CHaSS students pitch in to help each other, tout liberal arts education
March 4th, 2012 Posted in OpinionLOGAN—Utah State University students have the opportunity to help fellow students pay for college by making donations through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) Student Giving Campaign, which provides scholarships to students in CHaSS.
The campaign was started last fall by the CHaSS Student Council in an effort to help students realize the importance of giving. “The idea was to show them that they can come together to improve their community—one small action at a time,” said CHaSS public relations officer Kristen Munson.
All money raised through donations and fundraisers is given back to students in one of the academic departments in the college as scholarships. The council held an essay contest for the first scholarship of $500 next fall. Students wrote essays explaining how their liberal arts degree would benefit them in the future. The 15-member council read the essays and picked a winner, who will be announced in April.
“Receiving a scholarship can be the difference between a student having to drop out of school and continuing their education,” said Munson. “Scholarships help provide financial stability and allow students to focus on the reason they are attending USU—to get an education.”
The college’s ASUSU senator, Erika Norton, is passionate about the campaign and proud of the fact that it is run completely by students. “It is a scholarship campaign run by students, for students, and given by students,” Norton said.
College students are so busy with school, work, and studying that finding the time to provide service can be a challenge. The Student Giving Campaign is a quick and easy way for students to give to others that has many far reaching effects. “This is one way students can serve other students, and it feels really good,” said Norton.
The campaign is a great opportunity for students to help other students receive an education. “All the money that is donated by students goes directly back to students,” said CHaSS Student Council member Rhett Wilkinson, a journalism major.
Norton’s goal is to get the campaign off to a good start so that in the future the CHaSS Student Giving Campaign will be big enough to give multiple small scholarships to multiple deserving students.
“All students are on tight budgets, but I think every student could give just one dollar,” said Norton. “We have 5,600 students in our college, and if each one of them gave one dollar that would be a lot of money to help out another student or students.”
The Giving Campaign has been a work in progress for two years. Norton is hopeful that it will continue for years to come with scholarships being awarded to students every semester.
“If you want to receive scholarships for a CHaSS program, this is a key way to do it,” said Wilkinson. “Five dollars gets you a cool and trendy T-shirt and it increases the opportunity for more scholarships.”
Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to donate to the campaign. One way of doing so is by visiting the CHaSS website and following the link to donate online.
Individuals wanting to make donations can also stop by the dean’s office in Old Main, or the CHaSS Senator office on the third floor of the TSC. Members of the CHaSS Student Council will be accepting donations and giving away T-shirts in the TSC. CHaSS college week comes March 26, and there will be many opportunities for students to get involved and donate during this week as well.
TP
Tags: CHaSS, Erika Norton, giving campaign, Kristen Munson, Rhett Wilkinson, scholarships
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