SEMO Giving Day recognizes the spirit of #GivingTuesday, a day of giving during the holiday season that follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is the third year Southeast has participated in this initiative.

On Nov. 27, the University will launch a one-day campaign via social media (#SEMOGivesBack), email, phone and campus events inviting participants to help raise funds for 12 projects on campus. As one Southeast community, donors can make a difference across campus, to help meet multiple needs and support student success.

Donors can give online at https://givingday.semo.edu/. Annual Fund student representatives from the Southeast Missouri University Foundation will be calling alumni and friends throughout the day and will also be on campus at the University Center from 2-4 p.m. to collect donations. Students who donate during this time will be entered into a giveaway to win pizza with Southeast President Carlos Vargas.

This years projects include:

• Fund a STEM students research: The College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics has outstanding students working with faculty on undergraduate research projects who are invited to present their work at conferences. The desire is to establish a fund to help support these students out- of-pocket expenses in presenting their research, especially those students with financial hardships. The funding goal for this project is $1,000.

• Kent Library Special Collections and Archives: Special Collections and Archives in Kent Library teaches using rare books and manuscripts from the Rare Book Room collection. Due to age and condition, many of the rare books and manuscripts are fragile. To safely display and teach with these materials, professional standards require the use of a book mount or book pillow, of which the library currently only has two. Six additional book mounts are requested to allow teaching a full class while preserving and protecting these invaluable, rare books and manuscripts during hands-on classes. The funding goal for this project is $1,484.18.

• Fund a debate tournament: Southeasts Debate Team is the current three-time defending National Intercollegiate Debate Champion. In addition, the University is developing and plans to host an invitational high school debate tournament. This will provide an excellent student recruitment opportunity for Southeast as well as an opportunity to raise awareness of the Universitys debate profile. The funding goal for this project is $2,000.

• Fund an experiential learning lab for business students: For a number of years, Harrison College of Business and Computing (HCBC) student organizations have been reaching out to fellow student colleagues to create a warm and welcoming environment. A new Experiential Learning Lab is soon to be created in Dempster Hall which will provide hands-on learning opportunities in various disciplines at HCBC. Funds are being sought to develop an area nearby for members of student organizations across HCBC to gather in a casual environment, interact with club members from other disciplines, and connect with non-member HCBC students. This hospitality area will encourage a more inclusive, interdisciplinary, collaborative and creative atmosphere for HCBC students. The funding goal for this project is $1,200.

• Suit up a Student: The Office of Career Services works with Southeast students throughout their education to prepare them for life after college. Without incurring short-term debt, students still struggle with the costs associated with purchasing proper business attire necessary to be successful in interviews and professional. The Office of Career Services would like to help students with the cost of their hire attire purchases by offering Suit-Yourself Scholarships. These funds will be able to supplement the cost of business clothing. The funding goal for this project is $625.
• Help stock the athletic Nutrition Center: The Holcomb Success Center houses a Nutrition Center for student-athletes to provide them with healthy snacks when their training and conditioning schedules conflict with meal times. Southeast Athletics seeks support for a one-month supply of eggs for student athletes for the Nutrition Center. The funding goal for this project is $500.
• Institutional Equity and Diversity Fund: The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity seeks support to establish a fund to provide financial support for student professional development opportunities (i.e. funding for a polytechnic student to attend the National Society of Black Engineers annual conference), for campus and community-wide programming (i.e. provided funding for multiple campus events held during Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, PRIDE, and Womens History Month), and for other equity-related programming initiatives, including a training for faculty and staff with a nationally-known diversity educator on cultural competency. The funding goal for this project is $1,000.

• 3D printing filament recycler for the EDvolution Center: 3D printing has revolutionized the way Southeast faculty and students introduce concepts, describe objects and convey ideas. The EDvolution Center aims to minimize waste by investing in a 3D printing filament recycler. The recycler can grind unsuccessful 3D printed objects into reusable pellets. Students can return prints, and the material can be recycled directly into even more 3D prints at a lower cost. The Center, in turn, can then continue to provide 3D printing at no charge to students. The funding goal for this project is $1,700.

• Help the music ensembles travel: Travel opportunities for music ensembles to perform regionally at professional educator conferences provide students with performance experience as well as with experience managing the logistical, marketing and technological requirements surrounding a performance. The funding goal for this project is $1,400.

• Fund the We Are One Scholarship: The We Are One Scholarship is created and funded by alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students of Southeast. Because of the generosity of these donors, twoneed-based scholarships have been endowed. These scholarships have gone on to support students who have financial need. Many of these students may not have been able to complete their education without these funds. Raised funds will help more students with financial need. The funding goal for this project is $1,000.

• Help the gum tree tell its story: A plaque is needed near the Universitys beloved gum tree so campus visitors understand the sticky, icky tradition and to honor the history of this campus icon. The funding goal for this project is $500.

• KRCU needs power: KRCU provides numerous experiential learning opportunities for Southeast students as well as top quality music and programming for the southeast Missouri region. The station will soon need to replace both the current uninterruptible power supplies in operation. During a power outage, these units keep critical components powered until the generator at Serena Building gets up to full power. KRCUs stream, studio transmitter link, audio switchers and automation computer server are powered by these units. The funding goal for this project is $1,447.50.