UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — This week, Penn State seniors have the chance to vote for their class gift and leave a legacy to their alma mater. Voting for the 2018 Class Gift began Sunday, Oct. 7, and will continue through Friday, Oct. 13.
Seniors can vote in-person at the HUB-Robeson Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, or vote at www.giveto.psu.edu/voteclassgift online. Voting and giving information are available both online and at the voting tables.
Students graduating in May, August or December 2018 are eligible to vote for the 2018 Class Gift.
“The class gift program is trying something a little different this year,” said Lauren Nelson, 2018 Class Gift executive director. “The ballot will contain five gift proposals, and seniors will vote for the one of their choice. When the final ballots are tallied, the three with the most votes will officially be the winners. Students can then make a donation to the one of the three that speaks to them the most.”
The five proposals on the ballot are:
HUB Alma Mater Display
The timeless words of the Alma Mater, written by Penn State Professor of American Literature Fred Lewis Pattee, have echoed down through generations of Penn Staters. This class gift would celebrate the University’s official song by commissioning an artist to create a display inspired by the Alma Mater, and locate it in the HUB-Robeson Center. Creating the Alma Mater display would give the song the prominent and permanent place that it deserves.
The Textbook and Educational Resources Fund
Penn State strives to offer the highest quality education to as many students as possible. The Textbook and Educational Resources Fund reduces the cost of a Penn State education by allowing students to borrow books reserved for their classes rather than buying or renting them, which can be a significant expense. At its current capacity, the fund can only provide 10 percent of the need for this service. By supporting the Textbook Fund, the class of 2018 can increase the number of textbooks available to students.
Support the Student Veterans Center
Penn State is consistently named a top university for active, reserve and retired military students, but these students lack a space where they can connect over similar challenges. The class of 2018 gift would support a named space in the new Student Veterans Center, in a soon-to-be-renovated wing of Ritenour Building. In the space, student veterans will have the opportunity to learn, be supported, and work alongside the Student Veterans Services staff.
World in Conversation Endowment
The World in Conversation program offers space for students to gather and discuss the challenges facing our world. Using trained student facilitators, this program seeks to provide an opportunity for constructive dialogue regarding controversial issues and examine how various perspectives both unite and divide our society. The 2018 Class Gift would create a permanent, annual source of funding for this program to operate and grow indefinitely.
Student Farm Endowment
Investing in agriculture is an important part of Penn State’s historic land-grant mission — and the Student Farm is an example of the current generation’s passion for sustainability and responsible stewardship of the land. The Student Farm offers hands-on educational opportunities, chances for students to discover more about healthy lifestyles, and benefits to the community. Because the Student Farm is currently funded by donations alone, it is difficult for the program to expand. By creating a permanent, annual source of funding to support the Student Farm, the class of 2018 can help ensure this connection to our land-grant mission can continue to flourish into the future.
The Class Gift Committee will reveal the gift selected by the class of 2018 on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on the ground floor of the HUB.
The Executive Committee of the 2018 Class Gift Committee includes Lauren Nelson, executive director; Darius Williams-McKenzie, director of communications; Sydney Downham, director of fundraising; Jesse Severino, director of events; Sean Monaghan, director of logistics; and Kyra Rogan, director of student outreach.
Follow class gift information on Facebook or @PSUClassGift on Twitter and Instagram. For more information on Penn State class gifts, visit www.classgift.psu.edu. Questions can be directed to Alissa Janoski, Class Gift adviser.