Syracuse University’s Student Philanthropy Council kicked of its annual week of giving on Monday.

The group’s philanthropy week celebration is a series of events aimed at raising awareness of the critical role philanthropy plays at SU and in society as a whole.

Student tuition and fees cover 80 percent of the cost of running SU, according to a March 20 SU News release. Student philanthropy week is then held annually — approximately 80 percent of the way through the school year to illustrate that tuition “runs out.”

Philanthropy week began Monday with Thank-A-Donor Day. The council tabled in the Schine Student Center and encouraged students to write thank-you notes or tweets to SU donors.

On Tuesday, events will celebrate National Orange Day, the anniversary of SU’s founding in 1870, and encourage students to participate in community service projects on campus and across the country. Additionally, winners of the second Fast Forward Student Competition will present their projects live at Bird Library from 2–3:30 p.m.

Wednesday marks Class Act Day. The council will table around campus between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to encourage seniors’ participation in the class of 2015 giving campaign. Seniors can then add their names to the council’s giving tree in the Schine atrium.

Finally, the Phanstiel Lecture and Orange Circle Awards will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center. This year’s Phanstiel Lecture speaker is Todd Rubin, who, with the Rubin Family Foundation, established the Rubin Global Design Studio in the School of Architecture.

Following the lecture, the annual Orange Circle Awards will be presented, which “recognize altruistic members of the Syracuse University community who have done extraordinary things in the service of others,” according to the release. This year’s recipients are Ruth Schlesinger Sherman, a class of 1973 alumna and chair of the Friends of Leadership and Public Service High School, and the founders of Style Lottery, graduate students Timi Komonibo and Alexis Morris, and recent graduate Nieves Alvarez.

Members of the Student Philanthropy Council will host all philanthropy week events in the upcoming days. The group is comprised of student ambassadors representing various academic majors and class years who share a commitment of giving back to SU and want to build a campus culture of philanthropy.

“Philanthropy week is about thanking these wonderful donors and encouraging students to consider leaving their own legacy,” said Ashlee Newman, a senior political science and policy studies dual major and a member of the Student Philanthropy Council, in the release. “Our council wants all students to know that, together, we can make a lasting impact for the next generation of SU students.”

Published on March 23, 2015 at 10:00 pm

Contact Lydia: lawilson@syr.edu