Stanford Student Activities and Leadership (SAL), the group overseeing officially recognized student groups on campus, recently released its 2015 Campus Impact Award winners. Categories included Building Bridges, Leaving a Legacy, Inspiring Innovation, and Capturing the Spirit.
Stanford Sanskriti, the undergraduate South Asian society, won the Building Bridges award, which, according to SAL, recognizes “collaborative efforts that seek to create understanding and dialogue”. This year, Sanskriti put on its annual multi-cultural benefits show Rhythms, as well as organizing support for Nepal after a devastating earthquake there in late April.
Stanford Dance Marathon, the winner of the Leaving a Legacy category, demonstrated what SAL described as having had “a strong and sustained impact on or off-campus”. This year marked Stanford’s ninth consecutive Dance Marathon. Each of the past three years, Stanford Dance Marathon has raised and contributed upwards of $60,000 to combating HIV/AIDS, with all contributions matched by FACE AIDS.
The Inspiring Innovation category, which SAL says recognizes “breakthrough or new programs that are transformative of the University community” was awarded to two groups this year, the Stanford Political Journal and the Stanford Undergraduate Research Association. The Stanford Political Journal was founded by Jason Willick ’15 last spring as a platform for non-partisan political dialogue, while the Stanford Undergraduate Research Association (SURA), founded in 2014, works to connect undergraduates with research positions, mentorships, workshops, and a strong peer network.
Lastly, the Hmong Student Union (HSU) was the recipient of the Capturing the Spirit award, which SAL describes as carrying out “initiatives that embody the spirit and soul of the Stanford student community.” HSU works to educate the campus community about Hmong culture, hosting several events including an Admit Weekend dinner and HmongX, a storytelling event based off of the TedX model.
SAL posted the Campus Impact awards, formerly known as the Dean of Student Life Outstanding Achievement Award, on its online platform CardinalSync and accepted nominations for each award from the same platform.
Contact Ada Throckmorton at adastat ‘at’ stanford.edu.