By Elianna Novitch | [email protected]

A week dedicated to recognizing philanthropy at the University of Iowa is here.
Phil’s Week is a weeklong event with a goal of making students aware of the philanthropic efforts that they benefit from.

“Phil,” short for philanthropy, represents everyone who supports the UI by donating, as well as everyone who benefits from those contributions.

“Especially at the University of Iowa there is a lot that goes on here that is from private support that a lot of people don’t know about,” Student Philanthropy Group President Lexie Finer said. “Knowing that someone else, usually alumni, has invested in your time at Iowa helps promote the sense of community that UI has.”

The week’s festivities are being put on by the Phil Was Here organization.

Phil Was Here is part of the UI Foundation’s Student Philanthropy Initiative. According to the Phil Was Here website, the initiative was launched in 2007 and is an important part of what UI Foundation President and CEO Lynette Marshall calls “building a culture of philanthropy” at the UI.

According to the organization’s website, the purpose of Phil Was Here is to build awareness among students about the importance of private support in enhancing their educational experience at Iowa and to actively engage current UI students in all aspects of philanthropy.

A variety of events are scheduled to take place throughout this week. Some of these events include tagging campus today, the Faces of Phil Campus Event on Wednesday, and a “Life with Phil” Talk featuring speaker UI alumna Sheri Salata, a former executive producer of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the former president of Harpo Studios, on Thursday.

“I really love tagging campus, it’s a simple and effective way for people connected to the University of Iowa to visually see how philanthropy is impacting campus,” said Jacinta Jargo, the Student Philanthropy Group vice president for social media in an email to The Daily Iowan. “On Tuesday, buildings will be marked with yellow tape and signs saying, ‘Phil Was Here,’ but the reality is that it highlights ‘Phil is Here’ on campus and affects all of our lives.”

The Faces of Phil is a time for students to find out how donors are transforming the UI and thank them by sending them a message. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway.

“During this event, people are encouraged to highlight how they are Phil by taking a Polaroid and posting it on the Faces of Phil board,” Jargo said in the statement. “At the University of Iowa, you are Phil if you have been affected by philanthropy meaning you have given money to the university, received scholarships or conduct research, or have attended a Hawkeye athletics event — all of those actives occur to some degree thanks to philanthropy.”

Salata will speak at 3:30 p.m. in the Pomerantz Center as a part of the spring Phil’s Week.

“I think it’s always important for us to know who is supporting us,” Marshall said. “Alumni and friends of the university provide so much support and are so eager to see students succeed, and I think it’s important we remind students of that.”