re: Why is our Alumni Association last in the SEC West in members?

Friend Raising must be expensive...

According to the Daily Reveille, as of 2008...LINK

BALLARD, SUSAN M. VICE PRES $110,821

PARRINO, AMY T. SR VICE PRESIDENT $120,854

ROTH, MARY CLARE M. VP FOR ALUMNI RELATI $98,297

VANNOY, CLIFFORD A. EXEC VP - ALUMNI AFF $143,168

And these are just the employees whose salaries are paid from university funds. Imagine what the president makes.

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The association has targeted select older donors to cater to and to lie in bed with until that donor rests in peace and hopefully gives most of what they earned during their lifetime to them. In the meantime, they are promised a hotel room on gamedays in the fall.

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I am not sure where you're getting your information? The Cook hotel is paid for by Donors of the Alumni Association. If you donated enough to put your name on a room (Which every fundraising organization does in American), then you are entitled to that room on game-days in the fall. The Cook Hotel houses the LSU Football team on game-days thus they take a majority of our rooms on Friday nights. Thats why many are not able to get into the hotel on football weekends.

The Alumni Association has several Major Donors many of which are younger than 40. Of course we have our share of older major donors as well - but so does TAF and the LSU Foundation.

Between the three fund-raising organizations on campus - we feel that all three work together and do a great job.

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Because LSU alums spend so much to be members of TAF...

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So LSU is the only SEC university that has an athletic foundation?

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So LSU is the only SEC university that has an athletic foundation?

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LSU's athletic foundation blows many other schools' out the water. Our athletic program is one of only a handful in the nation that is completely self-sufficient.

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Whoa buddy.....simmer down now. I don't think he was plugging the AA, he was just explaining what they do. Of all the posters on this board, Jason is probably the best qualified to speak as to the activities and purpose of the organization. I didn't see him hitting anyone up for membership.

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Thanks Longhorn. Appreciate the nice words. That's all I was trying to do...just explain what we do as an organization. I am sure that if someone was attacking his place of employment on here - he may feel obligated to stick up for it? Maybe not... but I do - because I love LSU - and my job.

To answer the topic about benefits... We are actually working on better benefits for our members. Currently as a member of the Association you receive the LSU Alumni Magazaine 4x a year, discounts at numerous places like The Cook Hotel, The Shelton Gift Shop, The LSU REC Center, LSU Golf Course, moving van companies, rental car companies,select hotels around the country, opportunity to purchase insurance from Liberty Mutual at a discounted rate, invitations to special Alumni Tailgate parties for Basketball and Football, invitations to Alumni Functions held at the Lod Cook Alumni Center, networking with the 125 chapters across the country plus TAF points when you donate to the LSUAA.

Trust me when I say this... We are working to make membership in the Association better for everyone. In my opinion for $35 to get those benefits, why not give back to the Association that helps support the best and brightest students LSU has. The Number of Scholarships the AA gives to students is amazing - and through all the economic downturns in the past 3 years - we have continued to pay every scholarship ane very professorship.

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But why would you want to pay the $50?

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LSU only sees that money in the form of a professorship or a scholarship.

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You answered your own question.

I want to give back just a little of what LSU provided to me. I give to both the Alumni Association and to TAF.

It's not ALWAYS about what YOU receive in return.

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DaBeerz

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You seriously need some time in the Time Out room, IMO.....

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I get hit from my fraternity, national fraternity, college of agriculture, TAF, then the Alumni Association.

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Same with me...except for the part about the fraternity, national fraternity and college of agriculture.......

It still can be a lot though. My priorities are my fraternity and the College of Ag. The CoA struggles especially because of budget cuts. They get a bad shake because everybody still thinks it's all cows and plows.

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He's always trying to find free publicity.

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Well, WHY wouldn't he?

Isn't that what he's supposed to be doing?

The Alumni Association is supposed to be spreading the word about what's going on... where LSU fans will read it.

They are supposed to ask you to support LSU and the association itself.

They are supposed to do this using every avenue they possibly can.

You may be annoyed with it... but that's YOUR problem. Not his. He's doing his job.

Bottom line... every alum of a university should at LEAST belong to its alumni association. Our alumni association isn't perfect, and no one else's is, either. If you don't like the alumni association, give to the LSU Foundation. You can pick exactly where you want your money to go, there.

BUT... when you consider that our collegiate ranking is based (in part) upon the rate of giving and participation by our alumni, it is the DUTY of all alums to sign up. It's not like it's hard or any kind of huge sacrifice.

If you're not interested in that sort of thing, that's your perogative. But don't complain about LSU's rankings when you're not doing anything to help it.