Whether it is called STAG or Alumni Weekend, from May 21-23 all past graduates will have the opportunity to revisit and retell stories of their time at Baker University.
STAG stands for Students That Are Graduates and was started around 1945.
“After World War II, it was when all the army fellows came back and visited the fraternities and sororities,” Jerry Weakley, vice president for endowment and planned giving, said. “It was students that are graduates coming back from the war. After that, STAG took on a new life.”
While the meaning of STAG embodies something different for everyone, one thing remains a constan; it is a weekend to reunite and make up for lost time.
“Alumni Weekend is for any Baker graduate from any of the four schools,” Debbie Papps, assistant director of alumni relations, said. “It is open to all alums, and each reunion class is honored.”
Planning for the three-day event begins a year in advance. One of the various events planned is the Wildcat Classic Golf Tournament on May 21. The money raised from the tournament will go toward Baker student-athletes.
A dinner and social will be held to present members of the class of 1960 with a 50-year gold medallion on May 21 at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park. There will be live entertainment provided by a band formed at Baker, Four Fried Chickens and a Coke.
“It is always a lot of fun,” Papps said. “Each year we try to tweak it here and there to see what works and what does not. We want to involve as many people as we can. This year we actually have some great numbers.”
New events added to this year’s weekend are the recognizing of three different organizations’ anniversaries. Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity will be celebrating its centennial, Baker and Harlaxton have been working together for two decades and a psychology reunion will be held to commemorate the past 25 years.
Looking over the weekend as a whole, Lyn Lakin, vice president of university advancement, sees the connection each person on campus has with one another after the weekend concludes with commencement.
“My favorite part of the weekend is that at the same time we are honoring old alumni and creating new alums during commencement,” Lakin said. “This is the one time of year we have the beginning, middle and end all represented on campus.”
