Seniors can now donate to an area of the school they would like to help fund as part of the Class of 2015 Giving Campaign, which launched this week.

The amount $20.15 is advertised as an appropriate donation, but seniors can donate any amount they wish. Seniors can allocate their gift as well, meaning they can designate a certain amount or percentage to different segments of the university, such as schools and colleges, student organizations or any other part that they wish to donate to.

Seniors can go to giving.syr.edu and navigate to the Class of 2015 Giving page to donate.

There is also an option to make an unrestricted gift, in which the university will delegate the money to areas that need it the most, said Asia Richter, a senior environmental and interior design major, in an email.

“It is important that we as a class give back to SU to ensure that the aspects which we love the most about our university are passed down to underclassmen and future members of our Orange Nation,” said Richter, a member of the Class Act senior giving committee.

Kristen Duggleby, assistant director for annual giving programs, oversees the Class Act and worked with the first committee in 2010 to establish the campaign. Class Act is led by a committee of seniors who encourage their peers to participate in the fundraising effort by making a gift in honor of their senior year, she said.

Besides a monetary gift to the university, Duggleby emphasized the importance of educating and forming lifelong philanthropic actions that “provide future young alumni with role models for philanthropic giving.”

Adrienne Marcino, a senior and dual advertising and marketing major, said in an email that those in the Class Act Committee are working in multiple ways to spread the message and importance of giving back. One way senior leaders did this was through posting photographs with graphics about “Giving Tuesday,” the philanthropic version of Black Friday, on their Facebook pages.

As a Phanstiel Scholar, Marcino is personally invested in giving back to SU. The Phanstiel Scholars program helps students from middle-income backgrounds bridge the gap between financial aid and the cost of attendance. Because of her scholarship, Marcino said she recognizes the importance of helping current and future students who are in the same position. But she said she still keeps the bigger picture in mind and strives for 100 percent participation from the senior class.

Seniors across campus are also chosen to coordinate and assemble support for the campaign. Kyle Fenton, a senior information management and technology major, is an ambassador for the School of Information Studies and said his role within the school is to specifically encourage seniors within the iSchool to donate to the fund.

Fenton and other leaders within the iSchool are gathering support by working with class marshals to create networking opportunities for seniors through happy hour and other collaborations, he added.

“It’s absolutely priceless. I know that if I could give something to give back to the programs I was a part of, I know that’s the most important part,” Fenton said.

Published on December 4, 2014 at 12:01 am

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