The Student Alumni Association will hold this year’s Grad Bash from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Alumni House Backyard, at the corner of Annie Glidden Road and Stadium Drive. Fatty’s Bar and Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, will serve food and drinks, and Mike and Joe will perform.

Joe Matty, director of the association, said the organization is responsible for coordinating the bash, which is its biggest event of the year.

NIU’s Student Alumni Association started in 1998 with the goal of encouraging lasting relationships between alumni and current NIU students.

Matty said the group accomplishes this goal by sponsoring a number of NIU events, including Homecoming, community and alumni activities.

“They represent the students of NIU at various alumni events,” Matty said. “They can serve as tour guides and hosts. The students get to meet and interact with alumni.”

The association consists of about 25 members, Matty said.

To be eligible to become a member of the association, students must have a 2.5 grade point average and community and school involvement before submitting an application. Matty said he recruits most of the members himself.

“Some of the ways we look at students is through scholarship recipients and those who have displayed leadership in the community and the university,” he said. “All of the colleges, degrees and years in school are represented pretty equally.”

To RSVP for the grad bash, call 753-1452 or visit www.niu.edu/alumni.

The cost to attend the bash is $5 per person. One guest is permitted per graduating student. Those attending must be 21 and have a valid ID to drink alcohol.