Student Alumni Association Surpasses Goal, Finishes Year With More than 4,500 Members

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Matthew Washington of Crawfordsville became the 4,500th member of the Student Alumni Association on June 30.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Student Alumni Association of the Arkansas Alumni Association reached its goal of 4,000 members when Jonathan Lewis from Little Rock joined on June 16 while attending New Student Orientation. Membership continued to grow and the Student Alumni Association welcomed its 4,500th member, Matthew Washington from Crawfordsville, on June 30.

“I am proud of our Student Alumni Board members who have worked hard this year to reach out to the fellow students,” said Ryan Miller, associate director for student and young alumni outreach. “Many of these students graduated this past May, but worked hard throughout the year to engage the entire campus and built connections for life-long Razorbacks.”

The Student Alumni Association is the student chapter of the Arkansas Alumni Association. Created by students in 2003 under the former name R.E.A.L. Razorbacks, it is now the largest student organization on campus. The goal of the association is to connect students to alumni and preserve university traditions.

Student membership in the organization was at an all-time low at the beginning of 2013 school year when membership dipped below 300. Membership this past year set an all-time high, finishing with 4,519 members. Blake Griffin, 2016 Student Alumni Board president, said reaching the largest number in the history of this organization wouldn’t have been possible without the outstanding students on the Student Alumni Board.

"I challenged the board to reach 4,000 members by the end of school, and by July we had surpassed 4,500. Students from all across campus involved in various organizations have been so supportive in helping build our organization, and we’re looking forward to our biggest year to date,” Griffin said.

The organization’s partners across campus include New Student & Family Programs, Associated Student Government, Student Activities, University Programs, Greek Life, the Center for Community Engagement and University Housing.

Members of the Student Alumni Association receive more than 80 perks, including 5 percent off textbooks and 10 percent off school supplies at the U of A Bookstore. Members can network with alumni through mentoring programs such as Hearing from a Hog and also have the opportunity to pick up Official BEAT shirts before every home football game. The student organization also hosts many events, including Homecoming and the Senior Walk Dedication, to further educate students on the goal of maintaining tradition. The board, along with the association, also organizes the Senior Awards recognition programming that include the Seniors of Significance, Razorback Classics and the Senior Honor Citation – the top student award on campus.

Any student can become a member of the Student Alumni Association. Annual student memberships are $20. For more information or to become a member of the largest student organization on campus, stop by the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House at 491 N. Razorback Road or visit arkansasalumni.org/students.