Your Support For Unity and Purpose Is Needed

Greetings My Fellow Alums, This email serves as an update of my efforts to "Unify our BAG organization and to return it to the direction/ purpose that the founders intended. I need the support of every BAG member who wants to see our organization remain a unified & viable group. We can get it together!! #1 The BAG 2017 Reunion link will go live at 9:00 am on Monday, March 27th . (TODAY!!!) You will go to the SIUC alumni page/ We have more than half of the rooms at the Hampton blocked off and you can only get a room if you pay your dues and register. I encourage you to register for the Reunion because, we must keep in mind that our alumni dues will fund scholarships for SIUC students for this coming Fall Semester!! This function is the primary purpose of our BAG organization. #2 The By-Laws committee has completed our newly revised By-Laws as was mandated by the General Body at the 2015 General meeting, and have made recommendations that will strengthen and unify our organization while assuring that we can return to the purpose for which our BAG organization was founded. The ratification process will take place on-line (electronically) and all active members will be able to vote. Please pay your Alumni dues by going on line or calling the Alumni association. I opposed the scheduling of any reunion events off campus and made recommendations to the reunion planning committee that all events should remain on campus. However, when you have two or three people planning an event for a large group without seeking suggestions from the membership then this is what happens! There is a Friday night party in Murphysboro which is a reckless and dangerous idea because it puts our members at risk for being stopped on IL-13 by the police! The Saturday afternoon Cookout scheduled for Attucks Park on the Northeast side of Carbondale again put our alumni at risk! There's no shade at that park and again some people will indulge in alcoholic beverages! We can't all fit under a tent! This the main reason that I called for the formation of an inter-generational reunion planning committee to promote a more inclusive event. I sincerely appreciate the attention and time that all of you have and will commit to this unification process. I believe with a strong set of By-Laws and members who believe in the true purpose for which the BAG organization was founded, we can move BAG forward. If you're not attending the Reunion, you must still pay your Alumni dues! Remember YOUR dues will help provide scholarships for our students at SIUC who are seriously in need of our support! YOUR dues also give you a voice in the direction that our organization will move! Thanks!