The key to a successful, fun reunion is, very simply, numbers. The more men that come back, the more fun it is. While you can certainly have a good time reminiscing with your old roomie and one or two other men you keep in touch with anyway, you won't believe what it's like to see a bunch of guys you haven't seen or heard from since the day you walked off campus. So, it's really key to get as many guys as possible to attend; the first part of this reunion guide deals how to do that.

Getting men to come back to Chapel Hill is kind of a snowball affair; the more who commit to come, the more likely the fence-sitters are to come also. You've got to have one man in charge. He doesn't have to do it all, but he's got to be willing to oversee all the efforts and got to be able to solicit assistance. Then, the sequence generally goes like this:

1. Approximately a year out, the "chairman" contacts 3 or 4 of his closest buddies and convinces them to come also.
2. The chairman sends an email to all class members, telling of the reunion. For this purpose, the only thing that needs to be firm is the date; actual activities, times, places, etc. are unnecessary. The email lists the guys who've already said they'll come.
3. Within a week of the email, the guys who are coming split up the rest of the class and make personal phone calls to everyone, urging them to come. You'll find this is the fun part.
4. Once a month, the chairman sends an email to all class members, updating the attendee list. In addition, the email should have attached to it a list of the entire class, with email addresses and phone numbers. The emails should encourage everyone to call the guys who haven't committed. The emails should also seek help in finding "lost brothers."
5. As plans firm up, you should send an email to alumni in the classes 2 years ahead of yours and 2 years behind. It's not uncommon for guys from these years to show up-especially if they're local.

UNC General Alumni Association (UNCGAA)
UNC schedules five year reunions for all classes up to and including the 35th. year for Homecoming in the fall. Of course, there's a football game and the UNCGAA has other events planned, as well. For the 40th, 45th, and all older classes, reunions are planned for graduation weekend in the Spring, always on Mother's Day weekend.

Lodging
The only early decision that needs to be made is in regard to lodging. You'll find it's much more fun if everyone from out of town stays in the same hotel. The Carolina Inn and University Motel are no longer the only games in town. Chapel Hill has a number of nice hotels and there are many more in Research Triangle Park, about 20 minutes away. The motels will allow you to block off a group of rooms without making a deposit; generally any rooms that aren't confirmed within 60 days of the date are released. So, all that has to be done is to find a hotel and reserve a block of rooms and then it's up to each guy to contact the hotel, make his reservation, put down a deposit, etc. The folks at the UNC General Alumni Association (UNCGAA) will gladly assist with finding hotels and so will the Alumni Committee.

Use of the DU house
The purpose of reunions is to get together and reminisce about old times, find out what everyone's doing, meet wives, see how Chapel Hill's changed, and generally have a good time. We've found that all this is best done in an informal, casual atmosphere. What has worked well is to use the DU house as a base of operations and a site for get-togethers. For Spring reunions, the undergraduates will be between Spring semester and summer school, so there will be nothing going on at the house and parking won't be a problem. For Fall reunions, there will very likely be something going on at the house and parking will not available. Of course, alumni are welcome at any party or get-together they might be having. In fact, alumni often have to show the "youngsters" how to party!

We do not recommend having reunions in a restaurant. It's just too hard to mix and mingle and get to see everyone. Having a meal at the house is by far the best way to get to spend quality time with a lot of the guys. You can move around, spend some time with the kitchen crowd, check on your wife once in a while in the chapter room, tell jokes in the dining room, and generally mix and mingle comfortably. So, we urge you to plan at least one meal at the house.

Spring reunions
If you're having a spring reunion, the UNCGAA has a weekend full of events planned, which men may or may not want to take advantage of. What has worked well in the past is the following schedule:
" Friday evening: informal get together at the house. Walk or drive to baseball stadium for UNC game. If UNC is not in town, dinner could be planned at a local restaurant. What's better though, is to eat at the house--a catered meal, order a bunch of pizzas, or everyone brings their own chicken, burgers, etc. There is a grill at the house which you are welcome to use.
" Saturday daytime is up to everyone. Tour campus, go back to favorite haunts, attend UNCGAA events. Usually a couple foursomes of golf can be arranged.
" Saturday night: a catered meal at the house followed by laid back party and reminiscing. We (local alumni) can help in planning that. This is always a very memorable event.
" Sunday morning: everyone on his own or get together for breakfast or brunch, especially if everyone is at the same hotel.

Fall reunions
" Friday evening: informal get together at the house. Join the undergraduates in whatever they have going on. Meals are not served at the house on Fridays, so you can plan a meal at the house if you want.
" Saturday: the level of success the football team is having determines when the game will be held (TV decision). That decision is generally made two weeks prior, so it's hard to do much advance planning. There is adequate parking within 5 minutes walk of the house, so you can gather at the house prior to the game and walk to Kenan (if you can still walk that far!). Depending on when the game is played, you can eat at the house before or after. You are welcome to use the gas grill. The UNCGAA can help you secure a block of seats for the game.
" Sunday morning: everyone on his own or get together for breakfast or brunch.

Help and advice
The DU Alumni Committee is here to help. We have a number of local alumni who can recommend hotels, caterers, etc. We're not going to plan and run your reunion for you, but feel free to ask us for advice at any time.

Reunion planning website