The Class of 2007 is working hard to leave its mark on the University. And if you've seen seniors walking around campus with bright green T-shirts, then you know how they're planning to do it.
The shirts are part of an advertising campaign for the Senior Class Gift Drive, a campaign to get every senior to donate money to Penn.
And it looks like it may be working.
The drive has raised over $12,725 to date, with 301 donations as of yesterday, organizers said. Giving has shot up from last year, when, at this time, the drive had raised only $5,000 with about 140 donations.
Organizers are aiming to raise $56,000 in total. Last year's class set the bar at $60,000.
The money will go principally to financial aid, but also pays for a marker to be placed on campus honoring the class.
The reason behind this year's success is an exceptionally strong team of student leaders, according to Meredith Seidel, who works in Penn's development department.
Seidel said the Gift Drive Committee- - which has three main student leaders and a staff of over 60 seniors - has made specific changes in how they work.
For starters, their Web site -- Seniorgiftdrive.com - is already up and functioning. Last year, the site launched in April.
Users can donate through the Web site, which also tracks which members of the class have already contributed. It also emphasizes that the Class of 2007 wants to be a record-breaking class, according to Seidel.
Drive organizers have also tapped into student organizations, many of which are tracking how many of their members have donated.
Seidel said that a few organizations - like the men's lightweight crew team, Mask and Wig and the Glee Club - have had 100 percent of their seniors donate this year.
Wharton senior and committee co-Chairman Healey Cypher said, "We've tried a more personal approach this time by reaching out to the members of these clubs."
And it seems like their strategy has paid off.
"I got a lot out of Penn," said Wharton senior Varun Jalan, who donated $100 through his fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi. "This is a small way to give back."
He said he didn't want to be the one senior breaking an old Penn tradition by not donating.
However, Jalan said he thinks that seniors who have secured full-time job offers are more likely to donate than those who do not have offers.
And some seniors are not planning to give at all.
"I think I've already given a lot of my money to Penn," College senior Rachel Adler said.
Adler said that since she is paying full tuition to Penn, she doesn't feel the need to contribute further.
"Maybe someday when I'm really rich, I'll donate," she said with a laugh.
