Although NIU’s Alumni Association is not as expansive or as well developed as those at Big Ten Schools, the alumni do play a vital role.

Homecoming is only one of many activities in which alumni participate, Alumni Programming Director Susan Lund said.

Alumni also contribute to scholarships and department donations during two fund drives during the year. The fall unrestricted fundraising campaign and restricted spring campaign helped to raise more than half-a-million dollars in fiscal year 1989.

Most alumni contribute after a few years out of college when they have settled down, Lund said. Distance also can determine how active an alumnus is. If a graduate moves to another part of the country, knowing other NIU alumni can make the transition easier, Lund said.

“There’s an old alumni director’s saying that it takes 100 miles and 10 years to make a really good alum,” Lund said.

Mailings and newsletters like the quarterly tabloid Northern Now and the seasonal Northern Lights help keep alumni informed of changes on campus and news of upcoming fundraising campaigns.

The mailings also inform alumni on the events during Homecoming like the college, department and organization tents which will be located Saturday northwest of Huskie Stadium. The following organizations will have tents at the pre-game tailgate: NIU Alumni Association, College of Education, College of Business, College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Communication Studies, Communicative Disorders, Computer Science, Journalism/Northern Star/Public Relation Student Society of America, Hispanic Alumni Reunion and the Marching Band Alumni.