Today's Update: Monday, August 12, 2024
August 12, 2024
Dear Student Life team,
One of the many ways we support students at Ohio State is to help meet their essential needs. One of those basic needs is access to appropriate professional attire so students can dress comfortably and confidently for job interviews, internships, case competitions and networking events.
You can help right now.
Student Life is collecting professional clothing now through Monday, August 26, to be used at our student Career Closet Pop-up event on Wednesday, September 11.
Your gently used professional attire will make a huge difference for our students. You’ll find collection bins at the Ohio Union (near the Information Center), the RPAC (Rec Sports Office Suite) and the Younkin Success Center (2nd Floor Info Desk). All clothing donations MUST be laundered/dry-cleaned and ready to wear and should not need repair. You can find online a list of items you can consider donating.
Our friends across High Street in Advancement are supporting our efforts with their own Career Closet clothing drive with a collection point at University Square North.
Many of you are aware of Buckeye Career’s Clothes Closet program. For several years they have been hosting pop-up events for students who come to “shop” for free items to help them move into the professional world.
The next phase of this effort is truly exciting. Career Closet will become a permanent fixture on campus that students can utilize on a regular basis. You have probably heard talk about the center we will open later this academic year that will serve as a one-stop shop for students to access essential needs support, like food and professional clothing, resources and connect with campus and community services.
This space, to be located in the Younkin Success Center, will be known as the Monda Student Resource Center. I am Scarlet and Grateful for an extremely generous gift from Keith Monda and Veronica Brady that will allow us to pull these resources together in one place to support students’ essential needs. The center will leverage existing resources on campus and in the community – both in person and virtually – to meet students’ needs. The Monda Student Resource Center will serve a vital role in supporting students’ ability to engage, learn and thrive for generations to come.
The Monda Student Resource Center is especially important given the size of Ohio State and the decentralized nature of these programs and partnerships. Barriers currently exist for students when accessing timely, seamless, holistic essential needs support. This center will help break down those barriers.
Please look through your closets at home and donate professional attire that can help our Buckeyes look, and feel, their Scarlet and Great best!.
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University