10/13/16 mbd
HAYS, Kan. - Tiger Gold on Friday committee members will share recent progress of the TGOF campaign at this month's Chamber Chat at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in Gross Memorial Coliseum's Victor E. Lounge.

All members of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce are invited as well as members of the campus and Hays communities. Light refreshments will be served.

The TGOF committee is a partnership among Fort Hays State University's Office of University Relations and Marketing, FHSU Athletics, the FHSU Alumni Association and Eagle Communications. Their goal is to promote school spirit by encouraging Tigers everywhere to wear Tiger Gold each Friday.

When asked how the TGOF movement started, Assistant Alumni Director Charlene Nichols gave some insight.

"Tiger Gold on Friday began as just an idea to increase school spirit on campus and in the community," Nichols said. "Thanks to the work of our initial steering committee, which was comprised of faculty and staff from across campus and the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, we were able to take this simple idea and build it into a new FHSU tradition.

"Eagle Communications provided support that first year by supplying T-shirts and promoting this new initiative, and they've been key to its success ever since," Nichols said. "It really is amazing what has grown from this simple little idea that Dr. Mary Martin and I came up with one afternoon."

The committee continues to build a database of TGOF Partners, which are businesses that offer discounts or specials to customers wearing gold on Fridays.

Once a business registers to be a TGOF Partner, it will receive TGOF materials for its place of business and be recognized in various FHSU promotions. There is no fee to register, and businesses can sign up at www.fhsu.edu/tgof.

For more information on the TGOF campaign, contact TGOF committee co-chairs Melissa Dixon at mbdixon@fhsu.edu or Mary Ridgway at mridgway@fhsu.edu.