Hello, I’m Nik Catlin, a member of the Educational Affairs committee on the Student Senate. Something about Grand Valley State University that has always made it stand out in my mind when comparing it with other universities is the sense of community. It can be easy to forget that there are 25,000 students at GVSU because it has such a small school feel.

With more than 350 registered student organizations, getting involved at GVSU is easy to do. From joining Greek Life and raising money for a local philanthropy, to walking around the Fieldhouse for 12 hours, to helping Colleges Against Cancer raise money and awareness at Relay For Life. There are many different ways that students are working to make a positive impact in the community.

Students at GVSU have a strong desire to help the community, even when it means sacrificing time that they could spend working at a job. Student Senate recognizes that this can make paying for school even more of a challenge. In an effort to help students out, the Student Senate created the Student Legacy Scholarship in 2007.

The Student Legacy Scholarship is a scholarship funded by students, for students. One of the great things about the scholarship is that through the T. Haas Challenge, President Haas double matches every student donation over $10. With the support of our President, a $20 donation, for example, becomes $60.

Since its inception in 2007, the Student Legacy Scholarship has been given out to over 42 students. The amount awarded ranges from $500 to $1,000, and preference is often given to those who show they have a financial need. Other requirements for applicants include having a 2.5 GPA or higher, being a full-time student entering junior or senior year and being involved in the GVSU community (either on-campus or off-campus).

The amount awarded per year is completely dependent on the amount donated within that given year. The contributions raised in a given year are completely depleted in scholarships before the next year starts. In this way, the scholarship is designed to help as many students as possible. Last year, seven scholarships were given out. This year, we hope that we will be able to give out even more.

The application deadline for next academic year is March 1, 2015. More information can be found at gvsu.edu/scholarships and you can make a donation to the Student Legacy Scholarship at gvsu.edu/giving. Go Lakers!

Grand Valley State University’s Student Senate works to ensure that the student’s voice is continually heard by the University. Please feel free to contact the Student Senate:

Office: 0040 Kirkhof Center

Telephone number: 616-331-2333

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.gvsu.edu/studentsenate/

Facebook: Grand Valley State University Student Senate

Twitter: @GVStudentSenate