Students at the University will get a chance to give back with the first ever Student Philanthropy Week from March 29 to April 4.

Conceptualized by the Student Philanthropy Education Council (SPEC), this new tradition intends to make current students aware of the tangible impact of alumni giving.

“SPEC is a student run and student led group. We are a separate entity from the We Do Campaign and strive to represent and cultivate a student perspective on alumni giving. [We] have been working on the idea of Philanthropy Week for the past year [and] are excited to have the opportunity to implement the first Philanthropy Week,” SPEC President Rebecca Moore ’16 said.

Student Philanthropy Week kicks off on March 29 with Scholarship Day. Students who will receive scholarships and financial aid from alumni donors have the opportunity to attend The Bertrand Breakfast, sponsored by the Bertrand Society, with their donors.

Regardless of whether or not they receive financial aid from alumni donations, all students can get involved with Philanthropy Week on March 31 in the Elaine Langone Center (ELC). From 11 a.m.-1 p.m., students can pick up a free Philanthropy Week t-shirt and information pamphlet in the ELC Mall.

Philanthropy Week continues with the “Sign the Bison” event in the ELC Mall on April 1. Students can write a thank-you note to alumni on the Bison poster.

Every day, a new philanthropy fact will be displayed around campus and used at the trivia night events and philanthropy drawing. On the evening of April. 1, the SPEC will host a philanthropy-themed trivia night at Bull Run Tap House for those 21 years or older for a chance to win a cash prize.

Other Philanthropy Week events include another philanthropy trivia night in the Bison on April 2 at 8 p.m.; a chance to take a photo with Bucky the Bison in the ELC from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on April 3 (photo will be Tweeted at @BucknellAlumni); and the philanthropy trivia drawing also on April 3 at the same time. 

Philanthropy Week culminates with the “Bison Giving Back” pizza and Rita’s water ice giveaway on the Academic Quad on April 4. Additionally, the Senior Gift Drive group will sponsor a Senior Class Happy Hour later that day from 5-7 p.m. at the Bull Run Tap House. 

“Alumni donations are required in order to continuously support capital at all three of [the University’s] schools–College of Engineering, School of Management, and the College of Arts & Sciences–so Bucknell students can continue to have a well-rounded education,” alumna and former SPEC member Kathleen Lenox ’13 said.

“It is the hope of SPEC that with an increase in transparency, we can foster a continual cycle of giving in the Bucknell community,” SPEC Vice President of Marketing Brandon Neale ’15 said.

For more information on the Thaw Out Day service projects on April 4, visit the Office of Civic Engagement located in Bertrand Library Room 119.