The Senior Class Gift Committee just announced its selection for the 2016 gift: funding for the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services. Penn State’s senior class voted, and selected what seemed like the most widely popular over the other two options, a mural in the HUB and a mosaic featuring classic Penn State iconography.

Penn State’s CAPS website says it works in group therapy, individual counseling, crisis intervention, and psychiatric services. The Class Gift Committee described its selection when it was first proposed as follows:

“Penn State’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides a vital service every day by helping students manage a range of personal and mental health challenges. College is an exciting time for many students, but the challenges of college life and young adulthood can be stressful. The need for additional funding is growing as more students recognize the essential support that CAPS is able to provide to them. By creating a permanent, annual source of funding to support CAPS, the Class of 2016 can help ensure that accessible and timely care is available to all students if and when they should need it.”

The Class of 2013’s “We Are” statue, constructed this summer, added to Penn State’s already outstanding aesthetic value, and last year’s solar panel array creates a new sustainable and environmentally friendly atmosphere at Penn State. This year’s isn’t nearly as on-the-surface flashy, but provides funding to one of the most important programs on campus.