University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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teattd I (be ittlie u mve Front Row: Natalie Wowk, Kyle Gooch. Jeff Dudgeon, Jessica Cleghorn. Bob Miller, Paris Phou. Ashley White. Row 2: Michael Wicker.Trevor McCauley. MattAldridge, Ryan Romanik, Dave Krogh, Melvin Valencia, Matt Bowman, Kristin Bohl. Back Row: Chris Garza, Kris Turmer, Chris Battey. Jessica Meulendyk, Nick Hockstra.AbeThurtelLAdam Brinkenhoff, Andrew Vane, Aaron Barthjoe Kohler, Erick Bailey. V. Granata photo uired li They ilk ' [tin Tie- iwl i our then :.,: Four members of the Euchre Club enjoy a quick game at their weekly meeting. Held in the Michigan Union, each meeting gave the students the opportunity to do what they love most, keep their minds free from the pressures of school while playing cards with friends. V. Granata photo Organizations 207

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STUDENT ALUMNI COUNCIL Have you ever wondered about how your ' I bleed maize and blue ' spirit continues after you leave the University? Members of the Student Alumni Council (SAC) didn ' t have to wait to find out. The vision of the group was to help bridge the gap between the alumni and the current student population. Working alongside the Alumni Association, committees planned various activities for students to take part in. President Elise Freimuth, senior film and English major, explained, By creating committees we are allow members to learn leadership skills by working on large scale events. SAC functioned under an Executive Board consisting of a Freimuth and six vice presidents. The group held bi-weekly meetings at the Alumni Center in order to plan and organize the events. In addition, SAC was responsible for giving out the Student Legacy Award at the Michigan Leadership Awards Ceremony. Vice President Niraj Patel, senior business major, commented, We review the accomplishments of students on campus and reward them with a lifetime membership to the Alumni Association so they can continue making an impact on the University. Exam Kits, another service offered by SAC, provided a way for parents to send care packages around exam times to students living off-campus. Working together with the Alumni Association, SAC created a program called Student Alumni Connections. The program allowed an alumnus to sit down with a group of selected students for a roundtable discussion. Students asked the alumnus for advice about making the best of their time at the University. Members of SAC were on a point system and were required to attain 500 participation points before they became a full member. Points could be earned in a variety of ways. They traveled to the Northwestern away football game with the Alumni Association and had a retreat to a winter resort in northern Michigan after winter break called Michigania.Tae- Kyung Kim, junior Political Science major andVP, expressed, Michigania... creates a great opportunity to reflect on our past successes and future goals. You get to be in each others company outside of the school setting. This group bursting with Michigan pride and spirit worked extremely hard all year to make the years events a success. By the end of the year, SAC members achieved their main goal and purpose of being the link between Wolverines past and present. Front Row: Shefali Saxena, Donika Gou. Niraj Patel, Nikhil Kumtha. Kathleen Crone. Row 2: Bo Mee Chu, Carmen Gruber, Elise Freimuth, Carrie Rheingans, Tae-Kyung Kim. Back Row: Teresa Elliott Mary Vanek, Ian Freimuth, Daniel Grano, Holly Nartker, Bianca Gruber. L., Worcester photo 206 Organizations

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PERSIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION V4 -( ' ft Kicking off the school year with its annual Welcome Back Dinner, the Persian Students Association was off to another year of exciting social, educational, charitable, and community- building events. With almost a decade of history under its belt, PSA continued its strong tradition of sponsoring Persian cultural and social activities, promoting an understanding of Persian culture, and building an environment of friendship and support for University students. The leadership of board members and the active membership contributed to a feeling of community and consistently large turnouts at PSA events. This year, PSA ' s first ever Charity Weekend, an expanded version of the annual charity event, followed the Welcome Back Dinner. The Charity Weekend is the largest event of fall term for us. This year, it will include two main events: ' A Night of Persian Culture ' on Friday, with performances from the Michigan Persian Music Ensemble, displays of Persian art and photographs, as well as a guest performance from the Indian Students Association, and a five on five soccer tournament on Saturday, said Nelofar Agharahimi, an LSA junior and a member of PSA ' s five-person Executive Board. We usually raise $1,000, but we are expecting to raise more this year. From the beginning, our proceeds have usually benefited a charity for children. Thus, this year, donations will be going to Mott ' s Children Hospital for bone marrow research. PSA ' s largest event was always the Annual Persian Cultural Show, the most recent of which took place in March, drawing an audience of over 1,000 and over 55 participants to the Power Center for the Performing Arts. My favorite event is definitely the Annual Persian Cultural Show. It will be the sixth one this year. A lot of hard work goes into it, but the cultural show is truly amazing. There are funny skits, beautiful dances, mesmerizing music, and more, said LSA sophomore Nellie Kargar, an active member in PSA and their liaison to the United Asian American Organizations. In addition to the Charity Weekend and the Annual Persian Cultural Show, smaller events took place during the year. We have movie nights and this year have added coffeehouse style get-togethers where we can practice speaking our Persian language. This year the National Iranian American Council is also hosting a workshop for students who want to be more involved in the Iranian-American community, said Agharahimi. The Persian Student Association ' s events drew a wide audience, which attracted both Persian and non-Persian students alike. For non-Persian students, events offered a chance to learn more extensively about the culture while having a great time. Persians found that PSA was not only a great way to share student ' s love for Persian culture and to get involved in the community, but it also was a way to make some life-long friends. Front Row: Balhareh Aslani. Nelofar Agharahimi, Yasmin Nagnash. Row 2: Amin Farokhtani, Sam Lahidji, Nellie Kargar, Shokofeh Naini. Armita Ghoddousi, Negin Salmasi, Rebecca Kam, Michelle Abghari, Monica Abghari, Candace Miller, Arta Lahij. Row 3: Shahin Farokhrani. Mehrah Ebadi-Tehrani, Nasim Nikoumanesh, Brian Snyder, David Golbahar, Farhad Agharahimi, Wasseem Abaza, Atul Porwal, Laura Samir Haddad. Row 4: Youset Nouri, Ehsan Rahimy, Reza Farsian. Niloufar Ghafouri. Sherene Arbabi. Mashid Pirzadeh, Natasha D ' Agostini, Soyona Rafatjah. Mona Sadri, Leslie Nemazi, Diana Mohy. Back Row: Yashar Afshan, Ali Rad, Edwin Raffi, Alireza Tabatabaeenejad, Kambiz Daneshuan. Darinsh Daneshvar, Aref Khezri-Yazdan, Ali Mohraz, Idin Motedayen, Sahand Rahnama, Annahita Amireskandari, Sonya Hovsepian. Tedjasukmana photo 208 Organizations