Niko Gjaja

In this this, the final episode of Earning Our Stripes I spoke with Niko Gjaja, esteemed member of Princeton Mens Volleyball, and the Varsity Student Athlete committee president. I loved speaking with Niko who was able to give a lot of insight on the ways in which the athletic department communicates with student athletes on issues surrounding their compliance and day-to-day wellness. Get stuck into the final episode!

What We Talked About and Why it Matters 

Niko was my final guest on Earning Our Stripes, and by this point in the recording process I was finding the act of recording these interviews to be very comfortable. To cap it all off Niko is one of my good friends and by virtue of this our conversation was extremely relaxed. One of the great things about interviewing Niko for my podcast was his close proximity to athletic department administration in his role as the president of the Varsity Student Athletic Committee. Niko divulged to me the ways in which VSAC are able to offer a student athlete perspective straight to our athletic director John Mack who attends every meeting. Importantly, VSAC engage in discussions surrounding proposed rule and legislation changes within the Ivy league and beyond. The committee is able to pass on how VSAC members (who are selected by their coaches in their sophomore year) feel about changes to compliance rules. In this process they are able to vote on proposed changes. Reflecting back on the conversations between VSAC student athletes and the university Niko explained that he believed that most of the time the university tries to listen to the group before arriving at a decision, particularly as rule changes affect people of different ability levels, socio-economic status,  and backgrounds differently. Looking back over this year Niko identifies sporting inclusivity to have been a pressing theme covered in VSAC meetings. I believe it is important to discuss the administrative approach to consulting student athletes about their lives because of the dichotomy between those who are not actively participating in college sports, and yet write the rules, and those who are currently performing at a collegiate sport level.