The 2007 graduating class gift will be a 16-foot seal of the Ohio State seal, which will be placed in the Grand Hall of the new Ohio Union that will be completed in 2010.

Throughout the last four years, Ohio State has given them house parties, all-nighters and, finally, a degree. Now the Student Campaign Advisory Board is asking all graduating students to give back with a donation of $20.07 toward the 2007 class gift.

A 16-foot version of the university seal will be embedded in the Great Hall of the new Ohio Union on behalf of the class of 2007.

In the past, class gifts have included the chimes in Orton Hall and the beautification of Mirror Lake. Voting for this year’s gift took place for about 10 days in October and all students were invited to vote online, said Tina Thome, student campaign coordinator.

“For most people, when they see (the previous class gifts) they’re given a sense of pride that their class gave back to the university – the chimes, or the victory bell after the OSU football games,” Thome said. “When you come back to campus, when you remember your time here, you can see that your gift has become part of the history of the tradition of OSU.”

Projected to cost about $40,000, the seal is included in the plans for the building, but all or a large part of it will be paid for by the class gift, she said. About 2,500 students made donations towards the class gift in 2006 and 1,630 donations have been received so far this year.

Created using water-jet technology, the seal will be made of stainless steel and pre-cast terrazzo, a highly polished mosaic flooring consisting of small pieces of marble or granite set in mortar.

“The seal has been designed within the larger context of the terrazzo floor in the Great Hall of the new Ohio Union, but construction has not yet begun on the building,” said Heather McGinnis, director of development for the Ohio Union. “We are currently in the process of removing hazardous materials and deconstructing the existing building.”

Graduating students are not required to make donations for the seal, and can also donate to any project or fund on campus other than the seal via the class gift Web site, giveto.osu.edu/areas/studentcampaign/index.asp.

Shane Littlefield, a senior in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, said he would be more inclined to give to a project like the beautification of Mirror Lake, rather than the seal.

“Ohio State has taken enough money from me, and (the seal) doesn’t benefit me in any way,” Littlefield said. “If I was uber-rich and could afford to be a philanthropist, then sure (I’d give), but I’d have to be very rich, like a movie star or a sports athlete.”

If additional funds are left after the purchase of the seal, the student committee will decide what to do with the money – possibly putting it toward the next gift project or a general scholarship fund, Thome said. She said collections for class gifts, however, have yet to entirely meet the costs.

Donations can be made both online at the class gift Web site and by mail. Donors will receive a thank you and an OSU wallet-size business card holder in the mail, Thome said.

Bridget Bowen can be reached at [email protected].