Yosef is synonymous with App State Athletics. He’s there every fall Saturday in the High Country, riling up fans and amusing people with his antics.
His image goes a lot further than just cheering with Mountaineers fans. He also lends his name to the school’s Student Yosef Club, a club that contributes massively to improving the university’s athletics programs.
“The Student Yosef Club is part of the Mountaineer Athletic Fund, so it helps to fundraise for our different athletic programs on campus,” said Ryan Ray, the director of marketing for the Student Yosef Club and a student at App State.
According to the Mountaineer Athletic Fund website, each student-athlete costs $50,000, “when factoring all the expenses including scholarships, meals, lodging, nutrition, health, insurance, travel, aid and supplies.”
The fund was specifically created to help cover these expenses, and the Student Yosef Club’s mission reflects that of its parent organization.
The club accomplishes much of this mission through membership dues. There are two different dues options one can pay when joining the club: $50 if you’re just joining for a year or $150 if you’re joining for all four years.
You can join the Student Yosef Club by going to the Mountaineers Athletic Fund website and finding the Student Yosef Club section. There you can find a link to join.
After paying these membership dues, one can get plenty of perks to take advantage of. These include first priority to claim student tickets, 15-minute early entry to football and basketball home games, 20% off at Alumni Hall, an exclusive T-shirt, an exclusive sticker and access to events throughout the year.
“This year we’ve had a movie night already and we’re planning some more things to do this semester and next,” said Grayson Comer, president of the Student Yosef Club.
The purpose of these events isn’t to make money for the fund, it’s a different reason altogether.
“We are really looking at new ways to bring more people in and make them feel like they’re getting value for what they’re a part of,” Ray said. “We’re working very heavily with athletics right now to try and see what opportunities are available to us this year.”
The club also goes beyond these functions and goals to help the athletic department in another way.
“A lot of people join and use it to get the guaranteed football tickets and early entry, but we need to support all athletes,” Comer said. “They work their butt off year in, year out and sometimes they only get their parents and some of their close friends to show up to those games. They deserve a crowd like football does. I know a lot of people on a lot of those other teams and they deserve that kind of recognition.”
The club doesn’t just offer opportunities to attend events or support and promote the school’s athletic programs, it also offers other opportunities if pursued correctly.
“I think the average App student should know that Student Yosef Club and being involved in athletics in general is a great opportunity to meet individuals you would not otherwise run into on campus,” Ray said.
Ray said App State has around 20,000 undergrads and most of them are overwhelmingly nice and are willing to help you with whatever you need, whatever that may be and that the Student Yosef Club provides a really great home for App State students.
Whether it is through their support of the App State Athletics or the comradery fostered within its ranks, the Student Yosef Club has helped accomplish its primary goal and strives to help make a further impact, either on athletics or on the App State community as a whole.
