OT: Who Should Claim UM Alumni Status
So posts on another thread inspired me to post this as I have wondered about it for a while. To be considere a UM Alumni, do you have to have graduated from UM? I myself had about 50% of my undergraduate credits from UM, but I graduated from another school (grew up in Ann Arbor, had to leave). I have never been comfortable saying I am an alumni from UM. We certainly consider athletes who don't graduate alumni. The UM Alumni Association will take anyone who wants to write a check as a member.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
Bros before...wait...WTF? That's dumb.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
Because alumna is for a female graduate/former student.
Alumni - Group of male or male and female grads.
Alumnae - Group of female grads.
Alumnus - Singular male grad.
Alumna - Singular female grad.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
Latin Scholar +1. Took 3 years of Latin in HS, wrecked my gpa.
But I can sing "O come all ye faithful" in Latin....
Wait, you're saying women can go to college now? When did this happen?! This is an outrage! Next thing you know, they're going to start letting women in the Union.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^
Then I'll go find some hoes to prioritize behind you.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:24 PM ^
It's sexist but its about friendship
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^
+1 for Silicon Valley reference.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
I never knew that former students are considered alumnus. I took 12 credits from BYU while traveling over seas. I guess I'm an alumnus of BYU too?
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^
THANK YOU
Ugh. Seeing the misuse of "alumni" makes me ill.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
I always thought that was kind of strange that peoople would call themselves alumni of school, because I was under the assumption that anything ending in "us" would end with "i" in it's plural form. For example cactus=cacti, stimulus=stimuli. Makes me wonder about the word anus.
Words are pluralized like that because they're usually from Latin, but we don't always follow it. We use datum and data, but we say stadium and stadiums instead of stadia. Also, octopus isn't from Latin, so should it be octopi or octopuses? Octopuses sounds kind of weird though, too much "S" I guess.
Side note: Until recently, I thought blond and blonde had something to do with American and British spelling differences (like theater vs. theatre), but it's actually because blond is masculine in French and blonde is feminine.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
You're so welcome.
That sounds painful, maybe you should off those pin and needles.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
I posted the definition as a starting point for convesation. As a UMich grad and considering the term colloquially, I tend to lean more toward alum = graduate, as opposed to graduate OR former student.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
The University of Michigan alters their defintion slightly: a graduate or former student who successfully completed at least one term. (I don't believe they have a firm definition of "successfully.")
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^
Broadly speaking, here is the simple definition of "alumnus:" a graduate or former student, especially male, of a particular school, college, or university.
So, if you were a "former student," you can claim status as an alumnus of that institution.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
What if you earned a verified certificate in Pro. Scott Page's Model Thinking course, does that mean you're in?? (Fingers crossed)
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
So, if he were a former student, does that make him a current student?
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
It's almost too easy :
a graduate or former student, especially male, of a particular school, college, or university
EDIT : Beaten by all of the punches.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
An Alumnus is merely a former student. No graduation required.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
If you have spent considerable time during your professional or academic "career" at a team or institution allows you to claim that team or institution for representation as alumni.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
..are vague and tricky things. Some definitions describe an alum as a graduate or former student. Looks like you're covered under that definition.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:49 AM ^
From Merriam-Webster, alumnus: someone who was a student at a particular school, college, or university
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^
don't sweat it. And don't take any crap from anybody who would try to feel superior based on such (a) dubious criteria/on. Just hold up your end by not lowering the tone to such a level that there's nothing left but curse words and played-out internet memes and it is all good.
Big Tent Theory.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
/Big House Theory
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
What a bunch of nerds using the Dictionary to look up "Alumnus" ....LOL
[Office Space reference if you missed it]
No degree from the University, not an Alumnus. Period.
Getting the paper is what matters, but says nothing about a person's passion or love for the school. In about an hour I am meeting a client who is a diehard M fan and follows the program as close as anyone I know but he went to (and is an Alumnus of) that GM institute school.
He'd be the first to say he's not a MICHIGAN Alumnus.
Like many here, I also have two alma maters having gone to graduate school after UM. And while I am also proud of that degree and accomplishment and Alumni status at that Top Pac-12 school, I'm a far bigger FAN and active Alumnus of MICHIGAN.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^
A degree-holder is by definition a graduate. An alumnus is not necessarily a degree holder. Trey Burke is an alumnus. My father is an alumnus and graduate. I am not an alumnus. Unless taking a blow-off class on Coursera and living in Ann Arbor counts. Which it apparently can for the Alumni Association.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^
I'm sorry the official definition of the word is not to your liking, but as someone else said, getting the diploma makes you a graduate and alumnus. One is able to be an alumnus/alumna (whatever) based on the official definition.
April 23rd, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
vocabulary! it's as if words and definitions exist for a reason
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^
I went to Michigan isn't the same as I graduated from Michigan. There is nothing wrong with the former. Alums should embrace you. Trey Burke went to Michigan and I proudly claim him. But at this time, he is not an alum.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
Except Trey is an alumnus...
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^
I don't really care about what the dictionary definitions says. Common understanding is alum=graduate. If you didn't graduate from Michigan, you're not an alum. Former student? Sure. But alumni are graduates.
There's also shades of gray with Dearborn and Flint versus Ann Arbor, but let's leave that for another day.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
is a gray area. i understand why alumni of those schools would want it to be a gray area, but isn't it night and day, and only a slight step away from the difference between UCLA and UC-Davis, for example.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
IUPUI isn't Purdue. Illinois Circle isn't Champaign.
If someone implies Ann Arbor when he went to Dearborn or Flint, it will look insecure when disclosed. Be proud of where you attended. This doesn't make one any less a Michigan fan--the sports teams belong to all of us.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
That's right. Who needs dictionaries anyways? It is common understanding that words can mean anything that you want them to mean.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
it is a little more subtle than that.
words develop contexts over time, words become systematically misused over time, words are added over time, etc. I'd assert that in many ways, the word loses some of it's value if it means both of those things, as there is a wide gap between "former student" and "former graduate." You can argue that the word is what it is, but given that words are subject to contextual changes and the good language is clear language, it's not a completely black and white issue.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
This is why it's important that in exchanges like this topic we assert the correct meaning to the uninformed, to prevent a strictly informative word from becoming a pompous badge of dubious honor.
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
t-shirts that say Michigan Alumni if the word doesn't already have a context of being a pompous badge of dubious honor
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
Another person who does not like the official definition of the word. Nice. Too bad that does not change anything.
Also, graduating from UM-Flint and Dearborn is the same as graduating from Ann Arbor. That is why they're called regional campuses. They have the same admission standards as the main campus.
That is simply not true. The Jennifer Gratz suit aginst Michigan's affirmative action plan arose because she didn't get into Ann Arbor--even though she did get into Dearborn. Among other things, she likely wouldn't have had "standing" if they were considered the same.
Adding: Quick online review: Flint-moderately difficult with 21 composite ACT; Dearborn-moderately difficult with a 24 composite ACT; Ann Arbor--very difficult with a 29 composite ACT
April 23rd, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
" They have the same admission standards as the main campus."
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That's a riot. Dude. You are LYING. Look up the average SAT/ACT scores. The regional campuses are comparable (and not even favorably) to Western.