To see more photos from the Kickoff Party, click here.
It was a quiet night on campus, a night before spring move-in day, as seniors braved the single-digit temperatures to attend the 2018 Senior Gift Kickoff Party. With cocktail attire as the dress code combined with frigid temperatures, some students chose to swap their Ugg boots for high heels at the entrance to the event.
With attendance drastically increasing the past two years (235 in 2017 and 200 in 2018), the event has been relocated to Massry Commons in Snyder Hall from its previous location in Casey’s. Massry Commons, Siena’s secondary dining hall near the townhouses, was transformed into a flowing cocktail party complete with a professional photographer, music, and raffle prizes.
The Kickoff Party, hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and planned by the Senior Gift Committee, gives seniors a unique start to their eighth and final semester of their undergraduate career. For nine straight years, 140+ seniors have made their first contribution to their senior gift, moved back to campus a day early, and attended this event. Besides being a fun night with classmates, the Kickoff Party has been a successful Senior Gift fundraiser, in part, for the benefit of “adding a night to your senior year”. With 26% of the Class of 2018 in attendance as donors to the Senior Gift, the Kickoff party helps create a sense of unity amongst seniors who are beginning to count their remaining days at Siena College.
“The Kickoff Party was a great way to get the whole senior class together to chat and catch up with classmates,” said senior Mackenzie Fiorini ‘18. “I actually met classmates at the party that I’d never seen on campus before; and it's always fun to dress up for a special occasion with friends!”
Fiorini, who began her internship with the Office of Alumni Relations two days after the Kickoff Party, will be working closely with the Senior Gift Committee to continue to provide options for the class to come together to leave their mark as they prepare to depart Siena.
“Donating to the Senior Gift was a tradition that I always wanted to be a part of,” said Tori Andler ’18, a member of the Senior Gift Committee. “Siena has given me everything I could have wanted out of a college experience. It only makes sense to give back to the place that I have begun to call ‘home’.”
For their gift, the Class of 2018 will create an endowed, sustainable fund, to support the purchasing of candles for the Grotto at Siena College. The Grotto has become a special place of solitude where members of the community can escape the stress and noise of daily life. While visiting the Grotto, individuals often take the opportunity to light a candle to find comfort and peace. Although donations are collected from some visitors to the Grotto, the additional cost to continue providing these candles is covered by the student activities fee that each Siena student is billed along with tuition.
Through creating this endowment, budget relief will be provided to the Student Activities Department; which means increased money for Siena Fest, Orientation, Siena Night Life (SNL), etc. The Grotto, and the Siena College student body as a whole, will reap the benefits of this endowed fund in perpetuity.
Following the success of the Kickoff Party, the Class of 2018 has already raised $10,566 toward their goal of $15,000. To find out more information about the Class of 2018 Senior Gift, or to contribute, please visit www.siena.edu/seniorgift.
