Not surprisingly, the cancellation of the football game this past Homecoming Weekend did not prevent Colgate’s spirited students from tailgating on Saturday afternoon. Many of these tailgaters especially enjoyed the barbeque organized by the 2009 Senior Class Gift Committee (SCGC). At the tailgate, the SCGC announced that this year’s Senior Class Gift is the establishment of the Class of 2009 Fund for Student Programming at Donovan’s Pub.

During the week of September 28th, the senior class held an online vote in order to determine the Class of 2009’s Senior Class Gift. A fund for Donovan’s Pub emerged as the clear winner, receiving 52% of the vote. Other options included contributions to the Wellness Initiative, COVE Alternative Breaks and the Unpaid Internship Fund.

When asked why she voted for Donovan’s Pub above all of the other choices, senior Katie Donahue said, “I voted for the pub because I always wanted to be able to hang out there, and I wanted to contribute to future classes’ being able to do that. When my parents went here they used to hang out at the Pub, and I thought it would be cool for students today to have the same opportunity.”

Adds Gift Committee member John Stratton ’09, “I think that the seniors are very excited about the class gift. They are hoping that this will bring back a campus cornerstone and that it will provide a great atmosphere [for the students]. Hopefully, seeing Donovan’s Pub up and running in the spring semester will encourage even greater class participation in the Senior Class Gift.”

Stratton is referring to the renovations to Donovan’s Pub that will take place over Winter Break this year. This restoration will transform the Pub back into a fully functioning bar and restaurant space for student-planned events, as it had been in past years. The Student Government Association first proposed renovations for Donovan’s Pub in spring 2008, in an effort to increase student programming on campus. Ideally, the Class of 2009’s Fund will also promote these initiatives.

“The Donovan family is spending a significant amount of money to renovate the Pub, which is really exciting. However, without the appropriate means of event funding the space has the potential to be under-utilized. This fund will be a great way for the senior class to ensure the Pub’s success as an entertainment space and as one of the last remaining college pubs in the US,” said Kaitlyn Godfrey, member of the Executive Board of the SCGC.

In conjunction with the Director of the Center of Leadership and Student Involvement, the Senior Class Gift Committee will establish the criteria by which the class gift will operate. Individual students may make proposals for the use of Donovan’s Pub, and the Class of 2009 Fund will be made available at the discretion of the Director of CLSI.

Donovan’s Pub will be a unique venue in which to hold a variety of student-sponsored events. The Colgate Activities Board has already established a Donovan’s Pub Committee that arranges musical performances there on Thursday nights and is currently working toward organizing a weekly trivia night.

Annual Fund Coordinator Michael Tone meets with the twenty-four members of the Senior Class Gift Committee once a week to discuss potential fundraising opportunities. They have already planned a number of events for the upcoming year, including: Oktoberfest at the Colgate Inn, Tollhouse Pie Party, Mexican Fiesta, Sushi and Sake Tasting, Tuition Free Week, and 209 Days ’til Graduation.

The Committee kicked off its fundraising efforts early, receiving generous donations from members of the senior class at Saturday’s tailgate.

“The Senior Class Gift Committee had a great showing at the tailgate. It was the perfect opportunity to help explain the gift to other seniors and alums that came back for Homecoming,” said Gift Committee member Brittany Garland.

A successful kick-off is exactly what the Class of 2009 needed, since they have set a high goal of 95% class participation for the Senior Class Gift. The Class of 2009 has been challenged to break the 94% participation record that the Class of 2008 set last year with their donations to Colgate’s Environmental Sustainability Fund. The Fund for Donovan’s Pub and the participation challenge are both opportunities for the Class of 2009 to leave its legacy at Colgate.

So far, the Class of 2009 Fund for Donovan’s Pub seems to have generated a fair amount of support and excitement among members of the senior class. Senior Maureen Golden explains, “Over our past 4 years here we didn’t have the opportunity to take advantage of the Pub, but with our class gift we’ll be ensuring that future classes will have the chance to benefit from it.”