2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the editor
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Soap Box
A tradition over 130 years in the making
This letter is in response to Alissa Dow's piece in the Oct. 19 edition of The Maine Campus.
While Dow's article, I believe, was intended to criticize the Alumni Association for the high percentage of alumni-related activities planned for Homecoming Weekend, I would actually like to thank her for the compliment.
If her assertion is true that 90 percent of the planned activities are alumni-oriented, then I suppose that means the Alumni Association is doing its job well. After all, we
primarily exist to serve the University of Maine's 95,000 living alumni. We regret that the activities planned by the UMAA are not as interesting for students, however our primary goal is to attract our alumni back to campus.
Having said that, we have taken steps in recent years to make Alumni Association-sponsored activities at Homecoming more student-friendly, including FREE admission with your MaineCard to the Homecoming Craft Fair at the Fieldhouse. In addition, our selection of the retro 70s party band, Motor Booty Affair, who performed Friday night, October 20th at Buchanan Alumni House, was no accident; we purposely selected a group we felt would cross the generational boundaries and appeal to current students as well as alumni. Judging by the feedback we have received from those who attended I think we hit the mark. Many are calling the Motor Booty concert one of the highlights of the weekend - second only, perhaps, to the football team's fantastic victory over Hofstra, 21-10.
If Alissa and other undergraduate students would like to see more student-centered activities planned during Homecoming 2007 I encourage you to speak with your representatives in Student Government, the Campus Activities Board (CAB), and Dr. Dana in the Deans of Students office, each of whom has a hand in planning such events for students.
Meanwhile, you can rest assured that once current students graduate and look to come back to UMaine for Homecoming in 5, 10 or 25 years, the Alumni Association will be here, ready to welcome you with a "Hearty Maine Hello" and a variety of fun activities, just as we have been doing for more than 130 years.
Bob Potts
Marketing & Creative Services Manager
University of Maine Alumni Association
This letter is in response to Alissa Dow's piece in the Oct. 19 edition of The Maine Campus.
While Dow's article, I believe, was intended to criticize the Alumni Association for the high percentage of alumni-related activities planned for Homecoming Weekend, I would actually like to thank her for the compliment.
If her assertion is true that 90 percent of the planned activities are alumni-oriented, then I suppose that means the Alumni Association is doing its job well. After all, we
primarily exist to serve the University of Maine's 95,000 living alumni. We regret that the activities planned by the UMAA are not as interesting for students, however our primary goal is to attract our alumni back to campus.
Having said that, we have taken steps in recent years to make Alumni Association-sponsored activities at Homecoming more student-friendly, including FREE admission with your MaineCard to the Homecoming Craft Fair at the Fieldhouse. In addition, our selection of the retro 70s party band, Motor Booty Affair, who performed Friday night, October 20th at Buchanan Alumni House, was no accident; we purposely selected a group we felt would cross the generational boundaries and appeal to current students as well as alumni. Judging by the feedback we have received from those who attended I think we hit the mark. Many are calling the Motor Booty concert one of the highlights of the weekend - second only, perhaps, to the football team's fantastic victory over Hofstra, 21-10.
If Alissa and other undergraduate students would like to see more student-centered activities planned during Homecoming 2007 I encourage you to speak with your representatives in Student Government, the Campus Activities Board (CAB), and Dr. Dana in the Deans of Students office, each of whom has a hand in planning such events for students.
Meanwhile, you can rest assured that once current students graduate and look to come back to UMaine for Homecoming in 5, 10 or 25 years, the Alumni Association will be here, ready to welcome you with a "Hearty Maine Hello" and a variety of fun activities, just as we have been doing for more than 130 years.
Bob Potts
Marketing & Creative Services Manager
University of Maine Alumni Association
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