Ripon College Days

Keeping in touch with fellow Ripon alums just got a little easier thanks to the new Ripon College Insider, a website aimed to keep alumni informed and connected to the college and one another.

Introduced this summer by the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, the Insider provides alumni with the chance to stay in the Ripon loop and reconnect with long-lost friends.

"I think what's cool is that it's something Ripon has never had before," says Margaret Kastein, assistant director of alumni relations. "It facilitates communication, that's for sure."

The Insider, located online at www.riponalumni.org, provides alumni with an assorted variety of resources to keep in touch with one another. Each member has a profile that allows others to see where they are and what they're doing. The idea came about when the office contacted alumni to obtain feedback for improving alumni relations.

"When [we] got feedback from alumni about what they'd like to see, we did research to see what best fit our needs and budget, and we came up with this service," says Kastein.

Among the services provided on the Insider website are an online directory, news, event announcements, features, career center, classifieds, class notes, clubs, photos, message boards, online chat, friends list, an alert as to how many members are online and more.

Alumni can use the site to build profiles to update others on their lives and activities. Information provided in member profiles range from nicknames, family information and fraternity or sorority affiliations to graduate education, business addresses and resumes.

So far, alumni appear to be happy with their new toy. "It is taking me some time to figure out how to navigate it, but it is an important means of communication in today's high tech environment," says Helen Hansen, of the Ripon College class of 1966.

"I am on the internet all the day as it is, and it is a sorely needed break," says Krystin Trustman, class of 1991.

"I think they see it as a tool to connect with former classmates," says Kastein. "Plus, it strengthens the networking ties. Say after you graduate you move to Chicago. You want to find other alumni in your area and you can do that with a single query. It's energizing to meet these people after you have that Ripon connection."

Kastein says alumni also like the website because it keeps them closer to Ripon, giving them press releases and news fast.

Alumni are quick to acknowledge the increased link to the campus they now feel.

"The updates are helpful. I feel the movement and activity at the college. I sense the energy on the campus," says Hansen.

The Insider already has 1,113 members, and Alumni Relations plans to send mass communication to alumni to garner even more members and promote growth of the site.

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