1995 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 1995!
I sincerely hope you are all doing well, despite the challenges we all faced in 2020. So far, 2021 has been a bit interesting as well. I am writing to you from Galveston, Texas, where we just endured record low temperatures, which caused power and water outages for most of the state. Being without electricity for 72 hours and water for even longer certainly made for an interesting last week. We became full-time RV’ers so we could “chase 70 degrees,” and so far, well, we kind of suck at it! Follow our adventures on Facebook at “We Could Be Lost.”
Reunion Information:
We were so bummed to have our 25th Class Reunion canceled last summer, but it was absolutely the correct approach by the College. We are now scheduled to have a joint reunion with the Class of ’96, which we are extremely excited about!
Alumni Weekend 2021 will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen with two distinct summer weekends of Ripon alumni programming for us. No matter how you’d like to connect, virtually or in person, the Office of Constituent Engagement is developing a variety of activities to continue to follow CDC, Fond du Lac County and College guidelines in both June and August. Full schedules, lodging, and programming details will be posted soon to www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend.
JUNE 2021
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In honor of our June Alumni Weekend traditions, virtual alumni programming will be held Tuesday, June 22 through Saturday, June 26, and will include: an alumni town hall, R Connections webinars, affinity socials, a summer book club, and special recognition of the 2020 and 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees.
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The only in-person event, the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble, will be held off-campus on Friday, June 25.
AUGUST 2021
A combination of virtual and in-person Alumni Weekend programming will be held the first week of August. We will continue to evaluate the state of COVID-19. If circumstances change at the local and national level and we need to cancel in-person programming, that decision will be made and communicated by July 1, 2021.
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Virtual programming will be held Tuesday, August 3 through Saturday, August 7 and will include: a reunion-focused alumni town hall that also previews the new academic year, additional R Connections webinars, the summer book club capstone, and the traditional “That Was Then” storytelling session.
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In-person, on-campus programming will be held Friday, August 6 through Sunday, August 8, and will focus on alumni awards recognition, 2020 and 2021 reunion celebrations, and other outdoor events such as Rally Run and prairie walk.
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Additionally, the Class of 2020 will officially be welcomed to our alumni community with a special commencement ceremony.
Ripon and COVID-19:
On campus, classes officially started on January 25 with a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid (part online and part in-person) formats. The weekend before classes started, the entire campus community (all students, faculty, and staff) were required to take a COVID-19 test, which was administered on campus in Great Hall, resulting in a less than one percent positivity rate. Beginning on February 1, the College began random weekly surveillance testing where approximately a quarter of the College community will be tested. If you are interested in following the plans and procedures this semester, as well as tracking the COVID-19 positivity rate, you can visit www.ripon.edu/coronavirus-information/ for more information.
The Ripon Fund and #OneDayRally:
A sincere THANK YOU to those of you who have donated to the Ripon Fund. Your donations are so important and help keep the College operating. For the 2019-2020 fiscal year our class donated just over $11,000 with 20% of the class participating. If you have not yet given in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, a great opportunity to do so will be on April 28, when the College holds its annual #OneDayRally. This event has grown to be one of the most active days of virtual engagement for the entire Ripon College family, which means prospective students are taking note of this day, too. All alumni are encouraged to sport their Ripon College attire and post it on their social media platforms. If you are interested in being an official Social Media Advocate, promoting Ripon’s #OneDayRally on all of your social media platforms, email [email protected]. You will receive an official toolkit to use in your social media posts. To donate outside of the #OneDayRally event, you can donate online any time at www.ripon.edu/give/.
Seeking New Class Agents:
After 25 years of serving you, ANGELA KEITH ’95, VINCE PADILLA ’95, and I are retiring from our Class Agent positions. If you are interested in being a Class Agent, please let us know and we will put you in touch with the appropriate Ripon staff members. It is fun to be so closely involved with the College. Duties include writing Class Letters twice a year, and helping plan the Reunion every five years. Who wants to take on this fun and critical role? If it’s you, let us know!
A shout-out to DAN YOST ’95 who is representing our class on the Alumni Board. Thanks, Dan!
We hope to be able to see all of you later this year, when we can share and celebrate the amazing memories we created together in that little town called Ripon.
Class Notes:
DAN YOST ’95 of Antioch, Illinois, ran for election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 61 with the Republican Party. He lost a tough race in the general election on November 3, 2020.
MICHELE CUMMINS KORNET ’95 of San Antonio, Texas, married Michael Kornet on October 10, 2020. Michele works at San Antonio Academy with her mother, CATHY ZENDAR CUMMINS ’65.
Stay healthy,
AMY DEKEYSER PADILLA ’95
(608) 445-1038
Your 1995 Class Agent