Future alumni
About Dinners With Dawgs
Information for prospective hosts
The UWAA is looking for UW alumni to open up their homes to host a group of eight to 15 students for a casual meal and conversation. The UWAA will help arrange the student guests for your party — you just choose either February 24 or 25, 2018, to host and plan a meal. Co-hosting with other alumni is encouraged!
For details and to sign up, contact Amanda at alobsing@uw.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my house can’t accommodate 12?
How about six? You can choose how many people you’d like at your dinner, depending on the size of your home and the style of your meal.
How will students get to my home?
Most students will likely use public transportation, so locations convenient to bus, light rail and streetcar routes are perfect. Students will be asked about preferred transportation when they register, so that staff can help arrange carpools to locations that may not be as convenient to public transportation.
What if I’m a terrible cook?
Students are just happy with food and great company. Some hosts create delicious homemade meals, while others choose to pick up party platters. If cooking isn’t your forté, how can you get creative? There’s really only one requirement — you should be able to accommodate vegetarians. Just make sure to have a few dishes that aren’t “meat lovers” only.
What if I work late?
All dinners are on Saturday or Sunday, and your dinner can begin at any time. While 6 p.m. is the “default” start time, you may choose to begin earlier or later, keeping in mind that a typical dinner will last two to three hours.
What if I don’t have a lot of time?
To keep it simple and best accommodate your schedule, you can choose either February 24 or 25 for your dinner. We’ll arrange the students and coordinate logistics with them, you just plan a casual dinner.
What would we possibly talk about?
Many students will view hosted dinner (or in college terms, free meal!) as a chance to connect with a UW alum, faculty or staff member and expand their network by meeting new people. While you might want to give some thought to a few ice breaker questions, we don’t expect you in any way to facilitate conversation. Ask the students what they want to talk about. Topics like what they are involved in, what they’re studying, and what they want to do after college are typically good places to start and will ignite further discussions.
