A longstanding tradition is to have the graduating class of seniors come together to make a donation to Loyola as their way of leaving a legacy. Senior gifts in the past have included the Faith in the Future Scholarship from the class of 2015, the Cabra printing station from the class of 2014 and the seal in the Palm Court from the class of 2000.

This year, the gift campaign is called “Your Gift! Your Choice!” meaning that when someone goes online to make a donation, they can choose between different gift options. These options are a donation to the University Counseling Center and a Havoc mascot makeover. Because Lord knows Havoc needs a new head.

Every senior — and every student — should go make a donation to the senior class gift — and when you do, make sure that “Loyola University Counseling Center” is selected.

According to the American Psychological Association, in 2013, almost 50 percent of college students attended counseling for mental health concerns. Even more alarming, 30 percent of college students seriously considered attempting suicide. The APA also showed that this is an increasing trend. Loyola has around 2,800 undergraduates. 50 percent of our student body is 1,400 people. 30 percent is 900 of our friends.

Loyola has had a difficult semester. Our small community has seen three deaths in the course of two months. These deaths have been tragic and devastating. For many of us, this is the first time we’ve been confronted with such intimate tragedy. Dealing with this requires that we have a robust counseling center.

According to some students, getting an appointment with the counseling center can take multiple weeks. For some students, waiting two weeks to speak to a counselor doesn’t cut it.
Some seniors have expressed concerns about making this donation to the senior class gift. For some, that hesitation could come from all of the money they put in the university. For others, they might want to see a tangible difference because of their donation, and at least they would see Havoc with a new costume.

To sufficiently placate these concerns, the Senior Class Gift Committee needs to show that students will directly benefit from this donation. Activities hosted by the Counseling Center are too vague. A generic, one-time stimulus to the budget won’t motivate anyone, because no one will see the material benefit from that. No doubt, whatever it is the committee chooses will benefit the students. Yet, to have a successful fundraising campaign, the committee should show specifically what the donation would go toward.

A donation to the University Counseling Center could make a dramatic difference in someone’s life. Being able to say that your donation played a part in that difference is something to be
proud of.

Every member of our community should go donate to the senior class gift and bolster the counseling center for future generations of Loyola students.

The editorial represents the majority opinions of The Maroon’s editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Loyola University.