DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow proclaimed the week of Feb. 15 through 19 as Marketing Week in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday night in the Wirtz auditorium.

Sparrow read a proclamation from his office and presented the document to Patrick Kagan. Kagan is the NIU chapter president of the American Marketing Association.

Sparrow emphasized the importance of student involvement on campus and in the DeKalb area. DeKalb may not be the place where (students) were born, but it is home, he said. Students should take the time to get involved because it will “do them a lot of good,” he said.

The NIU marketing group helps foster a marketing attitude in an actual setting, Sparrow said.

“It is good to see people get involved in the community,” he said.

The theme for Marketing Week is “Marketing … It Makes A Good Life Better.” The NIU AMA chapter created the theme “How Marketing Touches Your Life,” Kagan said.

The AMA inducts new members once a semester, in accordance with national guidelines. The group added 158 new members this year, passing their original goal of 50 members, Kagan said.

New members are required to pay a $12 fee per semester for local dues and a $30 fee for national dues, Kagan said. The national dues are required every four semesters, he said.

AMA members receive a newsletter detailing new job opportunities and trends. A resume bank also is available to its members.

The NIU chapter was one of three chapters chosen to give a presentation to the national convention in New Orleans in April. Being chosen to give the presentation is an honor, Kagan said.

The chapter must sponsor a marketing week in accordance with national guidelines and it will be judged on how well the group fits into the theme on campus and in the DeKalb area, Kagan said.

In other AMA news, the chapter will sponsor a dance-a-thon tentatively scheduled for the beginning of March. One half of the funds raised will be donated to the homeless, Kagan said.

A blood drive and a fashion show featuring area merchants are also in the planning stages, he said.