Formal started to come to a close with memorable songs such as Jour-­

and Inter-­lude by Attack Attack. The Inter-­lude Dance with the SAA mem-­bers left every-­one exhausted and it was a great way to conclude the night. Those who rode the bus to Formal contin-­ued the celebration by riding the bus back to Cedar Falls. Everyone agreed that it was a great time and it was nice to see some of the alumni back and enjoying them-­selves. Members present were rav-­ing and they are still talking about it. Pictures taken and memories will ensure that we will never forget such an eventful night.

By: Ian Huntley Ravishing dresses, sharp suits, and

SAA Formal a memorable one. The 2011 Formal took place at the Fox Ridge Golf Course ballroom in Dike, Iowa, where fun and fashion took over the night. Members had the opportunity to ride the bus to and from the venue where

they got to know each oth-­er a lit-­tle bet-­ter and socialize.

SAA members were accompanied with dates and some included several SAA alumni. Once everyone arrived at Fox Ridge, social hour took place, followed by dinner, and lastly the dance. The dance was the highlight of the night with dance circles, line dancing, and dance-­offs for the ambitious ones.

SAA Gets Formal

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

SAA Gets Formal 1

Cowboys and Cowgirls of Case ASAP

2

New Program Offers Service & Experience

3

Big/Little Mentor Program

3

Retreat Time 4

Panthers of the Month

5

Community Ser-vice

6

Homecoming 7

Senior Spotlight 8

Spotlight on Deb 9

SAA in Pictures 10

F A L L 2 0 1 1 P R E P A R E D B Y :

Kayleigh Green

Brady Fritz

Ian Huntley

Susan Johnson

John Anderson

Catherine Au Jong

Morgan Johnson

Khidir Ridzuan

STUDENT ADMISSION AMBASSADORS

P A G E 2

By: Brady Fritz On August 3rd, 2011, SAA Executive Board mem-­bers: Kyle Burns, Brady Fritz, Kendra Allen, Ma-­riah Lockie, Megan Kammarmeyer, and Theresa Luensmann, advisor, Paul Sapp, and a couple of members from ESP and ISP (Ethnic and Interna-­tional Student Promoters) flew to Nashville, Ten-­nessee, the site of the 2011 National CASE ASAP Conference (Council for Advancement and Support of Education: Affiliated Student Ad-­vancement Programs.)

Presenta-­tions were given on a variety of topics, which the ambassa-­dors were able to sit in

on to listen and bring new, bright ideas back to SAA. The Executive team was also fortunate

and discuss what makes a campus tour valuable. This presentation was a great experience for all and received a lot of good feedback from those in attendance.

The Executive team was also able to interact with other organizations similar to SAA and de-­velop new ideas to push and improve our organi-­zation. Since SAA had won two awards the pre-­vious year (Outstanding Organization, & Out-­standing Advisor) we could not win any awards this year. Although the conference ended, the ideas were only beginning. Many of the new programs im-­plemented this semester, or current programs that were tweaked, resulted from the confer-­ence. We are looking forward to implementing more fun activities throughout spring semester.

Cowboys and Cowgirls of CASE ASAP

A trip down to Nashville, the home of

1) of Fame

2) and listen to live music all day/night

3) 4)

meal 5)

hat.

New Program Offers Service & Experience P A G E 3

By: Ian Huntley This semester, the Student Admissions Ambas-­sadors are taking community service to a new level. The new members who have joined for the Fall 2011 semester are partaking in a service project of their own. The New Member Service Project program is designed for teams of new SAA members to get involved and help the com-­munity outside of the regular SAA volunteer ef-­forts.

get involved and for them to get to know each

tor of the program. Not only will the students be helping in the community, but they will also build relationships and represent the University of Northern Iowa and its involvement in the com-­munity. The teams have a variety of plans in mind for their service projects this semester, and after-­wards will share their work with the SAA group. It will be exciting to see what everyone has ac-­complished in the community.

development and mentorship to help get ideas for Big Purple/Little Purple. She felt that while the program was successful last year, pairs did not have much direction. To keep participants en-­gaged with the program and to give them ideas, Luensmann administers a themed challenge to all Big Purple/Little Purple pairs on the weeks meet-­ings are not held. As an incentive to be extra crea-­tive with the challenges, Luensmann awards the pair who best fulfills the theme (and documents it with a photo) with the Panther Pals Award. Luensmann has seen a great response to the chal-­lenges from many of the purple pairs. She is con-­stantly amazed by the fun and creative activities her fellow ambassadors are engaging in. She hopes to see the enthusiasm and creativity of the pairs to continue for the rest of the year. Keep up the good work, Bigs/Littles!

By: Morgan Johnson Being a new member of an organization of 50 people can be exciting, yet intimidating. To help ease the transition into SAA, in the fall of 2010 the executive team for SAA decided to imple-­ment a program called Big Purple/Little Pur-­ple. The program pairs a veteran member of SAA with someone new to the organization, who are to spend time together once every two weeks for the duration of the year. The purpose of the program is to help new members acclimate themselves to the organization, and to foster close connections between ambassadors.

resa Luensmann, had really great things to say about how Big Purple/Little Purple is going so far this semester. During the CASE ASAP con-­ference in August, Luensmann attended many

sessions about membership

Big/Little Mentor Program Kendra Allen & Emily Woods Mariah Lockie & Morgan Johnson Ian Goldsmith & Jakob Elmquist Erin Maltby & Tori Heisterkamp

P A G E 4

By: Catherine Au Jong

all of the laughs, the warm smiles, and every-­

er. I could tell that everyone wanted to grow

netski, while describing SAA retreat. The SAA retreat was held on nice warm day, around campus and in Gilchrist, with all of the ambassadors very excited to bond.

The retreat began when all of the members were divided into groups and were given a mission: to explore campus through competi-­tive, photo scavenger hunt.

The day moved on and the group was divided into two groups to do differ-­ent activi-­ties. One

group, led by Theresa Luensmann, shared many funny things, and personal experiences that connected us ambassadors better than ever before.

Another group was led by Kyle Burns, where every member asked a personal question to another ambassador. While asking the ques-­tions, the members also passed along a purple thread that symbolized unity amongst the members. At the end of the activity, members cut the thread that was wrapped around their wrists as a bracelet that they could keep for themselves.

Before the ambassadors left for the night, we were in for another surprise. Theresa and

Kyle assigned a name or an object to each mem-­

backs and each member had an

unknown pair they had to find. Once everyone found their pairs Theresa, the vice president of member development, announced the pairs were the Big/Little partners for the year.

Besides being useful, retreat is also one of the fun moments members in SAA share. The at-­mosphere from the retreat still carries on, as members continue to learn and know each other better daily: Beth Meyers summarized it best,

ferent, we have one thing in common;; WE LOVE UNI and want to share that with

Retreat Time

P A G E 5

Panthers of the Month September and

Mr. October:

John Anderson

and Khidir

By: Brady Fritz The title of Panther of the Month is a very prestigious honor given to members who truly exemplify outstanding performances. SAA members nominate a particular member they feel deserves this honor and submit their nominations to the VP of Community Outreach. Once a POM is selected they are featured on the SAA homep-­age and congratulated at a meeting where the honor is revealed.

JjOoHhNn AaNnDdEeRrSsOoNn, September POM:

John Anderson for Panther of the Month. John is off to an amazing start in his first semester in SAA, and contin-­ues to surpass all of the ex-­pectations set for him. What makes John great is his abil-­ity to step in whenever need-­ed. On numerous occasions, when his fellow ambassadors

are unable to give some time to an event or tour, John gives his. His passion for UNI, leadership in small or large group settings, and overall ideas are admirable qualities of this man, and should

does he volunteer for several events in SAA, but he still also finds time to lead a Bible Study, edit the Northern Iowan like a champion, attends many Panther Athletic events, and manage his classes and friendships. In all, John is an amaz-­ing person, and has already made a huge impact on our organization, and makes for an amazing

Khidir Ridzuan, October POM:

inate Khidir for Pan-­ther of the Month. As an ambassador, he does an excellent job. Khidir has truly gone above and be-­yond this month. It seems as though lately whenever a tour needs to be filled, Khidir eagerly

takes it. I have had the pleasure of hearing him share his unique perspective and sense of humor. During both panels and tours. It is clear to see that Khidir truly tries his best to every prospective student a memorable experience, while share his experience about the university he loves. As impressive as he is as an ambassador, he does an even better job as a friend. He doesn't hesitate to try and help others. Whether it is cheering someone up after they've had a rough day, or simply allowing others to succeed, Khidir is always willing to give his time and energy to a friend in need. His passion for this or-­ganization, and the people in it, is impres-­sive. In his short time as an ambassador, he has already established himself as a leader,

P A G E 6

By: Khidir Ridzuan SAA is known for providing outstanding ser-­vice, so it is only right if we extend our pas-­sion, dedication, and time to the community. Fall 2011 has been a semester where we SAA-­ers manage to participate in not one, not two, but THREE community projects! The first of which is the Iowa State Fair, which was held on August 16th, 2011. A few wonderful Ambassadors took time off their summer break to volunteer in this Fair by promoting UNI to the community through talking about UNI and giving any passer-­bys

free UNI stick-­on tattoos (talk about warming up their Panther spirits a week before school even started!). Univer-­sity Book & Sup-­ply was also there to assist in ex-­panding Panther

Town by providing UNI gear for community members to purchase (Purple Iowa? That would be pretty amazing!). To top off this great event, Mr. Ian Huntley, Mr. Andrew Sorge, and Mr. Brady Fritz managed to take some time to play a friendly prank on our be-­loved Paul Sapp by sticking countless tattoos on him! Spreading Panther awareness and a prank on Paul Sapp: What can be much better

than that?! Next stop: Hansen Carnival, hosted by Hansen Ele-­mentary School on October 1st, as a fundraiser and a

way for its students to have a great time! Every year, SAA-­ers have participated, and as usual, it was a FUN FUN FUN time where the carni-­val offered a variety of games and food for its

Ambassadors a chance to mingle with children (who could potentially be future Panthers them-­selves. Wink wink) and was a great way to re-­mind us of our childhood years. Lastly, we have the amazing Roadside Clean-­Up! This event occurred on November 6th where

22 Ambassadors!!!) took two hours of their time on a Sun-­day af-­ternoon to clean up our own sec-­tion of the

highway: Highway 218. To many it may seem strange that we have so much fun cleaning something, but to us, it is an amazing oppor-­tunity to bond with one another while finding the strangest and unexpected items on the high-­way, even including a REAL LIFE snake! It was truly great to have so many people make the heavy work much more fun and lighter. Our participation in these types of community service events really helps us establish our-­selves as community members, and also as an organization. We cannot wait to participate in more events in the coming future, but for now we will provide great service to the college and beloved peers. UNI I am a Student Admis-­sions Ambassador!!!

50 Ambassadors, 3 Projects, 1 Semester

P A G E 7

Homecoming:

Home At the Dome By: John Anderson The Student Admissions Ambassadors literally painted the town or at least the sidewalk purple and gold for Homecom-­

ing week this year, coming out in full force and connecting with Panthers past, present and future as they cel-­ebrated the universi-­

ing traditions.

The week kicked off with ambassadors April Czarnetzki, Emily Woods and Emily Covington embracing the Homecoming theme, Home at the Dome, as they painted a mural depicting our very own T.C. holding up the Dome with his incredible panther strength. Ambassadors continued encouraging Panther Pride while painting purple and gold paw prints along the sidewalk by the Alumni House. At Pride Cry on Wednesday, SAA teamed up with Connecting Alumni to Students in a paro-­dy of Sir Mix-­A-­Ambassador Megan Kammarmeyer set the tempo for an elaborate stomp routine that led into an energetic rendition of the UNI Fight Song. The performance, which earned the CAT/SAA super-­group a spot in the finals, was the culmination of weeks of preparation led by ambassador and CATS member Landon Wood.

Pride Cry for the first time on top of the Union,

dor who participated in the Pride Cry. A spirited performance won the group second place

pep rally, with a breakout performance by the Black Male Leaders Union taking the gold. SAA had three five-­person teams participate in the Traditions Challenge Amazing Race, fol-­lowing clues from location to loca-­tion as they had their picture tak-­en while complet-­ing traditions like visiting the Greenhouse,

T.C. and perform-­ing the Interlude. Midnight bells brought the Campanile alive as thousands of Panthers kissed under the iconic tower for Campaniling at the end of Friday night. Many ambassadors participated, while some assisted members of CATS with handing out buttons and Chapstick.

ry, carried into Saturday morning with the Pan-­ther Festival, the Alumni tailgate and panthers

The ambassadors ended the Homecoming cele-­brations Sunday with their campus-­wide cleanup, matching pride with service to cap an exciting week and show what it means to be a true Panther.

P A G E 8

Senior Spotlight

By: Susan Johnson

Courtney Holubar

1. I will be moving back to my hometown of So-­lon, IA and student teach in the Linn-­Mar School District in kin-­dergarten and fourth grade next semester. After graduating in May, I hope to find a teaching position in Iowa and

begin fulfilling my dream of being an elemen-­tary teacher. 2. Last year, a senior boy and his parents had been pretty quiet throughout their tour, which made me think I was not interacting enough. I thought if they were having a good time they would be smiling, laughing, and asking questions, so I was worried they might not be enjoying their tour. When the tour end-­ed I thanked them for coming and wished the boy luck in his college decision. I was sur-­prised when the dad, a complete stranger, leaned in and gave me a great big hug. He genuinely thanked me and said they had vis-­ited other colleges and felt extremely over-­whelmed and uncomfortable on the visits. Neither the dad nor mom had attended col-­lege, so this was a big step for them. The dad had even been reconsidering sending his son to college, however, he was very impressed by UNI. Hearing my experiences as a student made him realize his son deserved to have such experiences. Knowing I had such an im-­mense and emotional impact on this parent is

something I have never forgotten. Now when I give tours, I recognize that whether the people on the tour verbalize it or not, I am making an impact on them in some way, so I strive to make sure it is a positive one. 3. Remember that each day is a gift, that is why it is called 'the present'! So smile, say a quiet 'thank you', and embrace the day!

1. I will be graduating with a BA in Spanish Ed-­ucation and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In January, I begin stu-­dent teaching in the state of Indiana. I will be living with my sister and broth-­er-­in-­law and their 160lb (more than I weigh) Great Dane, Gunther.

2. Hands down has to be that moment on cam-­pus when a current student comes up to you and says "HEY YOU WERE MY TOUR GUIDE" and although you may not remember them specifical-­ly there is a vague recollection of that day. And then you respond "oh yeah! How do you like UNI? And they say, "I LOVE IT!" That moment is truly humbling and goes to show you that what we do as ambassadors for this university pays off. 3. Volunteer as much as possible and DO NOT be afraid to get to know an ambassador that you do not know so well....oh yeah and NEVER EV-­ER EVER ease up on Paul Sapp :P

1. What are your plans after the semester ends? 2. What has been your favorite SAA memory? 3. If you could give one piece of advice to current members, what would it be?

P A G E 9

<Insert Deb Article>

By: Susan Johnson

Spotlight on Deb Gray: An Admissions Office Legend

By: Susan Johnson

After fifteen years of working at UNI, Admis-­sions secretary Deb Gray will be retiring at the

end of this semester. During her retire-­ment, Deb is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, Steve, who has been retired for seven years and is looking forward to spending more time with her. She also plans to spend time with her grandchil-­dren and friends, in addition to garden-­ing, traveling, and

becoming a regular at the Cedar Falls Rec Center. Deb also promises to keep in touch

her Facebook skills!

Although she is excited for retirement, Deb will miss some things about her job. Some of her favorite memo-­ries of UNI have been the SAA Pride Cries, football and basket-­

and the Interlude Dance. Mostly, Deb has loved sharing the college experiences of every SAA member.

Deb has had a lasting impact on all SAA members, past and present. As cur-­rent member Jacob

devotes so much of her time to helping others, and makes sure to put others before herself. I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to get to know Deb, and she will be sorely

amazing SAA members every day at work. They make my job the best -Deb Gray

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Fall 2011: In Pictures STUDENT ADMISSION AMBASSADORS

Facebook: Student Admission Ambassadors Follow us on Twitter: UNI_SAA

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