Alumni Association questions

Submitted by killerseafood3 on

I graduated back in '05 and barely remember my uniqname. I've been looking into joining the alumni association, mostly as I want access to the online resources through the library (research) and I like the idea of having my email address back.

Anywho, been reading about the alumni association.. While I've been to a ton of games as I held student tickets for 5 years, I've never had a chance to tour the Big House, see the locker rooms, etc.. My main question is, I see there were 3 tours this year and it says they were sold out. Are these tickets that go quickly, or are you basically guarenteed a spot if you join the alumni association?  Does anyone want to share what they like / dislike about being a member? I like the idea of a lifetime membership if I go this route, not really interested in paying per year. 

If this is too off-topic, feel free to delete. It would be nice to have some actual thoughts on this in addition to the snarky, insulting comments I hope to see! 

Team 101

November 30th, 2015 at 11:30 PM ^

I bought a lifetime membership about 25 years ago.  It was only $400 back then.  There are a variety of benefits some better than others.  The value of the membership in part depends on how much you take advantage of it.  Some of the benefits are only available to members.  We've been to Michigania and you have to be a member to go.  They also had a free parking gig for art fair and you get first dibs on the alumni football tickets.

They are having a cyber Monday sale for 20% off all memberships.  You still have a half hour to join.

Michigasling

December 1st, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^

Haven't used any of the "grown-up" benefits (e.g., discounts on rental cars, which I know how to get directly), but besides the opportunity to watch games with other alumni in crowded rooms with many screens and food and drink options, other recent events:  book launch with John U. Bacon, events with alumni Dana Jacobson (telling her ESPN-to-CBS saga and answering questions) and photographer Cynthia Carris Alonso launching her book Passage to Cuba

And this upcoming Saturday: the launch of In the Name of Editorial Freedom, a history of the 100 years of the Michigan Daily, featuring many of the well-known writers whose careers started there.

 

Ray

November 30th, 2015 at 11:43 PM ^

Our local chapter (Denver) organizes all kinds of great events--including a student send-off picnic that we took our daughter to prior to moving her into her dorm. They're also really good with hosting watch parties in Denver (Lodo's) and Boulder (the "other"--and IMO not as good Conor O'Neil's). In between they sponsor hikes, diplomacy picnics with other B1G alumni groups, and the like.

After many years of paying annual dues my wife and I splurged and became life members. If you plan on living a while (trust me, I actually did a discounted cash flow on the breakeven) it's the better deal. In any case, regardless of annual vs lifetime, think of membership as a reasonable indulgence that came by virtue of earning your stripes at one of the best schools in the world.

ilah17

December 1st, 2015 at 12:05 AM ^

We are members. I think tickets do go quickly. We've gone to the alumni event at the Joe for the UM v MSU hockey game, and it's sold out numerous times. We weren't guaranteed our tickets, it's first come/first served. Same with the annual Tigers event. I'm not sure we use our membership for anything, but we will have to in the future when we can no longer get our sporting event tickets through my father in law! 

PurpleStuff

December 1st, 2015 at 12:50 AM ^

Being an alum gives you priority points with the athletic department with respect to season tickets.  Being an alumni association member gives you nothing in that regard.  You do get access to some individual game tickets, but they are usually ones that would be widely available on the secondary market for less (loads of people try to get OSU or MSU tickets through the alumni association and end up with nothing or tickets to the UNLV's of the world).

Esterhaus

December 1st, 2015 at 1:12 AM ^

 
But aside from the opportunity to buy into additional perks the membership never really has done much for us. The Chicago alum association is skewed younger and in recent decades it has been staffed here by matriculants from the Dearborn campus and not A^2 grads.
 
We have informal associations in Chicagoland and those are the most fun. I suggest you find locals and arrange events with them, this is what we do and I recommend it as superior to the formal association(s) depending on where you live. 0.02

TrueBlue2003

December 1st, 2015 at 1:42 AM ^

I've been a board member of my local chapter for several years and want to address some of the comments.

I just worked with John U. Bacon at a book signing event that we helped him promote. He described Michigan (specifically football but applies to the university as a whole) as a religion, in the context of his new book which asserts that Brandon treated it too much like a business.

The alumni association is not a business, but it is a non-profit organization that sells memberships to cover operating costs, much in the way a church or spiritual center asks for offerings/contributions for operating costs. So if Michigan alums and supporters are members of a "religion", the alumni association provides the "church" activities around the country and world.

Your memebership dues provide the infrastructure (technology, legal, administrative) in AA that enables local chapter volunteers to organize game watches, raise scholarship money, provide career services, organize tailgates, and a whole slew of community building activities that do make a lot of people's lives a little brighter.

Like a church, you can participate in most of the events without being a paying member, and the financial "ROI" of a membership is probably not going to be positive if you only care about discounts and perks paying for the cost of membership. Joining the club through membership is best looked at as a charitible contribution to support the initiatives of the club (and it is tax deductible).

Jon06

December 1st, 2015 at 4:49 AM ^

I have 3 Michigan degrees, so I've gotten complementary one-year memberships three times, and I've never used any of them for anything. (Well, I did leave one of the little block M decals they send you with your membership card on a window in a house I rented from some Buckeyes in Ohio.)

My dad, on the other hand, has always been a member, and he does a fair amount of stuff through the alumni association. I think he goes to one or two events with the local alumni association each year, and we did a couple of Rose Bowl packages in the mid-'00s. There are some benefits of doing things through the alumni association. On bowl trips, you get to go to pre-game pep rallies where the band shows up and various administrators and coaches give speeches and stuff like that. But it is not generally the cheapest way to do anything: you pay face for tickets, you pay more for their hotel and tour packages than you would pay if you booked something on your own, etc.

So I think it depends a lot on how much scratch you want to spend on Michigan stuff, and if you would be interested in having the opportunity to do some first-rate but generally more expensive stuff.

BlueMichigan

December 1st, 2015 at 6:53 AM ^

I am also a Board member of an Alumni Chapter. I will not repeat benefits and facts already mentioned. To be honest, the Alumni Associaton and a chapter are only as good as the people involved. The volunteers, Board officers and board members are not paid. Most are passionate about Michigan just as the posters on Mgoblog are passion are about Michigan.

You will meet people with common interests, possibly form lasting friendships and get into some events because of the volunteer work and Michigan connections.. such as a tour of SpaceX , meet Michigan athletes and other Michigan grads. We support Michigan alumni as well as new Michigan students. We volunteer to clean the environment and support causes such as Chad Tough.

Go Blue!

Michigasling

December 1st, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^

You reminded me of one of the reasons I originally joined.   I realized I needed to meet people outside of my narrow field (besides that few of them cared a hoot about college sports; why I hang out here so much), but I also was eager to meet people from other fields, with other lives, with other stories.  I did, some of whom have become good friends, and there's always someone new discover, some older, some younger, many you'd never cross paths with otherwise.

Having Michigan in common helps break the ice, and allows you to meet those who weren't in the same major, in the same dorm, with the same pursuits and goals.  Makes life more interesting.

Mabel Pines

December 1st, 2015 at 7:34 AM ^

networking tool for alumni who live out of state and want to hang out with other alumni.  I would use it if I lived out of State.  (now that I think of it, my husband went to the alumni tailgate party at the Michigan Alabama game in Texas.  He said it was terrible.  No seats, a little bit of warm beer, and no food.)

WestQuad

December 1st, 2015 at 7:49 AM ^

I've only used it once, but you have access to the Michigan Library (online).  There are a lot of business databases that you can get some data from if your company doesn't give you access.   I went to Michigania East and it was fantastic, but otherwise, I agree with the religiion comments.

hockeyc

December 1st, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^

Depends on how you set up your email client. In gmail, I can send as [email protected] by adding my UMich address under "Settings->Accounts and Import->Send Mail As"

If you leave it as is, email sent from Gmail will show up as "From: [email protected], Sender: [email protected]". Outlook shows this as "[email protected] on behalf of [email protected]."

However, if you set up the smtp server (click edit info next to the name, and click next) it appears I can still send email through the umich mail server. That simply shows up as "From [email protected]" in outlook.

Yo_Blue

December 1st, 2015 at 8:14 AM ^

A huge benefit is UM Travel services.  I have been on Alumni tours to Switzerland, Italy,and this past year, South Africa.  You travel with other UM Alumni and have a tour guide the entire time to facilitate the little details that can be a pain in the ass.  The itineraries are first class.

First crack at away game and bowl game tickets is another huge benefit.

M-Dog

December 1st, 2015 at 6:38 PM ^

I always wondered who takes those Alumni travel tours . . . 14 days on the Danube for $17,000.

I was always curious who were these mythical people that had both the time and the money to do them.

I stand in awe.

bringthewood

December 1st, 2015 at 8:50 AM ^

Not a fan. I have been a member and contacted them for what I thought would they would have - and valuable to me - information on how to improve the chances of acceptance into Michigan. My employer provides a college coaching service but I found the Alumi Association and the local chapters provide no guidance at all. For those of you who have children who would like to attend Michigan, expect zero helpful information, guidance, or suggestions from the Alumni Association and local chapters. I understand that they have no say in admissions decisions, but a college coaching service for Alumni would be extremely valuable especially with the difficulty in gaining admission since the common app was implemented..

btw one of my two shildren attended and graduated from U of M Ann Arbor.

ghostofhoke

December 1st, 2015 at 8:54 AM ^

Meh, I paid for one for a year or two after the free year was up. Never really used it for much and haven't missed it. Depends what your priorities are. If you're in a place where it means a lot and gives you access to a network of people that you want to be a part of and you plan to be active then it's probably worth it. It might be a good way to connect in a new town but I wouldn't join for access to tickets or game packages. I think you get better with season tix and other than that I've never had a problem getting access to games or events the old fashioned way--through friends or buying on the secondary market. I wouldn't pay to join just to maybe pay face value for a game you might really want to go to at somepoint in the near or distant future.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

west2

December 1st, 2015 at 9:09 AM ^

that almni associations primary function is to raise money.  The benefits tend to be boiler plate regardless of the university (I attended 4 different universities).  If you want a tour of the big house, locker rooms etc they were giving tours prior to the spring game a couple of years ago.  They did not let you run down the player entry from the locker room to the field though.

Brodie

December 1st, 2015 at 10:02 AM ^

this isn't unique, every alumni association is like this. Because they're primarily fundraising and networking organizations, it helps to be big tent. UM has a huge non-alumni donor base, giving them access to discounted football tickets and a uniqname is maybe the least the school could do... I mean, my dad never went to Michigan but they still hit him up for money, he might as well get a discount on car insurance and the chance to watch Harbaugh speak at some event. 

Seth

December 1st, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^

Would people here want to do a Q&A with the alumni association? I'm sure Kevin Woodard of the national organization would be down and we have plenty of club leaders on hand as well. I'd be happy to do an offseason thing about it.

MGoShtoink

December 1st, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^

That would be valuable as he'd be able to answer questions about the biggest concern:  ROI.

I haven't renewed my membership in years.  That decision was further reinforced after I received a graduate degree from USC and was automatically a lifetime member of their alumni association at no cost.