515 Loudon Road Siena College Student Senate

Loudonville, New York 12211-1462 518-782-6063

www.siena.edu studentsenate@siena.edu

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama,

Last year, our basketball team defeated Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in
extraordinary fashion. Perhaps you remember Ronald Moore draining a three pointer with time running out
in the second overtime. It was one of the most exciting events in our College’s history. After all, it’s not every
day that a liberal arts college of 3,000 students from upstate New York makes a splash on the national stage.

The only thing we regret about our victory is that it busted your NCAA Tournament bracket! That’s why
we’re writing to ensure you pick the Siena Saints over our opponents this year. Here are a few reasons why:

• Siena College’s athletic program wins the right way. Siena’s 95 percent student-athlete graduation
success rate ranks fifth among Division I schools.
• All student-athletes volunteer as part of “Saints in the Community.” This year the men’s basketball
program volunteered with organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the
Northeast Regional Food Bank and Special Olympics. The team also visited several area schools
through our Adopt-A-School program.
• Senior point guard Ronald Moore is a finalist for this year’s Bob Cousy Award, which is given to the
top point guard in the nation.
• The Saints dominated the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) during the regular season,
finishing league play with a record of 17-1.
• Coach Fran McCaffery embodies your slogan, “Change we can believe in.” When he arrived, Siena
was coming off a program-worst 24-loss season. Since then, the team has gone 112-50 and has won
three straight MAAC Tournaments and two NCAA Tournament games.
• Perhaps most important, everyone loves an underdog! Siena might not have the same resources as
the big schools, but our college makes up for it with a caring community that is committed to
developing students into leaders on the court, in the classroom and in our future careers.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our team and Siena College. We would be honored if you
would root for the Saints in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Please enjoy the tee-shirts we’ve included with
this letter for you, Michele, Malia, Sasha and Marian.

Sincerely,

Stephen Archer Alexander Mazza Allison Collins Bryan Schroter

Student Senate President Vice President Secretary Treasurer