Faculty and Staff raise money through Close to Home Campaign
Megan Grenier
Equinox Staff
Before dozing off during that long lecture, students may consider what their professors are giving toward their education, because this spring the Faculty and Staff Close to Home Campaign will raise money toward student scholarships and financial aid.
According to Lindsay Taflas, assistant director of annual giving, the Faculty and Staff Close to Home Campaign provides the opportunity for Keene State College faculty and staff to donate any dollar amount to an area of their choice in order to support the college and KSC students. Taflas said, “March and April is when we make the formal push for our campaign.” Mathematics professor Karen Stanish chooses to give to the Close to Home Campaign, “The way I do it is payroll deduction. So from every paycheck you can designate a certain amount of money to be taken out of every paycheck.” Stanish continued, “I barely even notice that it happens.” It’s not only professors who can donate money to KSC through this campaign, other staff members are able to donate also.
Mark Reynolds, staff writer and editor for Newsline, said that he donates to KSC through a payroll deduction, similar to Stanish.
“It doesn’t cost me much and I think it really helps,” Reynolds said. Stanish said she thinks that the Close to Home Campaign directly benefits the students because all of the funds they raise goes directly toward something to do with students, whether it’s scholarships or just funding something that’s happening on campus.
“I think it benefits the college because it brings in much needed money for student scholarships and things like that. I think our students can use all the help they can get,” Reynolds said. Most people give to the general fund which then gets used however Keene State College thinks they need the money the most. That’s what I give to is the general fund,” Stanish said.
This is the fourth year KSC has been doing this campaign. According to Taflas, “Staff and faculty have always given there has just never been a formal campaign until about four years ago.” Taflas added that every year the percentage of faculty and staff giving money to the college has increased. “I think in general the faculty and staff that work here really love Keene State College and so it’s pretty easy to just say ‘I love working here and I believe in our students so I’m going to make a donation,’” Taflas said. This spring the Faculty and Staff Close to Home Campaign will focus on raising money toward student scholarships and financial aid. Reynolds said, “I personally contribute because I work here and I really believe in what KSC is all about and I think it’s a really important resource for the community and certainly our students.”
Even though the actual campaign takes place for only the months of March and April faculty and staff can donate whenever they want. “They can write out a check, they can walk over with cash, they could use a credit card, or they could do a payroll deduction form,” Taflas said.
The faculty and staff members who do donate to this campaign receive two days called Jeans as a Means, according to Taflas. “If you’ve made a gift and you are a staff or faculty member, on certain days throughout the campaign you’re allowed to wear your jeans which is pretty cool,” Taflas continued, “If you’re one of those staff members who already gets to wear your jeans you also have the opportunity to just wear some KSC sweatshirts or t-shirts or something.” Last year by the end of the 2012 Faculty and Staff Close to home campaign 209 employees contributed and they raised over $76,000, Taflas said. So far this year, 128 employees have contributed and over $33,000 has been raised.
“So we’re about halfway there,” Taflas said regarding the total amount of money raised. “This year the college has gotten together and said ‘You know what, the greatest area of need is scholarship and financial aid. There are so many students struggling to pay for their tuition, we’re going to use all of the money that the KSC fund raises and put it directly toward scholarship and financial aid,” Taflas said.
Even though this is the fourth year of the Faculty and Staff Close to Home Campaign, seniors Katie Bolvin and Josh Lapierre didn’t know that the campaign existed. “I think it’s great,” Bolvin said.
Megan Grenier can be contacted at
mgrenier@keene-equinox.com