“In Donors We Trust” was the theme of Tuition Freedom Day 2011. The Event was hosted for the first time by Lipscomb and sponsored by the Student Philanthropy Council.
Carter Martin, Theatre Major & S.P.C. Member
Assistant Director of Annual Giving Sonja Hayes was on-hand at the event to spill all the juicy details about Tuition Freedom Day 2011.
“Tuition Freedom Day is meant to bring awareness to students about what private gifts can do for the school,” Hayes said. “We really want students to pay it forward.”
Senior law, justice and society major Conrad Beauchamp shouted for joy at the day’s celebration.
“Thank you for supporting broke kids like me!” said Beauchamp.
Hayes said this day has been set aside for students to write thank you notes to those donors who have given over $6 million this year to Lipscomb University. Donations made by anonymous donors, parents and friends of the university cover about 30 percent of each student’s educational costs per school year.
Jackson Sprayberry, Chair of the Student Philanthropy Council
Members of the Student Philanthropy Council helped to run the event. The chair of the council and president of the Student Government Association Jackson Sprayberry, council member Bryce Davidson and theatre major Carter Martin were among the first group. They all took the time to explain the benefits these donations had for all students to each person as they walked in the Bennett Campus Center.
Just before 10:35 a.m. three freshman, Angie Harding, Jasmine Booker and Jasmine Gales snatched up the last three small t-shirts leaving only one 2XL t-shirt for the taking.
The event was held in the lobby of the Bennett Campus Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The first 125 students to arrive wrote their thank you notes on the event banner and received a Tuition Freedom Day 2011 t-shirt and commemorative cup. All students thereafter wrote their thank you notes and in return they received the commemorative Tuition Freedom Day 2011 cup. The Student Philanthropy Council plans to hold this event annually.
Freshmen Jasmine Booker, Jasmine Gales and Angie Harding with their shirts.