This year’s annual retreat was held at Camp Bernie in Port Murray, New Jersey.  The goal for the retreat was to begin planning for major events such as Talk Like a Pirate Day, Bounce N’ Trounce, and Student Engagement and Philanthropy Day.

When not planning events, SAA was off climbing the ropes course, both high and low.  The goal of the ropes courses was to work on the communication and team work of the organization.

Congratulations to this years team leaders that were also selected at the retreat!

• Kevin Lagarenne
• Carlo Amato
• Brooke Flores
• Laura Tecza

CONGRATULATIONS to the nine amazing new members SAA has taken in this semester! This Spring SAA conducted a recruitment process in order to fill the spots of our wonderful seniors that will graduating and moving on to bigger and better things. We hosted interest session to get word out about the great work SAA does as an organization. Here we handed out an application to give potential new members a chance to show off why they would be perfect for SAA. Those interested then attended an interview and a group process where we really find out how well the applicants work together as a group. This process is unlike other clubs on campus, but it shows us who would fit best in SAA. The decision process was extremely difficult because of the fantastic caliber of applicants, but we came together as a group to pick the best 9 applicants and we could not be happier with our decision.

This week was their first meeting as new members and they are off and running already contributing to the organization with great ideas for our upcoming events. Be sure to come out and see our new members in action at our upcoming events, Softball pandemonium April 19^th at 12pm, Baseball pandemonium April 24^th at 6pm and Pirate Birthday May 2^nd as part of Spring fling.

The Student Alumni Association (SAA) is back for another amazing semester and we are hitting the ground running! February is Student Engagement and Philanthropy Month (SEPM) and we will be at various locations around campus to allow students to reach out and say “Thank You” to those who have made our time at Seton Hall possible! Student Engagement and Philanthropy Month is a program organized by CASE Affiliated Student Advancement Programs  that is designed to increase student awareness about philanthropy and to grow student engagement around campus. It is a program that is celebrated by universities all over the country every year and we are proud to take part in such an amazing opportunity. During SEPM the members of SAA will be hosting events and activities to engage students and increase awareness about philanthropy in higher education. Make sure to keep an eye out for our tables throughout February for your chance to win prizes and a chance to thank those who make our education special.

This summer, our SAA members had the opportunity to travel and capitalize on professional development opportunities. Whether it was an event in New Jersey, or a trip to Missouri, members took advantage of traveling and networked not only with other Pirates and but also with organizations like our own. Below are two members’ experiences from the summer:

I had seen pictures from the 2013 CASE ASAP conference and was excited to be able to make my own memories in St. Louis.Being in a hotel with hundreds of other students with similar interests and goals heightened my passion for a successful contribution to my

Student Alumni Association. No two ideas out of hundreds of presentations were the same. It was rewarding not only to see the different paths other universities take but also to experience my own growth and pride from presenting Seton Hall’s ideas and answering questions that other Universities had. I thought that sitting through four presentations a day would be less than exciting, but I learned so much from these sessions and they made me so excited to go back to SHU and start a new tradition. As a new member of SAA, the CASE ASAP trip helped me bond with my fellow members and create many new friendships. I can’t wait for the next few meetings and retreat when we can start telling the rest of the organization what we learned and what we would like to start doing at Seton Hall.            – Rhiannon Ohnstead ‘16

On July 23rd I was given the tremendous opportunity, along with a few fellow SAA members, to travel to our nation’s capitol to represent Seton Hall University during the 11th annual The Hall on the Hill reception. Upon our arrival in D.C. we went sight-seeing and we showed our Pirate pride at each stop.  This was my first travel experience with SAA, as I am a new member, so I was unsure what to expect, but the event was incredible.

We arrived and helped with setting up and checking people into the event. Alumni, members of Congress, and our University President joined together to celebrate the immense growth that Seton Hall has gone through and the bright future of where Seton

Hall is headed. I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing alumni who were  enthusiastic in sharing their stories and eager to also hear about my Seton Hall experience. After the event wrapped up we were able to personally speak with President Esteban and he shared stories with us about his college life and praised us for the work we had done. He even gave us in depth news of changes that we would see when we arrived back to school in August! To conclude our exciting day, we got the chance to go to dinner with one of SAA’s first presidents, Matt Steele, and other proud alumni. It was a phenomenal trip, and I look forward to seeing where SAA takes me next!            -Jason Rivera ’16

A few weeks ago, from November 18- 21, members of the Student Alumni Association were in and out of the George M. Ring building every night calling as many alumni, students, and friends of the university as possible to say “Thank you!”

In the spirit of Thanksgiving the members of SAA attended to hundreds of calls each night to reach out to say thank you for not only monetary donations, but also to those who have donated their time.  Thank-a-Thon involves leaving many personalized messages but also very many conversations with alumni who usually are surprised by the subject of our calls – a simple thank you.  Personally I had the chance to speak with Helen Lerner (’76) about her contributions to my education.  Mrs. Lerner donated the Helen Lerner Amphitheater in McNulty Hall, which as physics major I have spent a ton of time in.  It was great to be able to thank her for her role in my education, and many other SAA members have similar stories to tell.

As a senior this was my last time being able to call alumni to say thank you, but I cannot wait until next year a member is calling me!  Thank-a-Thon has and always will be one of my favorite events to be able to participate in with the Student Alumni Association, it is a great experience.

Stacie Ballou ‘14

Dear Fellow Students,

Around campus, you may be seeing posters and signs asking if you are True Blue.  You also may be wondering what exactly True Blue is.  It is our pleasure to assist University Advancement in announcing the official launch of this alumni recognition program, which occurred during Seton Hall Weekend on Saturday, October 5^th.  There has been a large initiative to grow the number of engaged and involved alumni who are “complete citizens” of the University, and this program is how Seton Hall will be celebrating and honoring those who support us through and through.

The alumni who will be recognized for being True Blue are those who you have most likely seen taking an active role in the Seton Hall community, whether at a Career Center event, an Open House or sitting in the stands with us at The Rock. These alumni are supportive of Seton Hall in all aspects; philanthropy, advocacy and overall presence.  They are Pirates for life.

Pride in being a Pirate is the most important aspect of being True Blue.  This pride is seen in the enthusiasm alumni show while boasting about the exciting things that are happening at Seton Hall and through dedication when they come to campus to assist us, current students, in our journey to become professionals in our fields of study.

True Blue alumni will be hard to differentiate from current students when it comes to the love that they have for our campus and University.  This initiative is Seton Hall’s way of saying “Thank you, keep up the good work” to those alumni who are happy to lend a hand.

You, too, can be True Blue one day, and we hope you will be. More information can be found at www.shu.edu/go/trueblue.  As current members of this campus, your ideas on ways to publicize and improve this budding program and its membership are greatly appreciated !

Go Pirates!

Seton Hall Student Alumni Association

Seton Hall Celebrates
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
September 19, 2015

The Student Alumni Association is proud to host a variety of activities on campus to celebrate this day to celebrate Pirate pride! Alumni will participate through social media contests. Come out to the University Green from 12-4pm Saturday, September 19. There will also be games, prizes, and food, so try to stop by!

All Day
Tweet, Post, Follow

Show off your best pirate talk all day long on social media and use the official hash tag – #SHUPirateTalk! Each and every time you use the hash tag you’ll be entered into a daylong contest for great pirate-themed prizes. Winners will be selected and announced throughout the day so post multiple times for more chances to win!

 #SHUPirateTalk

The Student Alumni Association (SAA) will welcome the Class of 2017 to campus at the start of the fall semester with a variety of the organization’s signature one-of-a-kind events. SAA will also take part in traditional fall welcome events hosted by the Student Activities Board, Housing and Residence Life, Student Services and others.

All incoming freshmen are encouraged to stop by and say “hello” to SAA members at the following events:

• Move-in Day
• Traditions Orientation
• First Night Frenzy
• Blue Day
• Talk Like a Pirate Day

Complete and updated information will be published on our calendar when it becomes finalized.