The senior class gift committee is now accepting gift proposals — and they expect to see anything from a slip and slide to a live Nittany Lion.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and State College residents — or anyone with an idea that will benefit the community — are welcome to share their ideas, said Jordan Ford, senior class gift adviser.

It’s important that the gift is symbolic of the graduating class’s time on campus and has longevity, Ford said. Last year, the Class of 2010 gave the university the Marsh Meadow Boardwalk and Overlook for the Arboretum.

So far, the committee has only received about eight proposals, but Ford said that’s standard for this time of the year when most seniors are not on campus for the summer. He expects to see as many as 70 proposals by September, with the majority of the ideas coming from students, he said.

Ford said class gifts are a strong tradition at Penn State — the first class gift was a portrait of the university’s first president Evan Pugh, donated by the Class of 1861. The picture still hangs in Old Main Building, he said.

Once all the proposals are submitted, a committee comprised of students, faculty and administration will evaluate the ideas for their appropriateness, benefits to the university and affordability.

They will choose the top three gift ideas, which students can vote on from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29. The final decision for the gift will be announced on November 2.

The committee enjoys seeing the creative ideas students come up with, Ford said — but sometimes the proposals are too creative to be feasible.

“One that’s really popular that will get submitted by five or six people every year — that at least from our scope of the project isn’t going to happen — is a live Nittany Lion,” Ford said.

Another year, a student proposed installing a slide from the third floor of the Willard Building to the outside mall to save time and lighten sprits. A creative idea, Ford said, but not appropriate for a class gift.

Some students said they were excited to work on the class gift.

University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) President Christian Ragland said the senior class gift was something that never really hit him as an underclassman. But now Ragland (senior-political science) says he’s excited to see what the final gift will be.

Other graduating seniors said they are looking forward to the process as well. Senior Ema Gaubaite suggested expanding a current Penn State landmark that everyone can recognize.

“We should have another fish tank,” Gaubaite (senior-economics) said.