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During the 2022–2023 academic year, ³ÉÈËӰƬ students worked at a farm, helped veterans, volunteered at the Panther Pantry and, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, participated in Relay for Life. Students participating in clubs and organizations completed more than 5,272 hours of community service, and those in Greek life completed more than 8,000 hours.

The students and organizations were recognized by the Student Government Association and the Center for Student and Community Engagement (SCE) during the annual Brown and Gold Awards ceremony, held this year on May 9.

Kelsey D’Andrea, coordinator of civic engagement and leadership for SCE, commended ³ÉÈËӰƬ volunteers and on-campus organizations for their hard work this year, saying, “Our students have worked selflessly to support various efforts—in both our local and global community.”

Panthers Serve the Community

 was brought back as an in-person event this year, and ³ÉÈËӰƬ raised more than $36,000 for the cancer research fundraiser. Roughly $20,000 was collected before the event even began.

Wayne Nichols, assistant director for Greek Life and Social Fellowship and Graduate Student Engagement, said the campus Greek community “raised over $40,000 dollars this year to support philanthropies such as the , the , and the ” and volunteered with ,Ìý, the  and the Panther Pantry, among others.

“As a community, we put on over 250 events,” Nichols said. “Our membership in our organizations has truly impacted our lives and we are proud to be a part of this community that has accomplished so much and continues to improve each year.”

Additional organized efforts of philanthropy are seen in the work of the First-Year Community Action Program (FCAP), the Leadership Certificate Program, Gamma Beta Phi, and the Greek Life and Social Fellowship organizations within the Center for Student and Community Engagement.

First-year students within FCAP volunteered with projects on Long Island at  in Malverne and the .

Recognition at the Brown and Gold Awards

The Excellence in Philanthropy award was presented to the . The award is given to the student organization that has fundraised and donated the most money to charity. Kevin Carratu, senior and vice president of administration of the Student Government Association, said, “This organization raised money as well as donated their time to the Hy Weinberg Center as well as raising money for the ASH Foundation and the Mungai Foundation.”

°Õ³ó±ðÌý received the Beyond ³ÉÈËӰƬ award. “This club has collaborated with a variety of organizations outside of ³ÉÈËӰƬ University,” said Carratu, “and has committed to incorporating at least one immediate action into their weekly meetings, which includes calling or messaging their local legislators about policy issues, letter writing and submitting public comments. This organization engages in truly meaningful community work and is committed to leaving impacts beyond just ³ÉÈËӰƬ.”