Because of image problems, members of the Association of Finance Students are joining an organization which includes business professionals as well as students.

The Financial Management Association is an international organization, said President Tim Tidmarsh.

“The image last year was more or less a social, drinking business image, but we intend to change it this year,” Tidmarsh said.

Members were not seen as serious, productive students in the past. Rather, they were perceived as friends with a common interest in finance, who met only for social reasons, he said.

Late in the spring semester, members tossed around the idea of changing the organization, but it wasn’t until early August that returning members took the initiative to contact the Finance Management Association national chapter, Tidmarsh said.

Changes this year include more guest speakers on financial trends and topics, a possible credit union and volunteer work, he said.

The organization will be working with Safe Passage, a shelter for battered women and abused children. Members volunteer on three Saturdays during the semester, said Executive Vice President Kevin Brinkman.

Two hundred members are signed up, but executives are hoping for more recruits.

A membership drive will be held this Thursday and Friday in the Wirtz Hall Light Court. Students interested in finance are encouraged to stop by, Brinkman said.

“Because we’re an international organization we provide great networking for our members,” Tidmarsh said.

The next meeting will be held at McMurry Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Three speakers will be featured.