Campus Club continues goal of collegiality
Group hopes to obtain clubhouse space in new Alumni House to be built on campus

By MARA McGINNIS
Reporter Assistant Editor

From Beck to Harriman to Winspear and now Goodyear Hall, the university's Campus Club has endured many changes during its long history, not the least of which is being much less known at the university today than it was a few decades ago. But the club's purpose of collegiality remains as it continues to welcome colleagues new and old.

Established in 1953 as the Faculty Club, UB's premiere social club changed its name some 10 years ago to encourage the membership of others in the UB community in addition to faculty. Its purpose is to develop and promote a sense of community, collegiality, and unity of purpose between all faculty and professional staff; to provide the opportunity for social discourse, interaction, and networking across departmental and divisional boundaries, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information necessary for improving the welfare of UB.

Membership in the Campus Club is open to all faculty and professional staff, including active and retired constituents of the State, Research Foundation, UB Foundation and Faculty Student Association.

According to Jane DiSalvo, assistant to the director for the Interdisciplinary Degree Programs in the Social Sciences and member of the Campus Club Executive Board, when the name was changed, the club's constitution also was changed to allow participation by UB alumni. While "most faculty clubs are for faculty only," she adds that UB's is special because it allows for participation by a much wider population of the university community.

DiSalvo, who has been active in the club for nearly 25 years, works with Rosemary Mecca, international scholar advisor and Campus Club president, to coordinate club events and activities. Past activities have included a variety of campus events, such as lectures, poetry and book readings, music and athletic events, as well as off-campus activities such as bus trips to Toronto. However, the biggest and most popular event remains the club's annual holiday party, which DiSalvo says is a "gala affair" and alone is worth the membership dues.

Other benefits of being a member include access to the Campus Club lounge in Goodyear Hall for meetings and socials, complimentary receptions and preferred seating and/or tickets to university events. Members also have the privilege of being able to visit more than 100 clubs in more than 30 states and three foreign countries as part of a reciprocal agreement with the Association of Faculty Clubs International.

"We try to honor new members of the university community, as well as those who are leaving," says Mecca, adding that the club has held receptions for new deans and honors retirees at its annual holiday party. In addition, she says, the club tries to involve new faculty and professional staff members by offering them a one-year complimentary membership when they join the university community. "It's a nice way to orient people to the university," she adds.

Mecca and DiSalvo admit that the clubhouse location on the South Campus is a bit of a deterrent when trying to recruit members, especially given the lack of parking and the fact that so many of UB's faculty and staff work on the North Campus. But they hope that some space in UB's future Alumni House will allow them a new clubhouse on the North Campus and positively impact the club's membership.

While the club currently has a little more than 100 members-including paying members President and Mrs. Greiner-DiSalvo recalls a time in the 1970s when there were between 400 and 500 active members. "Membership began to dwindle in the late '70s with the construction of the North Campus," she says. And as the university grew, so did the need for space on both campuses, which is why the clubhouse moved around.

In the club's early days, a full-time receptionist sat outside the clubhouse to welcome members, recalls DiSalvo, but without someone there to grant access to the facility, the clubhouse sees much less activity, which is something she and Mecca hope will change as they continue to recruit new members.

While the location and membership of the Campus Club have continued to change, the membership dues of $20 a year per member haven't changed in nearly 35 years, according to DiSalvo. All of the money collected from dues pay for membership benefits, including a new scholarship program for members and their dependents.

There may be fewer members than before, but Mecca says the purpose of the club has stayed the same and that those involved continue to find the sense of community and collegiality that is so important in a university community.

To join the Campus Club, contact Mecca at 645-2258 or rmecca@acsu.buffalo.edu.