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Show ) Campus ri Alumni Board searching for answers Satisfaction high donations low among Westminster alumni Anna Hansen Staff Writer depends on how well I do after school, she said. But the little-knotruth about alumni giving is that about the its actually not money. The number of alumni who donate to the college is a significant factor in determining how highly Westminster mil be ranked in national surveys and factors into how much grant money some national funds are willing to give the college year by year. Tumpowsky said the most remarkable finding of the survey was just how high Westminsters alumni satisfaction rate is: 99 percent of alumni are satisfied with their experience a stunning statistic, she said. So school is the doing a wonderful, wonderful job. But according to the alumni giving Web site, U.S. News & World Report uses the alumni participation rate as the only indicator of alumni satisfaction when it publishes its annual ranking of colleges and universities. Proud graduates or not, when Westminster alumni dont donate to the college, it seems, their money talks. Alumni surveyed agreed that the purpose of the alumni program should be to help build the colleges reputation by a variety of means. They really understand that the stronger Westminster College is, the more valuable their degree, said Tumpowsky. The Alumni Board is developing a five-ye- ar strategic plan intended to better meet the alumni expectations and to increase the number of donations by alumni. Clearly, being an alumnus of Westminster College is going to be more and more valuable, Tumpowsky said. wn Perhaps its because Westminster graduates are short on cash. Perhaps a lack of sororities and collegiate football weakens the sense of Griffin pride. Perhaps alumni feel that a college favored on occasion with considerable gifts from prominent local donors would sniff at a mere $20 contribution. But whatever the reason, Westminsters alumni participation rate has or number of alumni who donate every year been consistently low compared to other colleges. Last spring, concerned members of the administration, Board of Trustees and the Alumni Board joined forces to authorize an extensive, independent survey of more than 1,000 Westminster alumni between May and October 2007 via phone and surveys, and three focus groups. ail "Alumni really understand that the stronger Westminster College is, the more valuable their degree." Dana Tumpowsky Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Its important, first of all, to know who your audience is, said Dana Tumpowsky, director of alumni and parent relations. The survey made possible the first opportunity in the colleges history to really delve into questions like, Who are our alums? What do they expect from the college? And why are they not giving back? Tumpowsky presented the results of the survey to some two dozen assembled faculty and staff on Jan. 12. Thus far, there are about 15,000 alumni from the colleges graduate and undergraduate programs, of whom about 8,500 are located on the Wasatch Front. The number of alumni is significantly increasing, said Tumpow- sky, citing recent graduating classes of 600 or more compared to the average class of about 100, decades ago. The top benefits alumni want, according to the survey, include continuing educational and professional development, opportunities to audit classes, and a system to allow contact with other alumni within a career field. Theyre very focused, Tumpowsky said. Thats what their experience (at Westminster) was. Additionally, 38 percent responded favorably to more social events, and 46 percent would like more family-orientactivities. Asked about the annual fund, 45 percent of surveyed alumni responded that they dont have enough money to make a contribution. In focus groups, participants ventured that the minimum contribution the college would want is $100 some even guessed $500. Current student Celcey Cox, a junior in the math program, said she may donate to Westminster as an alumna. It ed Dana Tumpowsky presents the results ofa recent alumni survey Jan. 12. VOLUME XU: ISSUE U" 4r 4 ' k r Current students can grow weary of hearing about alumni affairs or think, That doesnt apOfply to me yet. But read on to see what the fice of Alumni and Parent Relations has to offer current students. Want to help designate a student speaker for graduation or choose the class gift? Join Relations Committee. All the Student-Aumstudents are welcome. The next meeting will be Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. in the Alumni and Parent Relations office. Fond of free food? The Office of Aumni and Parent Relations provides a snack of the week every Thursday from 2- -5 p.m. in an effort to meet more current students. Find the office on the top floor of Converse Hall (although in April, it will be moving over to the new alumni house). Snacks range from chicken soup to cake, strawberries. doughnuts and chocolate-covere- d Need a quiet place to hang out or study? Dana Tumpowsky and Michelle Barber invite anyone to stop by the Aumni and Parent Relations office anytime to relax on the cushioned chairs or at the table. The teapot waters always hot, said Tumpowsky. Theres always something to eat. Ive thought of having a Scrabble game always going. And if three flights of stairs are daunting, Theres an elevator right there, she said. ni Snow and ice present safety hazards Risk Management and Plant Operations prioritize winter maintenance Sara Herrmann StaffWriter more than 10 maintenance workers, but with the minimal resources that the college has, it sometimes comes From descending the stairs of Converse Hall to walking across the bridge to the Residential Village, navigating the campus under a tight schedule is familiar to students. But sometimes moving too quickly during the winter can teach a painful lesson. Inclement weather demands taking precautions, such as slowing down, wearing comfortable shoes and not taking shortcuts. Westminsters staff is working constantly to maintain a safe environment for all students, faculty and staff to be in. Most students agree that the snow removal done on campus is fairly good and mostly works out. Freshman economics major Dan Cyr said, Sometimes there is a dangerous accumulation of ice sloping from the back of Shaw toward the parking lot. All in all, though, the sidewalks are clear. Kelly De Hill, director of risk management, has been at the college for about three years and has heard of only a few sidewalk-relate- d injuries. Those injuries usually result from the person doing something unsafe, like running on the ice, leaving the sidewalk, etc. The college does not have an obligation to provide insurance for the students, but it takes various precautions to ensure their safety. Plant Operations, headed by Richard Brockmyer, works during the winter to keep the parking lots clear and the sidewalks safe. The maintenance staff, made up of nine workers and one foreman, begins at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays and 6:30 a.m. on weekends. Brockmyer said that taking care of snow removal is the maintenance departments first priority, and once it hears of snow coming, it drops everything else to prepare for the snow removal. Curtis Ryan, vice president of finance and administration, said that there probably should be 2 10 Students Become Alumni down either to employing a new faculty member or a new maintenance worker. "Maintenance and risk management is an ongoing process, and we need everyone's help to do it." Kelly De Hill Director of Risk Management Everything done at Westminster is which means that professional al companies are not called in. Even with this policy, Brockmyer expects to spend in excess of $10,000 on snow removal this winter. Costs include salt, shovels, plows and paying the workers overtime as well as their regular hours. He said that even though the work is frustrating and hard, it has to be done, and the staff is always up for the task. Brockmyer added that there will always be spots that skip the workers attention, but they work hard and clean up what they find or know about. Inspectors from the health and fire departments, insurance agents and structural specialists, as well as college employees, are constantly scrutinizing the campus and checking up on safety issues and hazards. With all of these people and the work that they do, accidents still happen. De Hill said, Maintenance and risk management is an ongoing process, and we need everyones help to do it. She added that anyone who sees a spot of black ice or a walkway that hasn't been shoveled should report it. Any danger that is observed needs to be addressed, or it can become a big problem. in-hou- se, snow-remov- |