Austin College students, faculty, and staff recognized STOP Day during the spring term, with the message “Starting Today, Others Pay.”
Members of the student ambassador program STAT (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) handed out business-card-sized messages that explained that students’ tuition dollars paid for their Austin College education only through the 11th day of Spring Term 2015, February 17. The remainder of the College’s operating budget for the academic year came from donations from alumni, friends, parents, foundations, staff, and faculty, STAT students explained. And, to relay the message in a way that college students would take notice, the group handed out cookies decorated to show the 40 percent of the budget made up by donations.
A few weeks later, STAT hosted Philanthropy Week, in which they share with their fellow students the tremendous impact of others’ generosity upon their education, as well as the place of philanthropy and volunteerism in an engaged life. During the week, alumni and friends offered input on their own work with nonprofits and why generosity is important in their lives.
