I thought it meant something to be an alumni

[audiyoda]

Well as some of you may know, I graduated last year from Michigan State University with an advanced degree in Telecommunication Media Arts. I know....yippeee :)

Well today I recieved a letter that just about peeved me off to the nth degree -- it was an invitation to 'renew' my alumni status (exact wording). It seems that graduating and having paid all that tuition just isn't quite enough -- I've got to fork over $60/year or $700/lifetime to be considered an official alumni in the eyes of the school. Worse yet, I discovered anyone can join the alumni association -- you could have attended U of M and as long as you put forth the $$$$, MSU will let you join the alumni association. That's just wrong in my eyes -- the quest for the almightly dollar has gone too far. When my alma-mater can't consider me an alumni without me greasing their palm, somethings wrong.

-Craig

[juppy]

I always thought you had to actually go to a school to be considered an "alumni". Guess not. That's pretty screwy that they have it set up like that, Craig.

[LawyerRon]

I got the same treatment when I graduated from Law School.

[doctorgonzo]

I got the same thing from the University of Minnesota. Frankly, I don't care to be involved. Just because I graduated from a school does not make me a member of some kind of extended "family." College was more or less a simply business transaction, not a way of life. Besides, they just took their dues and built a multi-million dollar Alumni center (http://www.alumni.umn.edu/vertical/Sites/{D6C96D80-F3A7-11D4-85D9-005004AD2AC8}/uploads/{98AC8E4D-04B8-46D9-931A-43030FD36381}_WEB.jpg) that bears a great resemblance to a sandcrawler (http://www.starwalking.net/events/force_3_5/SkyForce_3.5_6.jpg). No, thanks.

[mikeheitz]

Funny... I graduated from Southern Illinois University almost a decade ago and still can't get a peep out of the Alumni association about joining. I guess my money ain't good enough for them!

:)

[sdkfz]

As a life member of the UCSB alumni association, the wording of the invite sure is funky, you are an alumni because you graduated, you are not an alumi if you go, but never finish your degree.

I joined as lifetime because I got special library privledges at UC libraries and the cost benefit was right (student's can not walk through the stacks at UCB for example - but alumni's can)and I never thought I would move out of state (Texas and now Massachesetts) course now in retrospect it was not such a great idea. oh well.

After all that, if you do not get a specific benefit by being an alumni that you WILL USE forget it, it really does not give you any social/employment etc benefits

[Nuclear Krusader]

Education has become a business nowadays.

Once upon a time universities were places of learning... now they are only storefronts disguised as schools. :(