UCLA Fund to reinstate Senior Class Giving Campaign
By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde
Jan. 26, 2016 8:02 a.m.
This spring, university officials will reinstate a campus-wide campaign that aims to solicit donations from at least 750 senior students after the program stopped for six years.
The campus-wide Senior Class Giving Campaign has been accepting donations since fall quarter, but will officially launch the program in the first week of spring quarter, said Brittany Schoof, assistant director of Student Giving for UCLA External Affairs.
About 150 seniors have donated this year, and the campaign has achieved 21 percent of its goal. The campaign is currently recruiting for its Senior Legacy Committee, which will consist of third- and fourth-year students who will help with events, marketing and soliciting, Schoof said.
Schoof said there is no minimum donation, but students who donate $20.16 or more will receive gifts such as T-shirts, dining hall swipes and care packages.
“We want it to be a meaningful donation (that symbolizes) the year,” she said. “(And) if you give $20, it’s more of an investment (than if you gave $5) – you’re thinking and caring about where the money goes.”
Stephanie Tardif, assistant director of Annual and Special Gifts for the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, said she thinks the engineering school’s campaign has been effective, so she will work with Schoof to make sure the university campaign is successful.
The engineering campaign has raised about $100,000 since its inception in 2004, Tardif said. She added engineering students decide which funds to support – for example, they donated $10,000 to support students’ engineering projects last year.
Previous senior class campaigns each contributed to one single fund. Now, the campaign will allow students to choose from more than 230 funds to donate to. The funds are broken down into four areas, including academic departments, scholarships, the UCLA library and student initiatives.
Schoof said the purpose of the campaign is to inspire older alumni to donate, while preparing current fourth-year students to contribute as well.
“People understand students are graduating with debt,” she said. “It is powerful when the senior class comes together to donate.”
Veda Vajpeyi, chair of the Student Giving Committee and fourth-year sociology student, said she has been working with the UCLA Fund for about a year. The Senior Class Giving Campaign is a subset of the UCLA Fund.
She said she understands some students can’t donate, but most are responsive and willing to donate when she tells them they are making an investment in their education.
“There are students who can’t (donate) because of tuition and I always respect that,” she said. “But just because they are not able to make a fiscal donation doesn’t mean students aren’t contributing to UCLA and their community.”
Campaign leaders will host an information session Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the James West Alumni Center for interested students.
