'06 gift to renovate pub

By Jess Decina

It takes little more than a casual stroll around campus to notice what it has to offer: a plethora of budding trees, dozens of cozy benches, two gazebos and the Centennial Lake fountain. These aesthetically pleasing sights all share a common origin: they are all products of senior pride.

The Senior Class Pride Legacy Program, best known as the driving force behind the Senior Gift, is designed to encourage the graduating class to give back to Rider, said committee member Ari Bluestein.

“I want every [senior] who donates to the Senior Class Gift to feel like they have given back to the University that has not only given them their ticket to the ‘real world,’ but the University that gave them four years of memories,” he said.

A committee is designated to choose a gift and raise the necessary funds, said senior Amy Peroni.

“I have truly enjoyed my experiences at Rider and am excited to have the chance to give back,” she said.

The program has been a tradition for every senior class. Alumna Jaclyn Levi, the assistant director of Annual Giving, oversaw the project.

“We want our seniors to participate,” she said. “[The] gift is a very special way to [give] back.”

This year, the committee has decided that the Senior Gift will be a Senior Memory Wall in the Rider Pub, said Peroni.

“The Wall will be a picture collage attached to a wall in the pub,” she said. “The wall will serve as a remembrance of past and current seniors.”

In addition, some of the tables and chairs at the Pub will be replaced. The renovations will allow others “to enjoy the Pub as much as we did,” Bluestein said.

Levi said the Pub holds memories for many seniors and acts as a haven for various events that appeal to underclassmen.

“These programs will reap the benefits of the enhancements to the Pub that the class gift is supporting,” she said.

The committee has been at the Pub collecting donations. It is traditional for seniors to donate the amount equivalent to their of graduation — in this case, $20.06, Levi said.

“It could be $6 or $20.06, but every senior is encouraged to participate at whatever level possible,” she said.

Not all of the money has to go to the renovations, Levi said. Seniors have the option to designate their donation as a gift to the Annual Fund, which supports other areas on campus.

“A senior can participate, but not have [the] contribution go toward the Pub,” she said.

Students who donate the asking price will receive a commemorative frame. The senior class also might surpass last year’s participation rate of 11.7 percent, Levi said.

“The Class of 2006 has the opportunity to become the class with the highest participation rate in history,” she said.

Bluestein hopes his efforts will rub off on underclassmen.

“I think [giving back] is an important part of being a senior,” he said. “I can only hope that the underclassmen follow our example.”