Issue: The drive for a new football stadium at SDSU received a $12.5 million donation and the College of Engineering was renamed in honor of donor and alumnus Jerry Lohr.

Quite often at SDSU, you’ll see or hear people say “It’s a great day to be a Jackrabbit.”

That’s usually true and especially so last weekend, as our university celebrated Hobo Day once again. Despite touch-and-go weather all week, it was tough to complain with another fun weekend and thanks to all of those who put in their time to make it memorable. 

In the midst of the celebration for our history and tradition, there were notable celebrations held for SDSU received a big donation for a new football stadium from one of the state’s most notable philanthropists and another from a consistent supporter of SDSU. 

Add in the work of Jerry Lohr, who has single-handedly added to the College of Engineering with donations toward five buildings and now has had the college renamed in his honor. 

Every year, Jackrabbits graduate and move on to their next challenges in life and most take their positive SDSU experiences with them into the future. For years after, alumni remember these experiences and how much they gained from their years at SDSU and return for events and celebrations. 

As T. Denny Sanford wisely pointed out at the press conference where he announced his $10 million commitment, football brings people back to campus and it causes them to support the university as a broader body. As a result, many wish to return something to the university that gave them these experiences, typically in the form of a generous donation. 

Sanford is right about football but really that is the case for any student who is involved or who has a sense of pride for their university. Students who have a positive experience in the College of Pharmacy or the Frost Arena or working with State University Theatre or The Collegian are more likely to support those endeavors later. 

People have been giving for years, most notably Charles Coughlin in the first century of SDSU, helping to up the current football stadium and the Campanile, which was a gift of his in the 1920s and, of course, it bears his name today.

Through these donations, the university is able to expand and create better facilities and more opportunities for current students and returning alumni to appreciate. This constant progress keeps the cycle moving forward, giving current students the experiences that caused alumni to later return financially to the university. It also gives incentive for prospective Jackrabbits to invest in SDSU. 

Of course, the question going forward is this: Will the coming generations’ alumni support SDSU? We have reason to believe that will be the case. You don’t raise more than $255 million for projects around campus in the last six years overnight and with three or four people donating their money. 

We’re all pretty amazed with the growth that has occurred at SDSU and it’s no accident. We, as students, have a lot of people to thank. 

Stance: It’s not only a great time to be at SDSU, It’s also a fortunate one.