This spring marks the Hamilton Alumni Leadership Training's (HALT) eighth semester on campus. HALT, which began in the 2002 – 2003 academic year (then known as "YALP," or Young Alumni Leadership Program), is a program designed to create connections between current students and both alumni and college administrators. The program, with 32 members for the 2005 – 2006 year, also trains current students to be leaders within the Hamilton community after they graduate.
Laurie Russell, associate director of alumni relations, is the group's advisor. Currently the group is only open to seniors, but Russell hopes that in the future the program will include students from all class years. Colby Bishop '06 and Lyle Trued '06 are this year's co-chairs. Trued and Bishop agree that HALT is a great way to stay involved with the college after graduation.
Russell stresses that HALT, like most alumni-related associations, is driven by volunteers. For this reason, Russell, Bishop and Trued look for hard-working committee members that are able to dedicate time to the group. Part of the responsibility of HALT leaders is to "recruit 40 to 50 committee members to be a part of the HALT group." Once recruited, all potential committee members were required to submit an application along with a personal statement outlining their commitment to the college.
Throughout the fall semester and continuing this spring, HALT has conducted several lunch meetings, each with separate speakers. Speakers have included representatives from Communications and Development, Alumni Relations, Annual Fund, Admission, GOLD (graduates of the last decade), the Career Center and the Senior Gift Committee. During meetings members learn about each speaker's role in the Hamilton community and how it relates to alumni relations. Member Kristen Archibald '06 commented: "I like hearing about some of the things that go on behind the scenes at Hamilton." When asked about this semester's plans, Bishop commented "so far our schedule includes a meeting with President Stewart and a Kirkland alumna/trustee of the College."
In addition to meetings on campus, this year's HALT members became the first to take the program off campus by attending the annual Alexander Hamilton Birthday Party events all over the country, including parties in Boston, New York City, Fairfield County, and at the Little Pub. HALT members act as representatives of the student body at these events and offer insights on current student life to interested alumni.
HALT members do not only serve to learn about Hamilton's alumni network, but also to give feedback to administrators. For instance, HALT members were given access to HOLAC, the Hamilton College Online Alumni Community (presently restricted to alumni use only). Members were able to communicate with administrators about the design, functionality and efficiency of the system. HALT members serve as a valuable link between administrators and students. Russell commented that these connections build a powerful network that is extremely beneficial to students after they graduate.
Russell is also impressed with the progress of the HALT program over the past four years. This year especially, she commends Bishop and Trued for their enthusiasm and commitment to creating a stronger, more visible HALT program. Over the next few years, Russell hopes that HALT will increase membership as well as create more formalized subcommittees.
-Whitney Bull '06
