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Alumni
Student Alumni Association
The Student Alumni Association strives to strengthen the bond between alumni and current students at WIU. The organization provides outstanding leadership opportunities for its members. To become a member, students may attend a membership drive held at the beginning of each semester. Call 309-298-2166 for more information. The Student Alumni Association plans and sponsors a number of activites throughout the year.
Join SAA Today!
Interested in joining? The application is easy. Fill out the application now!
Or provide the following information to the Student Alumni Association (SAA@wiu.edu). After receipt of your application, you will be contacted to schedule a time to interview.
Application Information:
Name, Year in School, Major and Minor
WIU Address, Phone Number, Email Address
Expected Graduation Date, Class schedule
Other Organizations or Campus Involvement
Please list/explain any prior leadership experience you have.
Homecoming
The Student Alumni Association is a vital part of all Homecoming activities. Each year, they host the Paint the Paws event prior to Homecoming. During Homecoming weekend, they assist by hosting the Alumni & Friends Social at the Alumni House on Friday evening, work registration for the Old Stompin' Ground Run Around, set up for the parade, and visit with Alumni & Friends at the cookout prior to the football game. It is an excellent opportunity for the students to visit with alumni as well as allowing alumni to reconnect to the current student body.
Paint the Paws
Paint the Paws is an activity performed just before Homecoming with a diverse group of campus organizations participating. The paws along Western Avenue and University Drive are re-painted yellow by organizations. This event is a collaborative project with the Office of Student Activities Homecoming Committee.
Paint the Paws is a time-honored tradition where the entire WIU Community comes out and repaints the Leathernecks Paws along University Drive and Western Avenue. This wonderful event signifies the beginning of Homecoming as members of the community show alumni and friends the way to come back home to Western.
Grad Blast
Grad Blast is an annual event held in the spring semester in honor of the seniors graduating in May, August, and December of that year. It is always held at a local Macomb establishment and the Alumni Relations committee provides graduating seniors with important information about the benefits and services of the WIU Alumni Association, including access to the Online Social Network, issues of RockeNews and Western News, health and auto insurance, and other benefits as Western Alumni. The Alumni Relations committee also coordinates free food, soda and raffle prizes to give to the seniors in a celebration of their accomplishments at Western Illinois University.
***SAVE THE DATE***
Grad Blast 2012
Thursday, April 26
The Sports Corner @ 124
New Student Welcome Party
Each fall the Student Alumni Association partners with the Alumni Association to welcome new students to campus and into the Alumni Association. The party is held at a local Macomb establishment with complimentary food, soda, prizes and information on the benefits of being a free member of the Alumni Association. All Alumni are invited to attend to network with the new students and share their wisdom and experiences as WIU Leathernecks.
Student vs. Alumni Basketball Game
Come watch the WIU Students take on the Alumni of WIU in a fun-filled game of basketball at Western Hall.
***SAVE THE DATE***
Student vs. Alumni Basketball Game
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 @ 6:00 p.m.
Western Hall
P.A.W.S. (Pairing Alumni With Students)
P.A.W.S. (“Pairing Alumni With Students”) helps bridge the gap between current students and WIU Alumni. Current students are paired with alumni to learn more about their respective majors/career fields. If you would like to participate in P.A.W.S., please contact the Alumni Association.
Kerstin S. Taylor Student Alumni Association Scholarship
The Student Alumni Association Scholarship is given in memory of Kerstin S. Taylor who was an active member of the Student Alumni Association and served as vice president in 2010. Two scholarships of $200 are awarded every spring semester. These scholarships are provided to promising student leaders. In order to be eligible, students must attend Western full-time, be sophomores or juniors, and have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. They are also asked to send in one letter of recommendation. Other factors include their level of involvement on campus, how they see themselves as an active alumnus and how the interaction between an alumnus and student can benefit current WIU students. It is important that these students demonstrate their ability to be in leadership positions and to be successful. Since we try to establish connections between students and alumni, it is important for us to make sure the applicants are actively promoting Western and that they will continue to be supportive of the University after they graduate. Application Deadline is April 1.
Kerstin S. Taylor Student Alumni Association Scholarship application
Survival SAAcks
During finals, your student has to deal with stress and probably other obligations for a variety of activities. Send a gift to brighten his or her day. Survival SAAcks are care packages carefully prepared and delivered by the Student Alumni Association of Western Illinois University!
Trivia Night
Each spring, the Student Alumni Association hosts a Trivia Night to raise funds for the organization. Below is a picture of the 2011 winning team.
***SAVE THE DATE***
Trivia Night 2012
Tuesday, February 28
Sherman Hall, 3rd Floor Auditorium
Team "Crane's Brains"
Clockwise from top right: Shelli Jennings MS-ED '07, Rori Carson '74 MS-ED '78, Allison Morgan '09, Julie Murphy '94 MS '95, Leslie Crane, Diny Burnell and Lisa Melz MS '94. Team Captain Lisa Melz donated the team's $100 first-place prize to Shaymus Guinn, son of WIU Women's Soccer Coach Tony Guinn, who is battling Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
Western Connection Newsletter
Student Alumni Association publishes a newsletter every spring semester. This newsletter is sent out to all past members of the Student Alumni Association. All of the Executive Board members in SAA write paragraphs to introduce themselves and the positions they have. We try to keep alumni updated on what is going on both with our organization and also with Western in general. It is important for the current students at Western to keep ties with its former students through these types of communications.
Discover Western Tours
Discover Western is a program established through the Admissions Office. Prospective students are invited to visit WIU for a day. Students and their families come to a Discover Western, have a continental breakfast in the University Union, have the opportunity to tour academic departments and learn more about the major programs at WIU. Following the academic presentation, there is a student panel question and answer session that is staffed by Student Ambassadors from Student Alumni Association as well as Admissions staff members, followed by lunch and a guided walking tour, also given by SAA Student Ambassadors. The tour ends with an informal question and answer session with Admissions counselors. Prospective students and their families can also tour a residencence hall at the end of the day.
