Recently, members of the Georgia Tech Student Alumni Association (SAA) presented the Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling with more than $20,000 through its SAA Gift to Tech program. 

“Our office is honored to have been thought of so highly by the students that they would support our initiatives monetarily,” said Cindy Jackson, manager of campus recycling. “I will be working closely with the Student Alumni Association to develop plans on how the money will be used to expand the recycling program here at Georgia Tech.”

Membership in SAA requires an annual donation of $10, with $5 going to Tech’s unrestricted annual fund, Roll Call, through the Student Foundation, and the other $5 going toward the SAA Gift to Tech. The Gift to Tech is a monetary award that supports a project selected by students that enhances campus and makes an impact on the entire Tech community. In support of SAA’s efforts, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association matched the first 1,000 $10 donations.

SAA leadership chose five campus projects for students to vote on this year including campus recycling, campus safety efforts, the Alumni Association’s Living History program, a commemorative bench at the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons and funding support to underwrite the tradition of handing out Rat Caps at Freshman Convocation. 

Students were invited to vote for where they would like to see the money used for this year’s gift. Between the time voting opened in August and closed in March, students cast more than 2,075 votes. After spring break, the top three choices were voted on by SAA members.    

The gift was presented to the Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling on April 19 in the BioTech Courtyard. SAA members also made a formal announcement of the gift at Earth Day on April 22. Along with other SAA awards, Jackson and her staff will receive a banner signed by SAA members to celebrate and commemorate the first-annual SAA Gift to Tech at the Up with the White and Gold Awards on April 28.