Students show gratitude during Thank UCLA Day
By Jillian Ames
April 4, 2010 9:49 p.m.
Today, students will be given an opportunity to demonstrate their gratitude and appreciation to professors and faculty during Thank UCLA Day.
The event will take place in Bruin Plaza and is hosted by the Student Giving Committee.
“Many students in the fall didn’t know what to do about the fee increases,” said Monica Kenney, assistant director of Student Giving. “The Student Giving Committee wants to teach students how to make tangible improvements to UCLA. It is a powerful thing that students can make change (happen), and students need to recognize that.”
Nine departments, including the College of Letters and Science, the School of Arts and Architecture, the UCLA Library, and other departments students most commonly interact with will have booths set up in Bruin Plaza, Kenney said.
The Student Giving Committee worked with multiple departments to determine how the booth displays should look. It was fairly open-ended allowing each department to choose what kind of information they wanted to have on display. While some departments will have handouts or pamphlets, others might include magazines demonstrating their research.
The different booths will represent how rich and diverse UCLA’s departments are, Kenney said.
Students can talk with the department heads, learn about the research within a department, write thank-you cards, or make a small donation to any academic area they choose.
Although one of the Student Giving Committees’ major goals is philanthropic participation, the committee does not expect students to donate unreasonably large amounts of money to give back to their school.
“We are not asking students to give $100,” said Sandy Nguyen, vice chair of events for the Student Giving Committee. “The main thing is to give to UCLA in any way we can.”
In addition, three student groups will be performing, including Bruin Harmony, the Latin American Students Association Salsa Troupe and Signature A Cappella.
The performing groups represent the different ways every student on campus contributes to UCLA. Students do not get paid to perform at this event and are doing it on their own time to show their appreciation to the school, Nguyen said.
“We always say we’re so lucky to go to UCLA, but we are never able to give back (to the school). This event gives students the opportunity to thank the university for what it has given them,” said Danielle Piccinini, director of Signature A Cappella.
In addition to the presence of department heads, Chancellor Gene Block will also make an appearance at Thank UCLA Day and will speak about financial security.
The UCLA Parent Council is giving students a strong incentive to make even the smallest donation to their school.
If 5,000 students donate any amount to UCLA by June 12, the UCLA Parent Council will donate an additional $10,000 to honor the committee’s success, Kenney said. The money donated by the UCLA Parent Council will benefit areas across campus, including departments, scholarships and the library.
“When we pull (our) resources and come together for a common cause, (we) can make huge strides toward reaching our goal,” Kenney said.
