8 Reasons to Join SAA in 2018!

Open house on Monday was a blast!

It was exciting to see our dedicated returning members back together again after a long summer, as well as all the new faces who came to learn all about SAA. If the enthusiasm in Memorial Hall was any indicator of how the upcoming year will go, I think it is going to be one for the history books!

If you couldn’t come to our open house, haven’t heard about SAA, or came to the meeting and still aren’t 100% sold on why you should join, let me present you with 8 reasons as to why YOU should join SAA in 2018!

1.Hang out with super cool people

SAA is a large group with members ranging across all grades, majors, backgrounds, and experiences. When you join SAA, you are welcomed with open arms and have opportunities to make friendships that can last a lifetime!

2. Networking opportunities

SAA holds many events centered around networking. When you are a member of our organization, you get the opportunity to not only meet incredible alumni, but to host them during events as well, which creates deeper connections! You also get the chance to attend exclusive events and maybe even meet the Chancellor! Joining SAA provides you with the opportunities, support, and guidance to begin forging important connections that will benefit you for life.

3.Volunteer opportunities

Through SAA, there are a bunch of fun volunteer opportunities available! Whether it be participating in Mass Impact Day, helping at events around campus, or hosting donation drives, SAA helps you help your community!

4. Fun events

Throughout the year, SAA runs multiple exciting events on campus. Between the Multi Color Mile, Commencement Ball, Retreats, and I Love UMass Day, you will surely make memories that you won’t forget!

5. Leadership opportunities

SAA is an organization that encourages leadership. From having 22 leadership positions within our organization, attending conferences throughout the year, and having leadership development lessons during meetings, SAA can help you become a better, stronger, more experienced leader!

6. Life skills

SAA hosts workshops and offers guidance on resume writing, interviewing, and moving off campus to begin working! Gain experiencing managing social media, and even try your hand at blog writing!

7. UMass spirit

We bring the SPIRIT! From homecoming weekend to I Love UMass Day, SAA always brings the UMass Spirit to campus!

8. There is a place for everyone!

With 5 different branches and a multitude of events, SAA truly has a place, job, and opportunity for everyone!

 

With that, I hope I have convinced you that SAA is surely an organization that you want to join! I know that joining SAA was one of the best decisions that I have made since coming to UMass! If you want to join, come to any general body meeting or send us an email! Our meetings are Monday nights at 7:00 pm in Memorial Hall and our email address is saa@umass.edu.

Hope to see many new faces at our meetings in the weeks to come!

Jamie Downer ‘19

 

We want YOU to join SAA!

Happy New Year and welcome back from the UMass Student Alumni Association!

We are thrilled to be back on campus gearing up for some amazing events we have planned for the semester. To kick things off, we will be holding our Spring SAA Open House this coming Monday, January 29th at 7:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Anyone is welcome to attend to learn more about our organization and what we do for our campus and community!

If you aren’t sure if SAA is right for you, let me share with you 10 reasons why you should come out and join us on Monday night!

 

  • You get the opportunity to network with some amazing Alumni and you never know where these awesome connections can lead!

  • You get to participate in and learn more about event planning! In SAA, we plan events ranging from Student Alumni Networking nights to Commencement Ball! No matter what you are into, it is likely that we will be planning event that you’ll enjoy!

  • SAA provides lots of opportunities to volunteer both on campus and in the community. SAA participates in the Mass Impact Day here on campus as well as other initiatives that come to our attention. This organization is a great way to find more volunteer opportunities both on and around campus!

  • Within SAA, you get to develop your own personal leadership and professional skills. With plenty of trainings, conferences, and events at your disposal, SAA provides you an excellent opportunity for self-growth and development as you continue through your journey at UMass!

  • You will make some AWESOME new friends!

  • In SAA, you get the opportunity to attend high profile events and meet some important people here at UMass… maybe like Chancellor Subbaswammy!

  • There is a role for everyone in SAA! With so many diverse events, SAA provides the opportunity for people with all different talents, skills, and backgrounds to play key roles within the organization!

  • You get to be creative! We plan many events that require some creative and artistic minds such as Commencement Ball and the Homecoming Parade Float!

  • You get to show your UMass School Spirit! With Events like I LOVE UMASS DAY, SAA members get plenty of opportunities to break out those maroon t-shirts and chant the UMass Fight Song!

  • Chances to earn points toward some super cool UMass SWAG! When you join SAA, you can earn points for coming to meetings, attending events, and helping with different tasks needed within the club! These points can earn you SWAG like t-shirts, baseballs tees, professional name tags, ties, and scarves!

The Student Alumni Association is an amazing organization that provides so many unique, fun, and valuable opportunities to its members. The opportunities are truly endless, and you’ll never know what you can gain until you try!

We hope to see lots of new faces at the SAA open house on Monday

Jamie Downer, ‘19

Publications Coordinator

“Spring” Open House!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Well, after having to postpone twice after multiple snow days, the Student Alumni Association (SAA) finally had our Open House. It was an extremely successful event and a great start to the semester! You might be wondering, “What even is an Open House?” It’s a great question.

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Essentially, all throughout last semester and the first few weeks of this semester, the Recruitment team has been busy telling people about SAA—what we do, why it’s awesome, and why everyone should join. Open House is an informal meeting for anyone interested in joining SAA to come in and see what we do! We set up stations for people to rotate between to get an interactive overview of the SAA, with this semester’s stations including I Love UMASS day, Commencement Ball, Dining with the Stars/Alumni Relations, and Community Service/Leadership Opportunities. Prospective members spend about 10 minutes at each table where our e-board and cabinet members explain what each event is all about.

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This format is different than years past, where we mainly relied on a powerpoint presentation. This interactive format really showcases the variety of activities SAA is involved in and new members could get a better feel for what we have to offer. Everyone seemed engaged in this refreshed format, and we look forward to seeing the new members at our next meeting, which will be Tuesday, February 17th (pending no more snow days!).

 

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Camille Liederman

VP Recruitment and Engagement

Student Alumni Association

Second Semester Forecast

Welcome back SAA! After a successful fall semester and winter break, the SAA is gearing up to start the new year next week. We look forward to welcoming back current members, as well as any new recruits who would like to join the organization. There are also a few SAA members studying abroad this semester, and we can’t wait to hear about their adventures!

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Last semester, the SAA started out by planning the Nearly Naked Mile, and later on raised awareness for the Bears That Care Initiative. Both events were a success! Many of our members partook in our annual Fall retreat. The retreat included a “heads-up” type of word game to kick off the day, a colors personality quiz which helped us understand more about our leadership styles, and a team “building” activity, where we actually tried to build the tallest tower out of spaghetti. To this day there is still a dispute as to which team built the tallest pasta tower! In addition, we began planning for the 2015 Commencement Ball this spring, which always promises to be a great time for graduating seniors.

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RETREAT

These next few months are a busy time for the SAA! We have many different events right around the corner, including I Love UMass Day, the CASE ASAP Conference, and of course Commencement Ball. As always, SAA members will participate in various community service projects this semester throughout the UMass and Greater Amherst/Northampton Community.

In addition to our events and charitable efforts, we look forward to continuing our Minuteman Mentors program, a great resource that allows current students to contact UMass alums, or “mentors”, on LinkedIn to gain networking experience and career advice.

Last but not least, we’ll be working to promote the new Alumni Association license plate. This is a perfect way to show your UMass pride and give back to students, alumni, and the university.

If you’re interested in getting involved with SAA and the Alumni Association, send us an email at saa@stuaf.umass.edu.

We’ll provide more information on these events and more throughout the semester, but for now thanks for reading, and go UMass!