Inspired by a donor’s message with an online gift to a Student Emergency Fund, the Foundation created a mural spanning the glass walls of Woster Celebration Hall in the Lohr Building. Comprised of more than 3,500 individual hearts and Jackrabbits, motivational quotes and drawings by the children of Foundation staff members, the rainbow is 50 feet wide and 9 feet tall. Anchored above the colorful images in nearly 4-foot-tall letters is the word HOPE. Reflected in the glass is the university’s hallmark, the Coughlin Campanile.
Hope is only one small word. But when we, as a university, choose to focus on it amid these times of uncertainty, one small word carries a great impact. Until the sun rises, hope will see us through.
We are living in uncertain times and the university took decisive actions in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many universities around the country, the remainder of the semester is being taught online. Scholarship banquets, recitals, sports and senior send-offs were cancelled. Even commencement has transitioned to an online ceremony. Most of these actions were unprecedented. For a 139-year-old institution, that says a lot. These were not easy decisions, yet each one affirmed SDSU’s commitment to being people-centered. The health and well-being of the students, faculty and staff was paramount. We’ve been bolstered by the genuine concern, the indomitable spirit and the relentless loyalty to this university. The comments and actions of our Jackrabbit family have been reassuring and motivating.
One of the members of the Foundation’s Council of Trustees, Mike Hart of Sioux Falls, posed a thought-provoking question: When the sun rises—and it will—what do we want to be remembered for? Alumni and supporters are already helping to answer that question—through gifts to scholarships, a Student Emergency Fund, the on-campus food pantry and so many other things that directly impact the people of SDSU during this difficult and unsettling time. So when the sun rises—and it will—what do we want to be remembered for? When it mattered the most, Jackrabbit Nation was there—when it mattered the most, Jackrabbit Nation did not lose hope.
