U Devils group promotes employee involvement

There are Sun Devils, and then there are Sun Devils. Some alumni love ASU so much that they stay on as a faculty or staff member. And some employees come to bleed maroon and gold, even if they received their education elsewhere.

The ASU Alumni Association is celebrating the dedication of faculty and staff members who are members of the Alumni Association by creating the U Devils group and holding a monthlong series of events in the group's honor. Christine Wilkinson, Alumni Association president and a proud employee-alum, said the group is being formed as a way to unify employees who share multiple connections to ASU, as well as to encourage other employees to join the Alumni Association.

“Employees who are alumni have a deep commitment to ASU,” she says. “We wanted to say thank you to those who have formalized that commitment by joining the Alumni Association, as well as give them the opportunity to meet each other outside of the office or classroom setting.”

The U Devils group will be open to all employees who join the Alumni Association, regardless of ASU alumni status. It will be launched with an appreciation mixer from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., March 27, at Old Main on the Tempe campus. All employees who are Alumni Association members are welcome at the event. The mixer will feature remarks from Wilkinson, prize drawings, an appetizer buffet and beverages.

The mixer will be followed by an entire month of events. On April 4, the lobby of Old Main will be the site of a “Coffee Stop” from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The association will provide members with their daily fix of coffee and pastries, compliments of Cupz. A suggested $1 donation will go toward the Alumni Association's Medallion Scholarship Fund.

The fun continues April 11, when employee-members are invited to “Fairytale Brownie Hour” from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Basha Library on the third floor of Old Main. Fairytale Brownies and Cupz coffee will be available for this mid-afternoon break.

On April 18, there will be an “Escape the Madness” picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Old Main lawn. The picnic, designed to combat end-of-the semester doldrums, will feature live music and free beverages.

The month of U Devils events concludes April 25, with a “U Lucky Devil” drawing. Employees who enter the contest could win a free lunch for two at the University Club on the Tempe campus. To enter the drawing, Alumni Association members must e-mail their name and membership number in the header line to alumni@asu.edu by 5 p.m., April 24.

To join the Alumni Association at the special employee rate ($25 annual/$300 life) and participate in the U Devils events, visit the Web page www.asu.edu/alumni/membership/join.shtml. Employees may use payroll deduction to pay for their life membership; the membership fee will be deducted from their pay over the course of one year.