The Seven Society revealed its donation to the University in spectacular fashion during halftime of Saturday’s football game. It is up to students now to spend it in an equally spectacular way.
For all of the fanfare surrounding the society’s gift, its size is less than staggering. A one-time donation of a little less than $15,000 does not seem worthy of a skydiver all by itself. The exciting part of the gift is not its amount, but the challenge the society has presented to University students.
The $14,777.77 the society plans to donate is not enough to found an institute. It’s not enough to build a new classroom building or laboratory. It’s not even enough to pay just one student’s tuition or hire just one professor. This limitation means many existing ideas for which students advocate are off the table — but it is an opportunity for students who have not yet been involved in efforts to improve the University to get involved.
Spending only $15,000 on a lasting improvement to the University will require some creativity. But some projects require such a small amount — and some student out there has an idea for such a project.
The Sevens contacted the presidents of each class council with details about this contest, but they didn’t do so hoping the class councils alone would propose ideas. The message encouraged them to promote the contest among students and stated the society looks forward to “a wide array of submissions from the student body.”
In fact, we hope the majority of the submissions will not come from students involved in Student Council or class councils. Those organizations get a chance to spend large amounts of money every year. The winning project, we hope, will come from someone who has not had that opportunity.
Likewise, we hope the project will not be an idea for which students already advocate. It’s not that students are not currently pushing some pretty good ideas, but the Seven Society gift should be an opportunity for new ideas — and for students who have not assumed a leadership role at the University to step up to the plate.
The society’s contest fits the ideal of student self-governance well. Though the winning project apparently will be chosen by the society itself and not by students, the fact the society is seeking students’ input about how to spend its money, rather than donating toward an administration-approved project, demonstrates a trust in the student body that is a tradition at the University.
The Seven Society cited author James M. Kouzes in a letter announcing the gift, stating, “Somewhere, sometime, the leader within each of us may get the call to step forward.” The University has no shortage of established leaders. We hope the Seven Society’s contest serves as a challenge to students who have not heard that call to submit their ideas to better the University.
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