Seniors Emily Wehmeier and Ryan Amos donate to the senior class gift Thursday at GradFest. (SAMANTHA LUDINGTON | The Miami Student)
With graduation just around the corner, many seniors are preoccupied with finding jobs, internships and grad schools. In this hectic time, the Office of Annual Giving and the Senior Class Gift Campaign ask seniors to keep Miami University in mind by giving to the senior class gift.
This year, the senior class gift campaign is asking seniors to donate $20.11 to the fund to commemorate their year of graduation, according to Beth Ann Gaier, senior class gift chair. The donations will go toward the Armstrong Student Center, although students can ask for their donation to go elsewhere in the university, Gaier said.
"The donations are going to the Armstrong Student Center so future students will have the same great experience as students so far," Gaier said.
Donations from students can also go toward the senior class scholarship or any department within the university, according to Gaier.
For the first time, Miami is competing with Ohio University to see which school can raise the most money and have the most participation in the senior class gift, according to Gaier. Miami and Ohio University set up the competition to encourage students to participate in the gift, Gaier said.
Seniors are not required to donate the $20.11, but can donate as much or as little as they want, Gaier said. However, students who give $200 or more will have their name placed in the Armstrong Student Center, according to Gaier. The senior class gift campaign does not have a specific monetary goal, but aims to get seniors to participate and give back, Gaier said.
"We just want to encourage and inform students about how beneficial this gift is to the university," Gaier said.
Andrew Bixel, assistant director of the office of annual giving, agreed that giving back to Miami is imperative to the school. The Office of Annual Giving works with the Senior Class Gift Campaign to build a relationship with students that will last even after graduation, Bixel said. Donations given to the Office of Annual Giving are used to support the daily needs of the university, such as scholarships and
technological upgrades.
"The idea is to give back to Miami," Bixel said. "Miami University has given you a great education so it's about giving back to the school you love and about giving back to future Miamians."
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Senior Stephanie Walters said she plans to donate to the senior class gift and have the money go toward the Armstrong Student Center. A new student center would be beneficial to students at Miami and to attract students to Miami, Walters said.
"I love Shriver but it's not very current, people go to Farmer or King to do things instead," Walters said.
Seniors can donate to the senior class gift at the campaign website, www.muohio.edu/seniorclassgift.
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