Local Graduates Must Live With Intrinsic Benefits

UGA card manager Dee Matthews at his desk on a quiet workday.

By: Andrei Mihailovic
September 21, 2009

Cherish that UGA card, students. It gets you around town, keeps you in shape, and whether you’re using it at the library or a campus newspaper stand, it keeps you informed too. These are transient boons, feats that the little-known Alumni card simply cannot live up to.

“Technically, all the card does for you is get you in the Ramsey Center,” UGA card manager Dee Matthews said. And that's only after you dish out a degree-holder's annual rate of $500.

“All that other stuff is paid for with student fees, which alumni aren't paying,” Matthews added before resuming foot-patrol around the Tate Center’s Card Services office.

That “other stuff” includes the city buses, which cost alumni $1.50 per ride, the standard rate for adults. Like students, university faculty and staff ride for free.

On the other hand, post-graduate access to UGA Libraries is fairly simple.

“Anybody can check out books with an outside borrower's card,” John Dixon, a circulation employee at the main library, said. “You apply for it at the Athens Library. It's good for about a year.”

Once a $10 fee is paid, the outside borrower's card can be used perpetually with free annual renewals.

Eric Franqui, a senior from Atlanta who plans on staying in Athens next year, isn’t all that concerned about access to university resources.

“It’s fair,” Franqui said. “I don’t want hairy, old alumni working out at Ramsey.”

Whether students care now or not, the fact is that UGA graduates aren't getting the local benefits students are. Will the university offer anything after class lets out for good?

Inevitably, this is a question for the Alumni Association. The organization features a list of discounts that members can get on their Web page. Ranging from accommodations to entertainment, the discounts stay around 10 to 20 percent off.

The Alumni Association mainly functions as a fund-raising organization that sponsors events, takes on construction projects and keeps tabs on graduates' achievements. The implication is that the greatest benefits of membership are intrinsic.

“I think as a graduate, helping the institution is part of being a good citizen, a good member of the University of Georgia,” said Alumni Association executive director Deborah Dietzler, caught in stride from a banquet with Kathryn Richt to an afternoon full of events and paperwork.

Prospective members of the Alumni Association are solicited through events, conferences and what communications assistant Claude McBride calls educational opportunities.

“We do our best to keep alumni together, make sure it's a pleasant experience and provide them with opportunities to serve the university,” McBride said.

Fair enough, but UGA’s alumni association definitely lacks some of the incentives other schools are offering.

The University of Michigan, for example, features an economic response package that promises members access to nationwide networking, a mentoring program, a resource center and 50 percent off career counseling.

Penn State gives its alumni access to an online Alumni Library, with headings boasting extensive references and resources. This is open to all alumni, regardless of participation in the association, but grants access to special materials for members only.

Even in the discount department, Georgia Tech has a little more to offer its alumni, with a 35 percent off deal on Lenovo PC’s.

Dietzler insists such benefits are not what attract people to these associations.

“We found through surveying that most people join out of loyalty and pride,” Dietzler said. “I think you should have a keen interest in your university's standing. Our graduates from past eras are benefiting from our present excellence.”

Despite a disparity in what UGA alums can look forward to, Alumni Association administrative assistant Marcus Jennings underscored this search for post-graduate perks with a simple reminder.

“Your undergrad degree definitely opens up jobs with higher salaries,” Jennings said, at last shedding light on the real benefits of life after graduation.