Welcome to Chapter News! Every month, alumni chapter leaders receive this e-newsletter with information regarding IU, the Alumni Association, and best practices for alumni chapters.

It's Not Too Late! Chapters Can Contribute as Claude Rich Open Patrons

One of the goals of the IU Alumni Association is to involve all our alumni chapters in a scholarship program. The Claude Rich Scholarship fund is an easy way for your chapter to become involved in helping raise scholarship funds for Indiana University students. Claude Rich had a distinguished career at Indiana University spanning more than 60 years, including his service as chief executive of the IU Alumni Association from 1948-76. On February 12 the Alumni Association, along with the IU Foundation and IU Varsity Club, will host the 19th annual Claude Rich Scholarship Open in Naples, Fla., to raise money for scholarships. We invite your chapter to support the scholarship fund by becoming a patron of the golf tournament. The cost to become a patron is $300. Each chapter that participates will receive either an autographed football, soccer ball, or basketball. Your chapter can use the autographed ball as a raffle item at one of your events to assist in recouping all or some of the $300 donation. In addition, your chapter will be listed in the banquet program as a patron. For additional information, visit the Claude Rich Scholarship Open Web site.

Chapters Combine Efforts for Successful Pre-Game Party

Members of the Johnson County Chapter attended an IU basketball pre-game party on December 17 in Bloomington. The party was sponsored by the Johnson County, Monroe County, and Southwest Indiana chapters. All three chapters shared in the cost of the event and purchased blocks of tickets for the IU game against Southern Illinois that evening. More than 100 people attended the festive gathering!

ChaptersOnline Celebrates One-Year Anniversary!
We hope chapter leaders and volunteers have found ChaptersOnline a great resource in utilizing a variety of communication types to your chapters. If your chapter needs to send a blast e-mail, make an update to your chapter's Web site, or send us copy for a chapter postal mailing, simply visit ChaptersOnline and submit your requests. Also, you can record all of your chapter events for the year utilizing the event tracker option. This is a great way to get a jump start on your chapter's annual report each year! If you have not already, be sure to bookmark this site. To access the system, click on ChaptersOnline. You will be asked to authenticate your IU alumni information the first time you access the system. You can authenticate your information by visiting the IU Alumni Online Directory. Once you have a username and password from the Alumni Directory, enter them in the appropriate boxes and log in. It's that simple!

For each type of request, there is a corresponding tab that you click on to make your request.

• Print Center is the option to select for newsletters, flyers, or other mailings.
• Web Center should be used for updating your chapter Web site.
• E-mail Center is for sending e-newsletters or announcements to your chapter.
• Event Tracker allows you to record all chapter events and meetings occurring during the year.

March Madness is Coming!
The road to the Final Four is in full swing for our IU Hoosiers and IUPUI Jaguars! Although we don't know where IU teams will be heading in this year's NCAA tournament, we do know that most of the games will be happening in an area close to an IU alumni chapter. If this is the case, the local chapter will be asked to assist IUAA in hosting a pre-game party. For a complete listing of where our Hoosiers or Jaguars may be playing in March, please refer to this Web site for men's games or this Web site for women's games.

The Hoosiers will also play in the men's and women's Big Ten Tournaments, March 1-5 (women) held in Indianapolis, and March 8-11 (men) held in Chicago. Be sure to join fellow Hoosier fans at pep rallies before each game. Look for upcoming details about all future post-season NCAA games and alumni events involving IU teams on the IUAA Web site.

Don't Forget! Chapter Annual Reports Due January 31!
Annual reports provide IUAA with vital information on a chapter's activity during the past year. From a listing of chapter board members, communications and community service, programming and membership, and service to IU, each of these key areas are included in the chapter year-end Annual Report. The chapter awards given during Cream & Crimson Weekend and are based on the activities listed in your chapter's Annual Report. Please note that chapters who fail to submit annual reports lose their status as an active IUAA chapter and subsequent dues allocations. To submit your chapter's Annual Report by January 31, please visit the Chapter Leaders Web site where you can find the form, or contact your chapter director.

Promote IUAA Membership at Your Chapter Events
Chapter events are great places to promote IUAA membership! You may offer a Special Event Price of $10 off a single or joint annual membership at your chapter's events. Recent graduates are still eligible to join or renew at the half-price annual rate of $20 ($25 for joint) if their first IU degree was received within the last five years. Offering a $10 discount on annual membership is a nice way to thank alumni for attending your chapter's events. Contact your IUAA chapter director for special event membership forms and signage. Please contact Joan Hall, director of membership, with any questions at jchall@indiana.edu.