Giving Tuesday is a nationally recognized event held around the world in celebration of giving back to others.
The event is celebrated on campus with the help of groups on campus such as Students Today Alumni Tomorrow, and the Office of University Advancement.
The Giving Tuesday campaign is celebrated across social media platforms using a variety of hashtags meant to help spread the word on the campaign itself and the charitable work being done by those celebrating Giving Tuesday.
The event itself started in 2012 by the charitable group 92nd Street Y, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.
Globally the event allows for thousands of organizations to give back, and organize events and activities to host Giving Tuesday events. Saint Xavier University is just one of the many institutions that host an event aimed at celebrating Giving Tuesday.
Hashtags used include #GivingTuesday and #Unselfie. The term unselfie is meant to be a twist on the word selfie, a photograph typically focusing on the person taking the photo not those around them.
The unselfie campaign is meant to have individuals snap photos of themselves giving back to their community, while not actually being part of the photo itself.
This is meant to allow for a viral spread of photos across social media sites that promote the campaign for free.
On the campus of Saint Xavier University, Giving Tuesday is coordinated with one of the largest donation drives held by STAT and the Office of University Advancement.
The $5holla is the name of the event meant to collect funds that are distributed back to the university for various expenses, including financial assistance for students.
Marie Kelly Assistant Director for Annual Giving on the campus of Saint Xavier University explains the event as something hosted more in a virtual environment.
Kelly said, “The neat thing about #GivingTuesday is that it is a national movement that can be completely virtual. People all around the world give donations then post that they did, and then all those gifts are linked together through social media and the web using #GivingTuesday and #Unselfie.”
The $5holla held at the diner in Warde Academic Center will be accepting donations from students from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The students who participate in the event get to display their shout out throughout the campus.
“The $5 Holla is a way to spread awareness of the importance of support to SXU and is a way for current students to help fellow and future students with their education, just as they received support from donors. It shows students are invested in their education and want to help others. This is a very powerful message to our community of donors,” said Kelly.
Jake Alleruzzo
Senior News Editor