The campus bloomed with red attire as a sign of Warrior pride when alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff celebrated Homecoming Week with a “Paint the Town Red” theme from Feb. 2 to 7. Participants reminisced about college life, connected with fellow alumni among co-workers and cheered for the home team at basketball games.
Morale was high among faculty and staff who were honored at the Employee Alumni luncheon on Feb. 3 at Carole Burke Lounge. Attendees expressed gratitude for the University’s recognition of their loyalty. More than half the audience stood up when speaker Ron Noble, ’77, dean of students, asked who among them took their first job at CSU Stanislaus and stayed through the years. Noble led his colleagues in a campus history audience participation exercise, asking them to stand if they had been in student government, had rowed in the reflection pond, had worked on campus before enrolling, and had ever been attacked by resident ducks.
“This event brought a smile to my face. After all these years, CSU Stanislaus is recommitted to connecting with alumni. It was great to see that we started with our own faculty and staff,” said Cesar Rumayor, ’03, executive director of Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) and University Student Union (USU). While attending CSU Stanislaus, Rumayor served three terms as student body president.
“This year, through the hard work of the alumni director and University Advancement, we have made some large strides toward reviving the homecoming tradition. I hope to continue to smile about the achievements of our University.”
Tammy Giannini, ’96, who works in Academic Advising, said that since she considers the campus community an extended family, the occasion felt like a reunion. Tammy Worthington, ’08, an employee in Financial Aid, noted that the luncheon was a great way to build morale as employees realized they came from the same foundation. Mandeep Khaira from Communications and Public Affairs praised the practical aspect of scheduling the mixer at lunch instead of after work. Sukhjinder Singh, ’01, in Extended Education appreciated the chance to briefly step away from daily tasks and recognize fellow alumni.
“It’s nice to see who supports our alma mater by working here. We don’t get out of the office often enough to realize who graduated from here,” Singh said.
Chessie Robbins, ’04, in the Tutoring Center remarked on the rarity of the event.
“This is the first time in all my years here that I’ve seen anything like this,” said Robbins, who has worked at the University for 30 years. “It makes us feel special and goes a long way toward good morale and team building.”
Co-sponsored by the ASI and the USU, the Employee Alumni Luncheon also involved student leaders who volunteered to serve ice cream after lunch.
Second in the lineup of events was the Homecoming Alumni lunch at the Event Center on Feb. 5, which drew on- and off-campus alumni from a wide range of graduation years.
“Having an alma mater in common is almost like baseball. No matter what era you’re from, you can talk about it,” President Joseph F. Sheley said in his welcome address.
Robert Uhrhammer, ’69, was one of the first two graduates of the physics program. He credits CSU Stanislaus with his lifelong fascination with seismology. While measuring weak gravity waves with a cryogenic superconducting gravity meter that he constructed with Professor Bill Tuman, he became more fascinated with one of the noise sources — which turned out to be earthquakes. Uhrhammer entered UC Berkeley’s geophysics graduate program, served as a seismologist for 33 years, and now travels the world to share his expertise.
The University was known as California State College, Stanislaus when Alumni Council member Polly Vasché, ’71, earned her degree in music.
“I spent a lot of time in the practice rooms. It was like being at a conservatory. It felt like utopia,” said Vasché.
Adrian Harrell, ’98, also an Alumni Council member, remains connected to the University through students who seek her services as property manager for New Bridge Management in Turlock.
“It’s interesting to talk to students who’ve never been to Turlock, especially the international students. I watch them grow and gain in confidence. They’re shocked to see me at commencement exercises. We keep in touch on social media and LinkedIn,” said Harrell.
Among the recently minted alumni was Stephanie Keane, ’13, who drew her fondest memories from involvement in her sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma.
“It made CSU Stanislaus feel close-knit. I met my best friends here. We still talk every day,” said Keane, who is furthering her studies in the University’s MBA program.
A Pre-Game Social capped off Homecoming Week on Saturday, Feb. 7. More than 100 alumni and family members witnessed the spectacular win in double overtime by the Warriors in men’s basketball against UC San Diego’s Tritons.