This coming weekend, over 350 alumni will return to Whitman College for Fall Reunion Weekend. The reunion includes three different groups: 10-year, 15-year and 25-year. Each year there are three reunions in the fall, two in the spring and then the 50-year  reunion during commencement.

Reunions are offered for alumni approximately every five years after graduation.

“We do reunions to connect alumni to each other and also to the college,” said Jason Arp, assistant director of alumni relations.

There are a wide variety of activities scheduled for alumni this weekend, including a game of Frisbee golf, a bike ride with the cycling team and meals with their reunion classes.

According to Arp, there are certain challenges inherent in organizing such large reunions. One such challenge is finding enough space to host all of the alumni as it is difficult to find places of boarding in Walla Walla as well as places to host the events on campus.

“Walla Walla has gotten a lot better, but it used to be that we didn’t have enough hotels,” said Arp.

While the Whitman campus is a good size to accommodate all of the students, it is hard to find enough space for 350 additional people.

“There is still a space issue on campus,” noted Arp.

Another challenge is contacting all of the alumni. Arp sends out mailings to all the alumni and forms a networking committee with 2 to 3 alumni representatives from each class. These representatives help with networking, contacting alumni and fund-raising.

“Whitman is, I think, fairly unique in that so many alumni remain connected to the college,” said Bettina Hosler, a member of the class of 1985 and a representative on the networking committee. “I’m looking forward to just catching up with old friends in a familiar setting–seeing them in person.”

Reunions include an important fund-raising aspect, as well, since alumni donate to fund a special project each year.

“It’s an opportunity for people to celebrate their reunion time and give back to the college,” said Arp.

“Most of the classes had an interest in moving towards raising money for scholarships,” said Brian Dohe, the director of annual giving of this year’s alumni projects.

In previous years, alumni have donated money to fund rooms for the Fouts Center for Visual Arts, the Baker Ferguson Fitness Center and Penrose Library.

At the time of publication, the 10-year reunion has raised $48,000 and had a 43 percent class participation rate, while the 25-year reunion has raised $195,000 with a 48 percent class participation rate.   These funds go toward providing need-based scholarships for Whitman students.

According to Dohe, this is a relatively high rate of philanthropic support from the alumni.

“Whitman College’s alumni participation rate was 46 percent for the ’09-’10 fiscal year, and among our peers, we’re at the higher end, though there are outliers such as Carleton at 53 percent the previous year and Colorado College at 22 percent,” said Dohe. “Whitman alumni are very loyal, very generous and passionate about their Whitman experience, and I think that translates into pretty significant philanthropic support for the college.”

Arp recommends that students get to know the alumni. There are various events that students can attend to network with alumni, including a networking reception that will be held in Reid Campus Center from 4-5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24.

“[The alumni] love to chat with students, so I would encourage any student to introduce themselves,” said Arp.