UCF alumni club brings Knight spirit to Chicago

On North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, a black and gold flag hangs from Goldie's, a bar located in the heart of the city.  This is the official game-watching location for members of the recently launched UCF Chicago Alumni club.

Like many graduates, these one-time UCF-area residents have taken their school spirit to a new city and have made their mark by starting an alumni club.

 Earlier this month, more than 50 alumni attended a party hosted by the UCF Alumni Association  celebrating the start of the club.

 "It was awesome … they had been waiting for this to happen," Shaloni Prine, coordinator of Regional Alumni programs, said. "It's a great way to stay connected to UCF and keep the spirit going."

 The club is part of a growing UCF presence in Chicago. A.J. Rompza, the point guard for the UCF basketball team and a Chicago native, recruited other players from his high school to UCF, including Marcus Jordan. Six of the 11 UCF basketball players are from Illinois.

The Alumni Association plans to launch chapters in Denver and Charlotte, N.C., in July, bringing the   number of UCF alumni clubs up to 20, two more from last year's tally.

 The Chicago branch was launched as a club, meaning there are less than 1,000 graduates in the region. When the number of graduates exceeds 1,000, the club becomes a chapter.

The co-chairs of the Chicago club are Ivette Herald, graduate of 2004, and Andrew Allan, graduate of 2003.

"I love my school and love hanging out with people from my school," Allan said. "It started out with watch parties but we decided to take it to the next level. Now we have a flag hanging outside a bar and we are an official organization."

According to Prine, the level of involvement of a chapter is up to its members. Some chapters donate to the university through fundraisers and give scholarships to incoming freshman from their area. Prine believes that the Chicago club will be very active.

"There was so much participation [at the launch party]," Prine said. "We even needed to start a new sign-up sheet for leadership positions."

The club plans to host watch parties for football and basketball, as well as start a softball league. It will also host a social every two months and participate in charity work.

Starting a chapter begins when someone in an area with many graduates that does not yet have a club or chapter volunteers to take on the task of starting one. Working with the Alumni Association, they determine if enough people will participate. If so, a club is started.

According to Prine, some advantages of joining a regional alumni chapter are networking opportunities, making friends and watching Knights football and basketball games. The latter is a common function among chapters.

"It is a great way to network and make friends in a new city or if you're looking for a job," Prine said. "Even if you move, just let us know by updating your contact information with the Alumni Association so we can contact you with news and information."

The Alumni Association recently became a non-dues based membership in its attempt to include all UCF graduates. According to Prine, the change has led to one of their most successful years.

"We are starting to see more people participate and get involved in events, which are now totally free — which is what we want to see as an Alumni Association," Prine said.

To view a list of Alumni chapters and clubs, or update contact information after graduation, students can go to the UCF Alumni Association website www.ucfalumni.com.