The Editorial Board

Header Image: Explorers Give

On Tuesday, March 22, La Salle will be hosting its ninth annual Day of Giving, which is “a day to celebrate the University, its proud history, mission and legacy of service to students,” according to the Day of Giving’s official description. We won’t sugarcoat the idea. It’s a day where La Salle asks for money and everyone from the community opens their wallets to fund them. Many on campus have this perception because it’s the truth. But, it is also a negative connotation that many use as an excuse to not contribute to this incredibly important event.

The Day of Giving is not a cash grab like some believe — a lot of the money that is donated goes directly back into the students in various ways. Money collected on the Day of Giving is partially used to fund student scholarships, including some of the larger ones La Salle offers. “Like many students at La Salle, I receive scholarship support that would not be possible without La Salle’s Day of Giving,” said La Salle ambassador Aaron Srinivasan. “I very much see La Salle’s Day of Giving as a way to support the dreams of many students by making education more accessible, which is something I am extremely grateful for.” 

What isn’t apparent from the Day of Giving’s initial marketing push is that those who donate, at least online, are able to put their donation toward a specific fund. Right now, the four listed are the La Salle Fund, which is a general pool of donation money that gets put toward campus improvements, changes in curriculum, events and improvements to La Salle’s education services; the Student Scholarship Fund, which, as the name suggests, provides financial aid for students who may not be in the position financially to attend La Salle; the Explorer Fund, which supports student athletes and their teams; and finally, the Anna “Nush” Allen, ’80, MA ’02, Student Emergency Fund, which is money set aside to support students in the case of an emergency, either to help supplement medical expenses or replacement of lost property due to a disaster, which helps students in a variety of ways outside of their academic involvement.

Beyond this, money can be even more granularly distributed so that those who donate know their money will go toward an initiative or department they believe in. Some options include the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative; the Honors Program; and the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business and Nursing and Health Sciences respectively. For those interested or involved in La Salle athletics, donations can be put toward specific teams and sports groups as well. For many current students and alumni, the niche areas of La Salle like unique academic programs, student-run clubs and its small close-knit community are what make La Salle special. Therefore, being able to support specific areas of student life may make donors more inclined to donate towards something that directly impacted their Lasallian experience.  

There are many who have been skeptical about the university’s spending in the past and who are concerned with how it has handled its money since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (or before, if we’re being completely honest), but these distribution options should alleviate those concerns, as your money can be put toward places you think need it the most. Many of us on the Collegian’s staff could not attend La Salle without financial aid, and at least a portion of that aid comes from students, alumni and members of the community who donate to the Day of Giving. We aren’t promoting it to our community for any other reason than that we have seen the benefit it has on the lives of students and want those benefits to continue. Last year, the Day of Giving raised over $1 million for various funds and initiatives, and that money really helped a lot of students and faculty advisors thrive as La Salle came out of the pandemic. We look forward to seeing how this year’s Day of Giving ends up supporting current and future Explorers and their endeavors with La Salle.

We think you should try to contribute to the Day of Giving in a way that is meaningful to you and will also be contributing to help current and future Lasallians. Here’s what some of La Salle’s student ambassadors had to say about the Day of Giving:

“Throughout my time here at La Salle, I’ve been blessed to have so many opportunities for academic and personal growth in and out of the classroom. Giving back to the community that has given me so much is really important to me and also to others who have benefitted from the quality education and caring community of La Salle. Please consider donating to help current and future Explorers continue finding their paths here at La Salle University.” 

— Communication Sciences and Disorders and Spanish student Michaela Craner, ‘23.

“The Day of Giving is important for La Salle because it allows for its mission to be carried out. I have been lucky enough to attend La Salle for the past three years, and in that short period of time, I’ve come to understand how special of a place La Salle is. La Salle enables its students to grow and evolve into young adults who are curious, creative and concerned with the welfare of not only those close to them but of everyone. The lessons I have learned while at La Salle have shaped me in ways I cannot fully yet describe, but one thing is for certain  — my life has been infinitely better because of my time at La Salle, and that would not be possible without the support we get, including donations from the Day of Giving.” 

 — ISBT and Math student Trevor Martinez, ‘23

Our sports editor and La Salle ambassador Enrique Carrasco had this to say: “I’m an international student here at La Salle. Without the help from various different scholarships that La Salle has given me, I would’ve never been able to come to the United States to study. Without the help of people’s donations, my dreams of coming to the States to study and pursue a career in law would never be possible.” 

While the Day of Giving primarily focuses on funding different academic programs, numerous programs at La Salle that need funding have been ignored. Numerous extracurricular programs have had their funding cut in part due to the inability to receive a proper budget. Perhaps some of the money donated should not only go to academics, but also to some of the programs that make La Salle so wonderful in the first place. 

The Day of Giving addresses one of the most important issues every student and faculty member is forced to confront at La Salle: there is simply not enough funding currently to run everything smoothly. With the help of the donors, La Salle is able to help young students pursue a higher level of education, something that many of these students would never have the opportunity to do without this help.