The SIU affiliate of the American Model United Nations, Inc. (AMUN) is raising funds for the annual spring conference to compete against other universities. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is collaborating with a team of 11 students to raise money and compete in the Midwest Model United Nations conference during February 22-25.

These students prepare for conference by researching their designated country. This spring they will be representing Greece. In the past, they have represented Qatar, Finland, Lithuania, Egypt, Iran, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Poland, Vietnam and Algeria. This chapter strives to educated and inform students on the current goals and missions of the United Nations in regards to international security, human rights, nation building, peacekeeping, and all things related to promoting human dignity for all peoples in all places. .

All funds raised through their crowdfunding campaign will help pay for the cost of travel, lodging, and conference fees.

The Model United Nations chapter at SIU aims at developing current students interested in the field of international relations into future global leaders

Support the SIU American Model United Nations Chapter by making a gift on the SalukiFunder crowdfunding page.

SIU is working to change statistics where 31% of students on campus need food assistance. The Saluki Food Pantry is located on the lower level of the Student Center. The mission is to serve food students who lack resources to purchase nutritious food. This provides an opportunity for SIU students to serve other students and engage in a conversations and solutions around food insecurity. SIU believes no student should have to choose between essentials such as food and the costs of college while trying to obtain a university degree.

Support the Saluki Food Pantry by bringing in donations or making a gift on the Saluki Food Pantry crowdfunding page.

Strong Survivors is currently seeking donations through SIU Foundation’s crowdfunding platform. A donation to Strong Survivors SalukiFunder will help this program raise funds for new treadmills. This will benefit participants as well as the SIU student staff members using the SIUC Cancer Rehab Lab. The cancer survivors and caregivers will have the opportunity to exercise on a safe, comfortable and state of the art treadmill. The student staff members will be able to better assess and evaluate the exercise programs and the participants’ cardiovascular capacity.

Strong Survivors Exercise and Nutrition Program for Cancer Survivors and Caregivers utilizes exercise as a therapeutic tool to help cancer survivors and caregivers get through the treatment and recovery process. Co-sponsored by the SIU Department of Kinesiology and the Southern Illinois Healthcare Cancer Institute, this free program is created and administered by SIU student staff members who have completed the Strong Survivors Staff Training Class.

You may make a gift in honor or in memory of a loved one. To make a donation, visit Strong Survivors SalukiFunder.

Karen Jones, chair of SIU’s Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems, knew she needed to get creative to solve the very real space issues at the University Farms greenhouse. Over the years, a separate teaching greenhouse had fallen into so much disrepair that the department had to consolidate activities in the University Farms greenhouse. This move led to extremely cramped conditions, which negatively affected teaching and research.

With no funds on the horizon, Jones realized she had to think outside the box. If the department could start to grow plants by vertically layering them above the ground, it could significantly alleviate the space issues. Because the greenhouse’s footprint can only house so many plants on a horizontal plane, she recognized that using this added dimension could be the solution. To do this, she and Joe Matthews, assistant scientist in the department, concluded that growing plants in this fashion would require light emitting diodes, commonly referred to as LED lights.

“We need to enhance our research and fulfill our teaching mission, and we need to do so with creative resources,” Jones says. “We believe these lights are the resource we need.”

What are LED Lights?

LED lights are engineered specifically to emit photosynthetic active radiation. Scientists are using LEDs, rather than traditional high-intensity discharge lights, to expose plants to specific wavelengths that enhance nutritional values of edible crops, influence the concentration of color and foliage, and improve endurance. Such lights also would save up to 50 percent in energy costs.

Matthews says the University Farms greenhouse was remodeled in 2006 with traditional lights that typically have a lifespan of five years. Those lights are now going into their 10th year of use, so the need for new lights – as well as a way to grow vertically – is considerably real.

That’s where thinking outside the box entered the picture. Jones and Rhiannon Storm, development officer for the College of Agricultural Sciences, began to brainstorm on how to raise the money for the lights. Storm knew that Matt McCoy, assistant director of annual giving for the SIU Foundation, was spearheading a first-ever effort of raising funds through “crowdfunding,” so when she approached him with the LED fundraising project, they realized it would be a perfect fit for the foundation’s first crowdfunding venture.

What is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is a platform for student groups, researchers, teams and others to raise funds for SIU initiatives. Students, alumni and community members can make relatively small online gifts to support projects of interest that are important but may not be at the level requiring larger, major gifts.

Donations to crowdfunded projects, such as the LED lighting initiative for the University Farms greenhouse, will be deposited in the appropriate department’s foundation account. The goal is $3,000, but Jones and Matthews say more funds raised will equal more lights that can be bought. LED lights are not inexpensive; costs can range from hundreds of dollars to well over $1,000 for just one light.

“We have so many needs in the College of Agricultural Sciences,” Jones adds. “And we could use a win for our faculty and students. Our hope is that everyone will rally behind this effort.”

This first step into the crowdfunding arena began May 1 with the LED initiative, as well as with another project that seeks $7,500 to buy precision agriculture GPS and software to enhance the teaching of students, research and sustainability goals. To view what has been raised thus far, visit https://salukifunder.siu.edu. To learn more, contact McCoy at the SIU Foundation. He can be reached at 618/453-6096 or by email at matthewm@foundation.siu.edu.