As many of you know, The Quad is an official registered student organization (RSO), which means that we will be participating in this year’s Quad Day festivities. We are not your typical RSO however, so we are planning some pretty special activities. We will be live-blogging from the event and hosting live-video from our Quad Day tent. We also have some awesome freebies including pens and ping-pong balls. Don’t miss it!

Quad Day is from 12pm-4pm on Sunday, August 23rd on the main quad. Come to our tent early to take advantage of the give-a-ways. We are offering a free preview of the Quad Day organization map so you can check out our location and scope out the location of your other favorite RSOs. It is included at the end of this article.

On Quad Day, we are looking for readers and writers to join our team. If you are interested in writing, please stop by and have a chat with us. We’d love to have you aboard. It is our hope, as an organization, to bring new writers, editors, and designers to our team. We’d like to create a news source that spans the many disciplines and lifestyles of Illinois’ students.

We’ll see you on Quad Day!

Official Quad Day Map – Download Here

This is the 500th post for The Quad. We’ve been sharing the good news of the University of Illinois for over two years since our first post on May 15th, 2007. We’ve seen the removal of Chief Illiniwek, an Illinois Football Rose Bowl visit, multiple Facebook redesigns, an impeached Governor, and one of the most historic presidential elections in modern history Through it all, we’ve been here, with you. We’d like to thank you, our readers, for suporting us throughout the years.

At this time, it is our pleasure to announce that The Quad has recently become an official Registered Student Organization (RSO) at the University of Illinois. It is our hope, as an organization, to bring new writers, editors, and designers to our team. We’d like to create a news source that spans the many disciplines and lifestyles of Illinois’ students.

Nothing you see here will change dramatically, we will still be providing you with the latest Illinois news. Any changes will only be an improvement. Our coverage will improve as we add more writers and editors from all walks of life. We will be on the ground running during the Fall 2009 semester.

Please continue to stay tuned and look out on campus for more information on our new endeavers.

Thanks again for the support, and Go Illini!

This is the first edition of a new series on The Quad called Society Spotlight where we focus on a student group at UIUC.

Name: Student Alumni Ambassadors
Location: Alice Campbell Alumni Center
Point of contact: studentalumniambassadors@ad.uiuc.edu
Website: http://www.uiaa.org/urbana/saa/

Mission: The purpose of SAA is to establish, foster and promote the development of beneficial relationships among the University’s students, alumni, staff, faculty and the campus community. SAA also promotes the activities of the UI Alumni Association through its programs and services to create and instill the spirit of the Illini in University of Illinois students.

The following is an excerpt from an interview with SAA Membership Co-Chair Ashley Soriano:

What do you do?
We program events for current students and alumni. These include iHelp, Homecoming Kickoff, Pep Rally, GradFest, and more! We also host alumni and work service requests for President White. We help students make lasting memories while on campus and then make alumni feel welcome and comfortable when they come back.

What is the most interesting thing you do?
Some of our members love meeting alumni and getting the chance to get to know them. Others love instilling pride and Illini spirit in current students. No matter what, the friendships and bonds we form as a group as very unique.

What drives your group members?
Our group members are driven by their pride in their work, SAA as an organization, and in being an Illini. Many times, we just want to spread our love of the group and of our school to everyone. We have the most dedicated, inspirational, driven, and Illini spirited group of students on campus.

How many hours a week does a typical member give?
We usually have one weekly meeting on Tuesday nights, and then everyone puts in a little more time during our major events. However, the more a member puts into SAA, the more that member will get out of it and enjoy it.

What do your group members do for fun outside of working for your organization?
We have been know to play sand volleyball dressed in superhero costumes as well as play intramural volleyball together. We also get together for other social events like playing pool volleyball, going out to movies, and dancing.

How to join?
Visit http://www.uiaa.org/urbana/saa/howtojoin.html for information on how to join and to find an application.

The Student Alumni Ambassadors have a total of 62 members split between an executive board of 8 members, co-chairs for every event, and a very dedicated group of general members.

The Student Alumni Ambassadors are a great group to work with and I encourage everyone who is interested by this post to consider joining. There will be an Info Night for those interested in learning more about SAA, being a member, going through the application process and more tomorrow, on Tuesday, January 27th at 6 pm at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. Dress is casual and jeans are welcome.