Bemidji State University hosted its first ever campus wide day of giving today with a variety of campus and community events. The event, called “Back to Bemidji State Day,” challenges the community and BSU alumni to help support students and programs on campus. The goal of the of the event is to raise $100,000 dollars to support BSU students.

BSU Executive Director for University Advancement Josh Christianson said the event was a full on effort of fundraising for the university.

“[We] wanted to tie something in to our centennial year, and so there’s a committee that’s been working since September in putting all the different pieces together,” Christianson said. “There’s a social media aspect to it, online giving. We also have the different events working with organizations and businesses throughout greater Bemidji on helping us put this all together.”

The event started off at Hobson Memorial Union and ended at Bemidji Brewing, where people were able to get a commemorative BSU centennial pint glass for $15. The director of annual giving programs, Jana Wolff, said multiple local businesses have partnered with BSU for the event, including Big River Scoop.

“BSU is their flavor of the month partner,” Wolff said. “So for the whole month of April, if you purchase Mint Chip, a percentage of those proceeds will go to Bemidji State University.”

By — Malaak Khattab

News Reporter