By Mariam Dandachli | Staff Writer
Fingerprints Initiative: Leave an Impact at AUB
This week, USFC members had stands on campus to introduce students to the Fingerprints Endowed Scholarship Fund. What is the Fingerprints Initiative? It is an initiative launched by the Office of Advancement where students can donate money to help provide scholarships for other students. Its motto is “By students for students”.
When registering to AUB, students are required to pay a $1000 deposit fee. Upon graduation, students can refund $200 of the deposited money. One can choose to direct this money, whether the entire $200 or a small amount of it, to help fund the scholarship. For every dollar a student donates to the funds, each of the USFC cabinet, trustees, and sponsors donate 2 dollars. A large part of the $250,000 budget the USFC has is spent on funding the scholarship.
On the stands around campus, USFC members explained the initiative and its importance to students. Moreover, students who are graduating in the spring of 2023 and are interested to donate the refund money to the initiative were told to fill up a Google form. Students could choose the amount of money they wanted to donate and whether they wanted to be anonymous donors or not. And once they signed the form, they had to go to the Office of Advancement for clearance to make sure that their money gets donated to the scholarship.
Since 2002, the Fingerprints program has awarded scholarships worth more than $800,000 to 350 students. It is the only student fundraising program at AUB. In the annual Fingerprints reception that was held in 2018, Dr. Fadlo Khouri said, “Fingerprints is a key part of the process of building foundations (upon which greatness could be built).”
Anyone who graduates this semester and wishes to donate to the fund can pass by the Office of Development found in College Hall, 3rd Floor. AUB is not only a university but also a place many students call “home”. Thus, it is our duty to help support our community and make education accessible. And if you ever wondered how to give back to AUB, this is an easy way to give back to AUB and to the community. Every donation, no matter how small, counts and makes a huge impact. Donate to the fund and leave a fingerprint at AUB because AUB students are “friends for life”.