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This is something that I meant to post about for a few months, but kept slipping my mind. I was thinking about it again tonight, and figured I'd post it while it had me "fired up". (And really, this "fired up" is more like a "smolder", but I wanted to get the idea out.)

Is there some sort of alumni benefits that can be applied for or paid for? It's not all that much that I'm wondering about, but as much as BG feels like home when I return, some aspects have me feeling like an outsider. The major point that had me thinking about this was the last time I was up there (Labor Day week), I was bumbling around campus, using Jerome Library for BGSUsports.com research, and was looking into the campus wireless network. Unfortunately (but understandably), you need a login ID to access the network. The answer the alumni office gave to me was that I had to go through campus IT, which ultimately resulted in me needing to be "sponsored" by someone on campus that knew I was "legit". Even after that was taken care of, the answer was "oh, well the library has computers you can use without a login". It worked out fine, but that wasn't the issue.

I don't think it's something that a whole flood of alums would use, and definitely not all at once, but why can't there be an "alumni ID card", to give each alumni a "P00" number for use in such cases? I'm sure there are some other benefits that it could be used for, but I'm not being greedy. Ticket prices are reasonable (although using an alumni card for a discount on season tickets would be nice, provided I lived in the area) and a lot of other services are still great (the library has been very welcoming to me).

Am I just crazy, or does this seem like a good idea to have? As Steve in the archive room at Jerome said "they know how to find you when they need money, but they can't verify you when you need them to help you out."

Also, what other "benefits" would help alumni out, both locals and those that visit from afar?

I agree. It wouldn't take much for the Alumni office to come up with some sort of benefits, even if it required a donation.

When I first started donating to BG, I would get an Alumni card. It was actually good for 10 or 20 % off at the campus bookstore, which we actually used on several occasions. Now I get a window decal. I wonder if it creates a tax issue?

I donated about 500 comics books out of my collection (yeah - Geek here) a few years ago..... not that I am looking for a pat on the back or a cookie..... but you would think the Library would be after me for more donations, whether cash or in-kind, and trying to reach out to me. I get nothing from the BG library in terms of news or what they need. I use to direct my donation to Miami to the Art and Architecture library. They still send me information about the library. Maybe time to direct my donation to them again.

My employer (a major oil comp) put together a list of vendors that give us discounts. A lot of these are related to the company using their products (Veriozon, Dell, Chrysler, etc) but it seems like the Univ could put something similar together. Deals with Microsoft, Dell, and Apple seem like a good place to start. But then again, I think some of this is already available. I know when I bought an Ipod, I went through the bookstore website and got like $20 off. So maybe these programs are available, but we just don't know about it.

Warthog wrote:So maybe these programs are available, but we just don't know about it.

That's what I'd be interested in finding out. And certainly it couldn't hurt the university to have it's alums getting deals on technology-type equipment (computers, etc.). I know the fiancee has a card she shows at the U of Evansville bookstore and gets 10 or something percent off. Granted public vs. private school probably goes a long way in that argument, but really, what's 10% if it gets an alum who wouldn't shop there normally to swing by the bookstore on a trip to town?

And as far as the wireless login, they don't have to provide that to every alum, but it would make it a lot easier for those who wanted to use it to provide a "P00" number and get hooked up.

TG1996 wrote:

Warthog wrote:So maybe these programs are available, but we just don't know about it.

That's what I'd be interested in finding out. And certainly it couldn't hurt the university to have it's alums getting deals on technology-type equipment (computers, etc.). I know the fiancee has a card she shows at the U of Evansville bookstore and gets 10 or something percent off. Granted public vs. private school probably goes a long way in that argument, but really, what's 10% if it gets an alum who wouldn't shop there normally to swing by the bookstore on a trip to town?

And as far as the wireless login, they don't have to provide that to every alum, but it would make it a lot easier for those who wanted to use it to provide a "P00" number and get hooked up.

I actually have an idea about this could be done pretty easily... going to email the CIO about it today...