The University's Financial Management Board has voted to establish a memorial scholarship award in memory of junior Declan Sullivan.
The scholarship is through the Shirt Charity Fund, which raises funds with sales from the annual student football shirt.
"Part of the purpose of the Shirt Charity Fund is to set up a memorial award in the event of a student passing away, so it is normal for Financial Management Board to establish an award like this," Student Union treasurer junior Sarah Hurtubise, a junior, said.
Sullivan, a videographer for the football team, died on Oct. 27 after the hydraulic scissor lift where he was filming football practice fell.
According to Hurtubise, the Shirt Charity Fund was initially designed to assist undergraduate and graduate students who display extraordinary need in paying off medical expenses.
Hurtubise said the Financial Management Board voted on Nov. 2 to allocate the standard amount of $25,000 from the Shirt Charity Fund for the Declan Sullivan Memorial Award.
"It will be an endowed award with an annual return of $1,000," she said.
Hurtubise said the $25,000 principal will remain untouched and the annual award given to a student will be $1,000.
"Leaving the $25,000 principal untouched will allow the Declan Sullivan Memorial Award to continue from year to year, without anyone having to worry about running out of funds," she said.
Hurtubise said the Financial Management Board and student government are working together now to decide on the criteria for the award and to determine who will administer it.
"We hope to come to a decision on the specifics by the end of this semester," she said.
The Board has discussed the possibility of the award being given to a resident of Fisher Hall, where Sullivan lived on campus, or to a student in the Film, Television and Theatre (FTT) program, but no official decisions have been made, according to Hurtubise.
Student body president Catherine Soler said the Memorial Fund is an excellent way to remember Sullivan.
"It's wonderful that the Student Union can honor Declan in this way," Soler said. "This is a beautiful way to remember and celebrate Declan's life for years to come."
