October 7, 2005
Alumni association group puts focus on students
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Alumni Association's newly created program for students is seeking more involvement through a variety of events this semester.
The Purdue Alumni Student Experience, referred to as PASE, was established in 2004 to get students involved in alumni association activities early with the hopes of creating a lifelong loyalty to the organization and the university, said Dan Rhodes, assistant director of membership and marketing at the Purdue Alumni Association.
"When students graduate from Purdue, they receive a free, one-year gift membership to the Purdue Alumni Association. After that, membership is $20 a year for the next four years," he said.
"Our goal with PASE is to educate students about the benefits of joining the alumni association and get them engaged as early as we can."
Membership is open to all Purdue students for $25 a year. Freshmen can join for a discounted rate of $80 for all four years.
Benefits include a membership card that offers discounts from a variety of businesses in the Lafayette-West Lafayette area, a T-shirt featuring Purdue traditions such as the Boilermaker Special and Purdue Pete, a wall calendar and a subscription to the Purdue Alumnus magazine.
But Rhodes said perhaps the most valuable benefit offered by PASE is the opportunity to network with Purdue students and alumni. This fall, PASE held a career networking dinner that was free to members of the organization. It was attended by about 100 alumni and 50 students.
"The networking dinner was a tremendous success," Rhodes said. "All students are told that they must network with people in their chosen field, but they're not given very many opportunities to do so. The PASE networking dinner gives students an easy way to connect with alumni and receive valuable career advice."
Rhodes said the group is planning more networking opportunities in the future. In the meantime, PASE has several events planned in the next few months.
At 1 p.m. Oct. 23, PASE members can attend a soccer game for free at the Purdue Soccer Complex at Cherry Lane and McCormick Road.
On Oct. 29, PASE members will take a behind-the-scenes tour of Mackey Arena, the home to Purdue men's and women's basketball teams. The tour will include a look at all levels of the facility that seats more than 17,000, from Keady Court to the locker rooms.
Rhodes said future tours are planned for Ross-Ade Stadium, Mollenkopf Athletic Center, Elliott Hall of Music, the small animal hospital in the School of Veterinary Medicine and President Martin C. Jischke's home, Westwood.
"This will give participants a VIP look at these famous Purdue landmarks," Rhodes said. "There's really no other way to get this kind of access. And all of this is free to PASE members."
On Nov. 19, PASE will sponsor a road trip in Indiana University for the annual Old Oaken Bucket game in Bloomington. PASE members will pay $40 for the game ticket, the bus ride and a tailgate party with food and giveaways.
Another event in the planning stages is a ski trip to Colorado, tentatively scheduled during winter break.
Rhodes said PASE currently has about 280 members, but the goal is to increase that number to 500 by the end of the semester and to 5,000 by the end of five years.
"One of the best things about joining PASE from a student's perspective is that there is no time commitment required," he said. "While we do sponsor a variety of events, members aren't required to attend them. So this makes it ideal for busy students."
Students can learn more about PASE on its Web site. To join the group, go online.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Dan Rhodes, (765) 494-8038, darhodes@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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