Senior, sophomore class gifts announced

Christine Vines Staff Writer

Both the senior and sophomore class gifts were announced last week at separate kick-off events. The Class of 2008 will give additional study carrels to the Library, and the Class of 2010 will add a V-Card payment option to many vending machines on campus.

“It is an opportunity for classes to give something to their College that will improve the lives and experiences of future students,” said Director of Reunion & Class Giving Susan Sheehan. “People who go to Vassar are given so much. It’s a wonderful way to give back.”

Student committees, both of which include representatives of the giving class, solicted ideas via a Web site and debated options last fall. These committees then chose the gifts and will work throughout the spring semester to raise funding.

The carrels will be custom made by the same local carpenter that built the oak, gothic-style tables housing the memorial books in the front lobby of the Library, and will be located on the east wall of Room 97 in the area outside of Archives and Special Collections. The space will be designed to accommodate both computers and books, and will include lockable storage.

“I think the student feel a lot of ownership in regards to the library,” said Director of Libraries Sabrina Pape. “And they should. Students spend much of their time at Vassar in this wonderful building. So I think this is a very appropriate and extremely beneficial gift.”
Two other recent senior class gifts have included the library: the Class of 2001 gave laptops for checkout, the class of 2004 funded wireless Internet, and the class of 2002 gave the money to create the library café Matthew’s Bean.

The Class of 2008 Senior Class Gift will be purchased and installed in this summer. “The senior class gift is both a useful and necessary addition to the Library,” said Class of 2008 President Colin Sanders. “More seniors wan[t] carrels than can possibly have them, and one of the major highlights about the proposal is the fact that it will not take away from existing study space. It is something that will definitely enhance the Library and foster a healthy, comfortable learning environment.”

The Library assigns its eight carrels through a lottery system, and its approximately 75 lockers on a first-come first-serve basis, meaning that the majority of senior thesis writers receive neither of these options. “One of the major frustrations that seniors experience is the lack of a space to work on their theses,” said Co-Chair of the Senior Class Gift Committee Cara Grieco ’08. “Seniors are left without a place to store their books, and are constantly transporting as many as 30 texts between their rooms and the Library.” The Committee aims to raise about $10,000 and receive a matching gift from an alumnus/a donor.

When deciding on their gift, their sophomore committee originally considered a number of options, including a new bridge to the Terrace Appartments, a picnic area outside of the All-Campus Dining Center, and New York Times subscriptions for the school. They ultimately settled on V-Card access for vending machines because “We saw a need for late-night, easy-access food on Vassar’s campus,” said Gift Committee Co-Chair Caitlin Ly ’10. “It seemed to be the most appealing gift to the sophomores, as well as freshmen, juniors and seniors we asked.” The three sophomore gifts to date have been the new bell on top of Main in 2005, an internship grant fund in 2006 and the shared bike program in 2007.

In recent years, the sophomore class has raised between $5,000 and $5,500, while the senior class generally raises between $10,000 and $11,000. To supplement these funds, an alumna/us will typically offer a “challenge gift” to encourage and reward student participation.

This year sophomores will attempt to break previous records for both the dollar amount and participation rate, aiming for 60 percent participation and $6,000.

“We’re depending on lots of enthusiastic support—from all classes—to reach it,” said Ly. “Students should have even more motivation to reach the goal this year, “because an alum has been very generous in agreeing to match our efforts with a $10,000 contribution.”

The sophomore class gift will allow students to purchase items from vending machines using their V-Cards as well as coins or dollar bills. However, because each swipe machine costs $1,150, not every machine on campus will immediately undergo conversion. The committee’s hope is that enough money to make the modification to at least 14 vending machines in highly accessible places such as the dormitories, the Athletics and Fitness Center, Kenyon Hall, the College Center and the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film.

“Sometimes, the College will see an idea coming from the students and they’ll pick it up and run with it. That’s what happened a few years ago with wireless Internet in the library, and that’s what we’re hoping will happen with this,” said Ly.