Your Alumni Weekend Plan
As they were organizing the event (which will be held on campus April 27 to 28), this year’s Alumni Weekend committee decided it wanted to give grads a taste of the UW experience — literally. And so they turned to the readers of Badger Insider (that is, the members of WAA) to find out what the UW tastes like.
Evidently, it tastes like a Plazaburger. And a guerilla cookie. And a slice of Ian’s pizza. And a lot of other things that you can get for just a few bucks in the vicinity of campus. That’s what you told us in our Spring 2012 issue, and so that’s what you’ll find at this year's Alumni Weekend.
Back in the Day
From its earliest days, WAA brought grads back to campus for fellowship and to see what’s new at their alma mater. And for many years, those get-togethers focused on class reunions — for Alumni Weekend, it was the 50th reunion.
But in the 1950s, the UW’s classes grew larger and larger, and as those students left campus, they seemed to feel only a weak bond with those who shared their graduation year. Consequently, attendance at Alumni Weekend’s reunions became smaller and smaller. WAA realized something had to change.
And so it shook up the plan for Alumni Weekend, dropping the 50th reunion and focusing on events that appeal to all alumni and friends of the UW — such as learning, preparing for the Crazylegs run, and classic Madison food and drink. On Friday night, there will be a fish fry. And this year will include a special event on Saturday called Madison’s Main Course: Quintessential Cuisine Past and Present.
Madison’s Main Course is a sort of eat-and-greet event, a chance for alumni to chat while sampling food and drink that typify the student experience. The suggestions came from the letters and emails that you sent to Badger Insider.
Not all your suggestions will be on the menu, of course. We couldn't bring the Hasty Tasty or the Radical Rye back to life. But our crack team did find a formula for guerilla cookies, which haven’t been seen in Madison for decades. And they recovered some recipes from the lunch counter at Rennebohm’s.
That’s how Badger Insider readers helped remake a UW alumni tradition. Stop by if you have a hankering for a grilled Danish, or a hot fudge mary jane.
But in the 1950s, the UW’s classes grew larger and larger, and as those students left campus, they seemed to feel only a weak bond with those who shared their graduation year. Consequently, attendance at Alumni Weekend’s reunions became smaller and smaller. WAA realized something had to change.
And so it shook up the plan for Alumni Weekend, dropping the 50th reunion and focusing on events that appeal to all alumni and friends of the UW — such as learning, preparing for the Crazylegs run, and classic Madison food and drink. On Friday night, there will be a fish fry. And this year will include a special event on Saturday called Madison’s Main Course: Quintessential Cuisine Past and Present.
Madison’s Main Course is a sort of eat-and-greet event, a chance for alumni to chat while sampling food and drink that typify the student experience. The suggestions came from the letters and emails that you sent to Badger Insider.
Not all your suggestions will be on the menu, of course. We couldn't bring the Hasty Tasty or the Radical Rye back to life. But our crack team did find a formula for guerilla cookies, which haven’t been seen in Madison for decades. And they recovered some recipes from the lunch counter at Rennebohm’s.
That’s how Badger Insider readers helped remake a UW alumni tradition. Stop by if you have a hankering for a grilled Danish, or a hot fudge mary jane.
—John Allen
Editor
Alumni Weekend: April 27-28, 2012
Get a sneak peek at more of the fun and exciting things we have planned for you this year in our Behind the Scenes Blog at uwalumni.com/alumniweekend.
Events
- "SCIENCE ON TAP" - June 5
