Mississippi State University is finding new ways to promote student attendance at an assortment of campus events. 
The Student Association, the Alumni Association and the Bulldog Club have teamed up to create the Bulldog Coalition as a way to promote spirit among students by translating attendance into points. The program serves as a bridge into the Bulldog Club after graduation, and students have already begun signing up to earn points. 
Mike Richey, senior associate athletic director for the Bulldog Club and Ticket Operations, said Bulldog Club points are used to rank priority members. This gives members benefits such as special seating, priority parking with reserved parking passes for game day and priority tickets for bowl games.
“Joining the Bulldog Club gives you the opportunity to give back to the university as we continue to grow,” Richey said.
The Bulldog Club is a private fundraising group that generates revenue for student athletic scholarships, he said.
Students can pay $25 a year or pay a one-time fee of $75 as a freshman for the following four years. Each student that signs up receives a card similar to the ones provided to members of the Bulldog Club, which is scanned at every sporting or alumni event. Before every event, students will receive an e-mail with the location of where they can scan their cards. Each event is worth equal point value to encourage students to go to as many events as possible. 
Athletic events qualifying for point credits include football, baseball, softball, track and field, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis and volleyball.  Some of the alumni events students can earn points for include Bulldog Bash, Super Bulldog Weekend and Alumni Birthday Party, among others.
Thomas Sellers, Student Association president, said all student athletes deserve recognition at their respective events and that this program is a way to encourage participation. 
“One of the main objectives of this program is to help create an exciting student atmosphere for all of our events,” he said.
The program has been a work in process for the past several years and had a soft opening last fall. Since some students cannot afford to make donations right out of college, attending these events will help allow a new alumnus to become involved in the Bulldog Club, Sellers said.
Brittany White, co-director of Athletic Affairs, said every 25 events attended, or 25 points earned in the Bulldog Coalition, is equal to one point in the Bulldog Club after graduation.  As alumni, donations determine points within the Bulldog Club. 
“It’s a great opportunity to stay involved in Mississippi State athletics, because you get Bulldog Club points while you are in school and automatically see those benefits when you graduate,” she said.
Special prizes are awarded to students who earn the most points. Barnes & Noble will provide a semester of free textbooks to the Grand Prize winner. The second place winner will receive an Apple iTouch, and the third place award is a $100 Barnes and Noble gift card. Other prizes include Bulldog Coalition koozies, coolers, Nalgene water bottles, sweatshirts, backpacks and an autographed cowbell. If a student attends 150 events, he or she will earn a True Maroon card plus an invitation to an end-of-school dinner with the MSU coaches, the Athletic director and the president of the university.
For more information about the Bulldog Coalition, visit ourteamonline.com, truemaroon.msstate.edu, or visit Colvard Student Union Suite 314 to sign up. For other inquiries, e-mail Brittany White at [email protected]or Bill Gilbert at [email protected].