He helps freshmen with everything from finding their way on campus to helping students deal with life on their own for the first time. The hours for an RA are not like most jobs.

“Whenever I’m in my room, I’m working,” Seaver said.

On top of these duties, Seaver runs between 60 and 95 miles during the week, depending on his next competition.

During his career at SVSU, Seaver has competed at a high level, turning in the cross country team’s second best times during the 2008 GLIAC and regional tournaments.

As a freshman in 2006, Seaver participated in Nationals and was named the team’s most outstanding freshman. After the 2007 and 2008 seasons, his teammates showed their appreciation by voting Seaver the most dedicated player on the team.

“I may not be the most valuable runner, but I try to be valuable in other ways,” he said.

Seaver’s dedication is not limited to the teams he competes for. As an officer for SAAC, he gives his spare time to promoting the entire SVSU athletic department. With SAAC, Seaver works to organize community service events. He also is one of the founders of “The Flock,” an enthusiastic fan section at Cardinal sporting events.

One such event from the 2008 holiday season was Adopt-a-Family. Seaver and other student-athletes scoured the Campus Village Townhomes to collect cans.

“I was proud of how the studentathletes got together and collected cans for those families,” he said.

The donations SAAC raised helped two families in need survive the holiday season while providing the children with gifts.

For this school year, Seaver wants to launch an annual Cardinal Clash. This SAAC event would help studentathletes from all SVSU sports and the general student population get together for a night of fun events and competitions.

“Our goal with Cardinal Clash is to connect the whole campus,” he said.

Through Cardinal Clash and other SAAC events, Seaver wants to share the positive experiences that come from working as a team.

“You are with your teammates everyday, experiencing the high points and low points with them,” he said. “They are there to push you, almost like family.”

Cortland Seaver has many different roles within the SVSU community: teammate, SAAC officer, student, resident assistant and friend. In all these roles, though, Seaver is dedicated to his cause and carries a ‘drop everything to help’ attitude that will continue to benefit the community.