The first ever #foreverapiper Alumni Appreciation Week took place the week of Feb. 24-28. The Hamline Student Alumni Board created and sponsored this week-long event to educate the student body about the alumni community, the importance of alumni philanthropic and volunteer support and to build an annual community tradition. According to the Vice President of the board senior Marie Harmon, the board came up with the idea after attending a conference in New Orleans and were inspired by the other schools in attendance. “We wanted people to brand [the event] and know what it is and why we are putting it on,” Harmon said.

The week’s events included Break-Up Day on Monday, Feb 24. Students came to the Anderson Center Lobby to drop off their used T-shirts from high school and other colleges and universities to be donated to Joseph’s Coat in St. Paul. When students donated their old clothes, they received a free #foreverapiper T-shirt.

Tuesday, Feb. 25 was Trivia Tuesday. During convo hour students gathered in Anderson to test their knowledge of Hamline and its alumni in an exciting game of trivia.

Students could drop by Anderson on Wednesday for the Thank-You Video Recording. The purpose of this event was to make short video clips of various Hamline students thanking the alumni for all that they do for the university.

The Throwback Thursday Alumni Panel was held on Feb. 27 during convo hour. Harmon said at the beginning of the event that the purpose was “to get undergraduate students thinking about life after graduation.” Four alumni answered questions about what life is like after Hamline. Throughout the panel the guests talked about their time spent at Hamline and what they are doing now that they have graduated. Following the panel, students were encouraged to stick around for coffee and talk with the alumni one on one.

The final event of #foreverapiper week was held on Friday, Feb. 28 in the Anderson Center Lobby. This event was the Student Thank-You Card Signing that gave students the opportunity to sign a card that thanked the alumni. Prizes were given out to those who signed the most cards.

According to Harmon, social media played a large role in the process of spreading the word about the events. “We had like a hundred people RSVP and reached out to [about] five hundred students,” Harmon said.