A scholarship in American Studies has been established in memory of Susannah Chase, the CU-Boulder senior who was brutally beaten near her home in downtown Boulder and died on Dec. 22, a day after the assault.
Professor Erika Doss, director of the American Studies program, said the scholarship has been established with seed money from the College of Arts and Sciences and a few small private donations, but contributions are welcomed.
"As soon as this horrible incident took place, the students felt that we should do something in memory of Susannah," Doss said. "We want to keep her memory alive at the school, and the scholarship will help her academic program by supporting students who are majoring in American Studies."
American Studies Instructor Lee Bernstein said, "Susannah's life and death touched her classmates and professors in American Studies, and many students expressed an interest in providing a living memory of Susannah. This scholarship will provide a fitting memorial."
Arts and Sciences Dean Peter Spear has pledged $1,000 to help establish the Susannah Chase Memorial Scholarship. Donations also have been made by CU-Boulder聮s Women聮s Resource Center and the University of Colorado Student Union. Doss hopes to raise $25,000 to create an endowment that would support one full tuition scholarship annually for a junior or senior American Studies major.
This year聮s graduating senior class, the class of 聮98, has raised $4,995 for the scholarship from 90 pledges by seniors. The entire senior class gift will total $25,025 from 353 pledges and will be used to support several scholarships and the Night Ride, Night Walk safety program, which was featured for senior class donations this year because of Susannah聮s death.
Senior class pledges will continue to be accepted into May.
Julie Chase, Susannah聮s mother, said her daughter "loved the diversity of classes that her major offered. She had a wide variety of interests and felt that the American Studies major afforded her the best opportunity to pursue a course of study that was very meaningful to her. We are pleased that the American Studies Program is honoring her memory in this way."
The American Studies Program has 40 majors but serves roughly 200 students per semester who take course work through the program.
American Studies programs emerged in the late 1930s to serve a growing interest in the historical context of American literature. Literature and history are the most common backgrounds of American Studies scholars, but other disciplines also are reflected in the major including film studies, sociology and ethnic studies.
Doss said the Susannah Chase Memorial Scholarship probably will not be able to begin awarding scholarships until the fall 1999 semester "although I would love to start giving out scholarships this fall if we were able to raise enough money," she said.
People who wish to contribute to the Susannah Chase Memorial Scholarship should make checks payable to the CU Foundation and should write the name of the scholarship on the memo line. Checks should be mailed to the CU Foundation, College of Arts and Sciences Development Office, P.O. Box 1140, CB 462, Boulder, CO 80306.