Charity and community building with the ÖH Student Union

Each semester, the ÖH Student Union at MU organizes a kick-off party to welcome new students to the MU community and welcome back familiar faces for the new semester. This fall, they did something extra special and used the occasion to raise money for charity. We caught up with ÖH president, Bachelor student Daniel Owen, to find out more about the event and what they have planned for the upcoming year.

This is the first time students have collected money for charity at a semester kick-off party, why did the ÖH decide to start?

We think the semester kick-off party is a great event for new and current students to get to know each other, have some drinks, have some fun and get acquainted to the real feeling of the MODUL family community we're trying to encourage. So we thought, why not take advantage of this opportunity, and do something that not only pleases the students, but also gives to the community and builds the reputation of MODUL University in the city of Vienna? The fact that our event had a purpose for a great cause really encouraged our students to get involved, to donate and to have a good time.

We sold over 250 tickets and raised an astounding €483,80 for the St. Anna Cancer Institute, to which the foundation were very grateful for the converging of our caring and considerate students. We plan to work with more charities in the near future, giving the students the chance to raise money for the causes close to them. We seized the opportunity and made something amazing from just a simple student party, so the possibilities are endless!

Why did you choose St Anna's?

Well, cancer is, as everybody knows, a selfish and tragic thing that takes what it wants, leaving victims and loved ones in a world of pain and grief. It is a topic that is unfortunately very close with so many, myself included, so when we came across the institute during our research, we read of their efforts to fight cancer and were instantly inspired to contribute to their research and development. Not only this, but St. Anna focuses heavily on child patients, people who should have their whole lives ahead of them, who wish for the same things in life as everyone in this world does, and if we have the means to enrich their lives and the lives of their families, then we are obliged to do so.

In future events, we will be giving the decision of choosing the charity to our students! This way, it feels more personal, and if someone has a commitment or connection to a foundation, then we can help to spread awareness and raise a donation for the cause.

Does the ÖH have anything else planned for the Christmas holidays or 2018? 

We do have a few things planned for the Christmas season! We'll be working closely with the Student Service Center to bring the students this year's Christmas cookie drive on the 12th December. We are also currently finalising plans for a Christmas Soirée off campus, where students can enjoy some glühwein, wine and bites for a Christmas celebration. We'll be sharing details on this very soon!

As for 2018, we have more than a few projects in the pipeline that will make life easier for the students, which the ÖH MODUL members and student representatives are currently working on. We aim to be implementing most of these by the start of spring semester. We have also been in close contact with our ÖH colleagues in various other Vienna private universities, to bring new exciting events and opportunities to our community in 2018, so stay tuned for more info on that! 

A big thanks to Dan, the ÖH, and the MU student community for enriching life on campus and in Vienna!