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THE 36,000 DOLLAR QUESTION

Ever since the establishment(?) of the six hour drive standard, another mystical pronouncement has been offered.
We expect any day now to hear,
"Attendance At Todays Football Game was 36, 000!"

Several years ago, some genius came up with the Concierge Card as an effort to sell advertising to Kalamazoo merchants.
Interestingly, we are not aware of anyone who switched their insurance to a Kalamazoo insurance agency, or systematically search out Kalamazoo merchants for a whopping
10% discount at one of the local advertisers.
You "get what you pay for", generally, still holds true.
So, if you don't have to pay for a membership in the non-existant WMU Alumni Association, I guess it's not worth much.
We don't know how much money was "lost" when the membership dues were discontiued, but nominal dues of $10 to $20 a year is certainly better than nothing for nothing.

(Musical Interlude: see Billy Preston, Nothin' From Nothin' Leaves Nothin"! on YouTube)

The value of an active membership list, reflective of WMU attatchment to their Alma Mater, even in a small way, at least establishes a Data Base to determine interests and assist in
establishing further levels of activity anbd contact with surveys/questionaires.
For example:
If you want to get attendence increased at sporting events, especially among non-students, why not give General Admission tickets to Alumni Association Members?
This also might encourage Alumni, who do not regularly attend these functions to feel "more attatached to their Alma Mater, and Yes spend money while at the event.
The chances of Loyal and and Appreciated Alumni continued attendence and connection with their Alma Mater is probably a safer bet, than efforts to increase non-Alumni attendence.
We really don't think that season ticket holders would mind if the stands were overflowing.
We're not talking a couple of hundred tickets, we're suggesting hundreds to thousands of General Admission tickets, depending on the event and venue.

If there were an Active Association of Alumni, and corresponding Alumni Asociation Chapters, the Bronco Faithful might br more inclined to participate and encourage others to participate,
if they were shownsome respect, rather than being treated like "cash cows".
Also, this could be AN answer to recent "burning question",
"Do you have to be over 70 to attend a Bronco Basketball game?"

We have found over the years, that the strongest advocates for our Alma Mater, Western Michigan Ubiversity, have been participants in Local Chapters, and Alumni who generally attend
WMU events, especially athletic events, even over some distance.
Encouraging participating Alumni to encourage other Alumni to participate, would seem to be a logical strategy-a first stp to redemption,
if there were any strategies at all!
This holds true, even though School Administration is rarely bothered to tour Michigan, where the majority of Alumnio and taxpayers reside, and address the Bronco Faithful,
in preference to out-of-state and international tour locatons.
Are they in hiding?

Can anyone here spell and define LEADERSHIP?
Who's responsible for this "Them" and "Us" attitude?

Recent discussions suggesting that the FB recruiting increase it's emphasis on recruiting in Michigan, certainly flies in the face of a University Administration
that fails to engage it's Alumni, especially on a state wide basis, except in the pursuit of $$$ !

Before I'd go around naming a building an alumni center, in order to get the Alumni to pay for it and support it's maintenance, having a
functioning Association of Alumni, would be a more appropriate step.


What do you think?

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Todays words of wisdom:
You can lose your mind,
but not your sense of humor.