Current Syracuse University seniors are being called upon to give more money or time back to the university as part of Philanthropy Week, a week-long campaign that aims to bring awareness to how charitable giving and volunteering impacts society — especially when it comes to donating money to the university.

Philanthropy Week is held in March, about 80 percent of the way through the academic year, to symbolize that only 80 percent of SU’s operating budget is covered by student tuition and fees, according to the Philanthropy Week website. The remainder, which is about $150 million, is raised through alumni gifts, donations and through other sources, according to the website.

To help raise the 20 percent of the budget that isn’t funded through student tuition and fees, the Student Philanthropy Council, which hosts Philanthropy Week, undertakes a major campaign to, in part, thank current donors and try to get current seniors to donate to the university.

This campaign culminates in Class Act Day, which will be held on Thursday. Seniors are encouraged to give $20.16 — for the Class of 2016. Those who donate get to wear a chord at Commencement.

The Student Philanthropy Council has heard some complaints about Class Act Day.

“A lot of students have this whole idea that their tuition is (about) $50,000 a year so there’s no reason to give back. But there’s this 20 percent that isn’t covered and it takes a lot of cash to run a university,” said Gus Whitaker, chair of the Student Philanthropy Council and a senior management major in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Whitaker added that Philanthropy Week also encourages students to volunteer their time to the university in some way if they can’t afford to donate monetarily.

Andrew Brown, a senior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Student Philanthropy Council, said he hears complaints about Class Act Day a lot, even from his own girlfriend.

“This doesn’t mean you have to give $1,000 or $20,000 — that’s not what the expectation is. I think it’s just you giving a token of gratitude back,” Brown said. “Even though it’s more money you’re giving back to the university, it’s for a different reason. You’re not just investing in yourself, you’re investing in the school itself and its growth.”

Philanthropy Week starts off with Thank-a-Donor-Day, which will take place on Monday. The Student Philanthropy Council will table in the Schine Student Center, the Life Sciences Atrium and the Ernie Davis Dining Center and ask students to write a postcard or tweet a nice message to a donor.

On Tuesday, Class of 1998 SU alumnus Jim Carrick, the CEO of LPA Software Solutions, a company that specializes in businesses analytics, will speak in Schine 304 for the Phanstiel Lecture, according to the website.

Carrick is currently on SU’s School of Information Studies Advisory Board, and he has also served on the board of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council — which played a role in the development of SU’s National Veterans Resource Center — and the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, according to the website.

Last year’s Phanstiel speaker was Todd Rubin, who established the Rubin Global Design Studio in the SU School of Architecture.

Also on Tuesday is the Orange Circle Award, which recognizes members of the Syracuse community who are particularly philanthropic, according to the website.

To end Philanthropy Week on Thursday is National Orange Day, which celebrates SU’s founding in 1870 with a community service project. This year, the project, called Orange Around the World, will accept donations for care packages to send to active duty military alumni, according to the website.

Published on March 20, 2016 at 11:01 pm

Contact Rachel: rsandler@syr.edu