By Regina Stracqualursi ’15
Siena’s 6th annual Senior Gift Kickoff Party brought 160 members of the Class of 2015 back to campus a day early for the spring semester. The event, hosted each year by Alumni Relations and the Senior Gift Committee, allows seniors to add a night to their final semester while simultaneously raising money for the senior class gift.
“I liked having the opportunity to spend time with the senior class, especially those that I would otherwise not see on a daily basis,” said Helene Rached ’15, a member of the senior gift committee.
This year’s Kickoff Party raised $5,300. The senior gift fund stands at $6,300, more than halfway to the $12,000 goal. It will support furnishing Casey’s, the newly renovated lounge and coffeehouse in Sarazen Student Union for years to come through the Rose Family Endowment, a $100,000 fund that was established in 2014 by Mark Stephen ’65 and Elice Joyce Rose.
In honor of this contribution, the stage in Casey’s will be named for the Class of 2015. All seniors who donate $100 will have their name engraved on a plaque located nearby.
“It is something we can come back to, show our children, and remember the great times we once had at the school,” Rached said.
Students made donations to the senior gift through ticket sales to the party and by purchasing raffle tickets for prizes such as Festa Vino tickets, admission to the senior week cruise and a Fitbit. Students who attended the party and any senior who donates more than $20.15 this semester will have early access to the Saints Online Community, a digital platform that allows students to network with fellow alumni. So far, more than 20 percent of the graduating class has made at least one donation.
The Kickoff Party was held in Casey’s and became an upscale cocktail party, as all the students dressed in formal attire.
"The way Casey's was designed was very conducive to this sort of event; and the multimedia systems within the room helped to create a fun atmosphere for the students,” said Associate Director of Alumni Relations Jake Hill ’09.
Last year, the Class of 2014 raised and donated $12,715 to the Grotto at Siena College, which opened last fall. The project came to life as a cumulative effort after the graduating classes of 2005 and 2006 each contributed more than $9,000 to the project.
Just like previous classes, Members of the Class of 2015 hope to raise at least $12,000 before they cross the Times Union Center stage. For the past three years, Siena’s graduating classes have exceeded their goals.
More photos of the Senior Gift Kickoff Party
Things to Know About the Senior Gift
• The Senior Class Gift began in 1979
• It has raised more than $358,000 for campus improvements and scholarships
• This year’s gift will support the Rose Endowment, which will furnish Casey’s, the new student lounge in SSU
• The Class of 2015 Senior Gift is more than halfway to its $12,000 goal
