Auburn University student leaders say students must give back to Auburn, which has given so much to the students.
The Student Development Board, a new organization at Auburn, consists of 31 students and 10 staff members.
SDB is designed and organized to represent the student body, with the campaign slogan "It Starts With One."
The goal of SDB is to encourage students to give back to the University and create a philanthropic culture at Auburn.
SDB provides an organized way to distribute gifts given by the students to their department of choice.
"We were asked to be on the SDB because we are leaders on campus, and we would hopefully inspire other students to give back to Auburn in any way they see fit," said Lena Hulse, junior in Spanish international trade.
SDB allows students to give to their passion point, said Hank Galbreath, SDB adviser.
"This probably got going through student leadership," Galbreath said.
Hulse said Auburn is one of the lowest schools in the SEC in the rankings for students giving back.
Students noticed their peers were not giving back to the University and decided to make a change.
SDB representatives said they want people to realize that it is not so much the amount that they give, but the fact that they have given.
"It is important to return to your school what your school has given to you," Hulse said. "There is a reason that we are all at Auburn and that is because we love it. By giving only a dollar you are still giving to something that you believe in."
Giving back to the school can also be done by getting involved in their community, said Lauren Batts, assistant adviser of SDB.
"I think that Auburn students are already involved in their community and the only reason they haven't given to Auburn is because no one has told them about it," Batts said.
Every member of SDB has given to their community, Batts said.
"We want to lead by example," Batts said. "If one person, say, gives $20 and you challenge your friends and fellow students to give $20, it causes a ripple effect."
Batts decided to give her contribution to The Southeastern Raptor Center.
"We hope that when we go talk to friends or we talk to the other students on campus that they'll see that it is something that we're passionate about and it will trickle down to them," Hulse said.
Galbreath said he has been in Auburn since 2003 and has worked with different development programs.
"Upon doing so, that brought me in contact with different student groups," Galbreath said. "More recently I've had the pleasure of talking to a couple of the SGA presidents."
Galbreath is working with the current SGA President, Jacob Watkins, who is the main leader of SDB.
"I've seen a couple of presidents and more recently Jacob has a real interest in (philanthropy) from the student's standpoint," Galbreath said.
SDB is encouraging all students to take part in the campaign and take the time to educate themselves on the importance of giving back to Auburn financially and find out ways they can play a part, Watkins said.
Students interested inSDB should contact Galbreath at (334) 844-1431 or hank.galbreath@auburn.edu, or Lauren Batts at (615) 243-0729 or lauren.batts@auburn.edu.
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