Student Initiative Fund
Student-planned programs serve residence hall communities
1:11 p.m., April 28, 2015--Just around Valentine’s Day this past February, students gathered in Sypherd Hall’s first floor lounge with poster board, markers, magazines and glue. The sight is not uncommon in the University of Delaware’s residence halls, but this event had a very specific purpose.
Residents were gathering to create boards with messages of self-empowerment and self-esteem that showed their pride and independence.
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The event was imagined by Anna Keleher, public policy major from Bridgeport, Connecticut, and a resident of Sypherd, and funded by Residence Life and Housing via the Student Initiative Fund.
In proposing the event, Keleher wrote, "This event will take place on Valentine's Day when some people feel under the weather and potentially lonely. It is a perfect time to make new friends with the people we live near but may never have met, while celebrating ourselves."
Keleher’s event is one of many such events throughout the year that are conceived of, planned and implemented by the residents of University housing.
The Student Initiative Fund (SIF) exists so that individual residence hall students – not student groups or staff members or complex community councils – can put on programs for their floors, buildings or complex communities.
“Holding an SIF event is way for students to show their imagination and initiative, to positively impact their community and to hone skills that they will carry with them through life,” said Joshua Holmes, complex coordinator with Residence Life and Housing.
Any student can apply using the form available from the Student Initiative Fund page on the Residence Life and Housing website.
Most programs are eligible for up to $100 in funding, but events can be allocated additional funds if they serve the community outside of the residence halls, are held after 9:30 p.m. on Friday or Saturday, are certified as an environmentally sustainable program, or are academic or cultural in nature.
Another standout event this past year includes that planned by Sarah Mailloux, an international relations major from Torrington, Connecticut, in which students were invited to craft vision boards.
"The goal of vision boards is to have something to look at every day to inspire you to reach your goals,” said Mailloux. “It would be a great bonding experience to share our future goals with each other. Additionally, we can motivate each other to strive for our goals.”
The SIF Council meets every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. in Room 417 of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory (ISE Lab). The final meeting will be held on May 6. All programs must be completed by May 19.
All students are welcome to attend the council meetings to help make allocation decisions and offer suggestions for program requests.
Article by Tabitha Groh