Whether you first saw the flyers and banners or were surprised to see a human hot dog in front of the Millennium Student Center (MSC); you probably noticed the "Wieners for Seniors 2009." Last Wednesday, the fifth annual "Wieners for Seniors" was held in the parking lot by the lake in front of the MSC. It was organized by Student Today Alumni Tomorrow (STAT) as a celebration for seniors graduating this summer; students at every level participated.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis Alumni Association and Career Services also got involved, with representatives taking time with seniors to give them information about graduation and life after college.
Beyond entertainment and celebration, the event was a recruitment opportunity for the Alumni Association, according to Michelle Kilper, a coordinator, who described the main goal of the event as "to welcome seniors into the association."
Attendees were offered leaflets with information about UM- St. Louis' Alumni Association membership benefits; outlining the options, prospects, and benefits that a graduate obtains by becoming part of the Alumni Association.
Alumni can receive a variety of discounts such as University Bookstore 10 percent discount on merchandise and 50 percent off of an ocular exam at the University Eye care Center. Discounts on eyeglasses and contact lens materials are also included.
Furthermore, there are discounts for Microsoft computer program classes, car rentals, moving services, Touhill Performing Arts Center, etc. Essentially, being a alumni allows one to retain many of the full and partial benefits that a student has.
At "Wieners for Seniors," students could get a membership application to the alumni association. An individual must pay $35 to be a member. Also, there are a few more options for payment. One must show the membership card to get the discount. For more details, contact alumni@umsl.edu, go to www.umslalumni.org, or call 314-516-5833
Although it was mainly for senior students, freshmen, sophomore, juniors could also join this event, and they did, possibly because of the free goodies available.
Attendants could get a green T-shirt, a bag of chips, a drink, health kit and UM- St. Louis drivers license flame free of charge. Needless to say, students also enjoyed free hot dogs.
Robbie Haupt, Media Studies, Senior, was the man behind the hotdog costume, distributing flyers by the lake and snagging students as they left the Nosh. He sees "Wieners for Seniors" as "a reward for the hard work students have done to become seniors."
There was a small Career Service booth for students to drop by at the event.
"We provide awareness to students about career success and how we help with the job plus internship search," Rachel Boehlow said.
They gave away a flyer which informed students of the services provided.
"I like that UMSL does an event to congratulate and recognize seniors for their hard work. It's also a great way for seniors to talk to and meet other seniors on campus," Brooke Tiesmeyer, senior, nursing said.
And it was clear that many students were taking advantage of Wieners for Seniors as a venue where they could get a head start on the all-important art of networking.
Tiesmeyer and her fellow seniors enjoyed taking pictures with the hotdog man in front of the lake to celebrate their coming graduation in May.
UM-St. Louis' U radio station entertained at this event by providing the music which was generally upbeat genres like hip-hop, R&B and pop. Heard during the afternoon were "Sober' by P!nk, "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley and other similar songs.
In addition to the U station's music, Joe Gomez and two other students performed on congas for this event.
"I like Latin jazz and reggae tone," Gomez, freshman, electrical engineering said.
Students signed up to get a prize before they received a hotdog. Prizes for freshmen, sophomores and juniors were a clock radio, an alumni weekend T-shirt, digital camera keychain, a coaster set, etc. Prizes for seniors were different from the other years. Their prizes included a car license frame plate, photo frame, blanket and a coaster set.
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