GRANT RECIPIENTS
Every year, the SMU Mothers' and Dads' Clubs award grants to deserving student organizations. Our students are involved in so many exciting and rewarding activities on campus, in our community, and abroad.
In 2020-2021, we awarded $25,000 to 12 student organizations. The funds are available through our SMU Mothers' and Dads' Clubs Special Project Fund, which is specifically designated to supporting students. Through generous donations from our members, we are able to help student organizations and provide funding for special projects that benefit not only our SMU students but the groups they support in Dallas and around the world.
Engineers Without Borders
Engineers Without Borders USA is an international nonprofit humanitarian organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects while creating transformative experiences that enrich global perspectives and create responsible leaders. Engineers Without Borders at SMU has partnering organizations and project locations around the world, from Bolivia to Dallas.
Global Medical Brigades
Global Medical Brigades is a student-led organization that aims to address health and development challenges both abroad and here in Dallas. We volunteer at hospitals and clinics in the Dallas area while setting up and working in clinics abroad in underprivileged regions. By becoming involved in our community and across the globe, we hope to develop student leaders who will become world changers that make an impact at the local and global level.
Mustang Heroes
Mustang Heroes was founded in 2010 by a group of incoming first-years at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. They dreamed of inspiring fellow students in service in hopes of making both SMU and Dallas a better place to grow, live and learn. By May 2012, Mustang Heroes organized and served with three different long-term community partners: Head Start, KIPP Charter School and the Family Gateway shelter. The 2020-2021 academic year marks the beginning of our 11th year of service. We are proud to be working with even more community partners than ever before and offering a wide variety of projects that serve weekly, biweekly, and monthly in the Dallas community.
Program Council
The purpose of Program Council is to unify and celebrate the community found in the SMU student body through fun, innovative and educational programming that enhances the awareness of self, of others, and of the entire university community. Program Council is comprised of several committees each with its own committee chair. The Program Council sponsors 24-Hour Musical, Sing Song, Midnight Market, Hollywood on the Hilltop, and more.
SMU Cheer, Pom, and Human Peruna
The SMU Cheerleading squad is a highly competitive team consisting of 20 to 30 young men and women. Twenty of the team's members compete at NCA College Nationals held in Daytona Beach, Florida where the squad placed first in 2016, 2017, and once again in 2018. This highly spirited and skilled squad cheers at all home football games, bowl games, men's and women's home basketball games, volleyball games, and tournament play. Members of the SMU Cheer squad also participate in community service events around campus and the Dallas area. The Pom Squad performs on the sidelines and at halftime of all home football games and travels to some away games. They also perform at all men's and women's basketball games.
See more about Cheer, Pom, and Human Peruna
Society of Women Engineers
The Society of Women Engineers is an international organization that has been providing support and services to establish engineering as a desirable and achievable career path for women since 1950. As a group, SMU's SWE chapter aims to support women majoring in STEM degrees, while also fostering the next generation of female engineers throughout our day-to-day activities. The chapter places a large focus on outreach to assist Kindergarten through 12th-grade students and empower more girls to pursue careers in the engineering field. As a part of our mentorship program, upperclassmen help freshmen and sophomore women navigate some of the toughest majors on the SMU campus while providing them with a community within the Lyle School of Engineering. Ultimately, our goal is to help women in STEM feel represented, supported, and accepted by equipping them to handle the unique challenges that come with being a minority in their field.
Students Expanding American Literacy (SEAL)
Students Expanding American Literacy is a nonprofit dedicated to serving underserved populations in Dallas. We work with our non-profit partner Reading Partners to provide one-on-one reading sessions once (or twice) a week over Zoom with the students who need it most in our community. Our main goals are to raise awareness about the issue of illiteracy that faces many children in our community and to do something about it by showing the kids we volunteer how fun reading can be! Even though we aren't literacy professionals, we believe that instilling curiosity, confidence, and a love for reading in our children will result in stronger performance down the line. A SEAL volunteer is a tutor, mentor, play-pal, and hype man/woman all rolled into one.
The Association of Black Students
The Association of Black Students is an organization that provides educational, cultural, and social exchange among African American students at SMU. ABS is the umbrella organization for the Black SMU community, which includes the African Student Association (ASA), Black Men Emerging (BME), Natural Hair Network (FRO), and Sisters Supporting Sisters (SSS). Its mission is to provide a component for educational, cultural, spiritual, and social exchange among students and aid in awareness and significance of African Americans as part of SMU.
The Big Event
The Big Event is the largest, one-day, student-run service project in the nation. The Big Event was established at Texas A&M University in 1982 and continues to impact communities 36 years later. Each Spring, tens of thousands of students nationwide gather to serve their communities through acts of service. On this day, college students are able to unite as one to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Simply put, The Big Event provides an opportunity to give back to your local community and to ultimately say “Thank You”. At SMU we hope to become a part of this rich tradition of service by connecting students, faculty, and staff with our community in powerful ways.
The Men's Club Rowing Team at SMU
The Men's Club Rowing Team was formed two years to offer competitive men's rowing to SMU. The club rows on Bachman lake in the mornings or afternoon depending on water conditions 4-6 times a week. Winter training is conducted at the Dedman Center on campus. No previous knowledge of rowing is required to join the club. The club races locally, traveling in the spring and fall.
The Natural Hair Network
The National Hair Network (Fro.) was established by and for diverse people interested in supporting natural hair care and promoting the celebration of diverse beauty on SMU’s campus. We concern ourselves with a variety of issues and challenges that affect diverse men and women with natural hair, as well as provide a safe space for students with diverse backgrounds and diverse hair textures for celebrating themselves and their worth.
The Tent
The Tent aims to offer a fun in-game tailgate experience that is inclusive of the entire SMU community, with interactive activities, prizes, and food as Covid-19 protocols allow. Serving 300-500 people every game, it's the hub of activity for the SMU community during all home football games. Our goal is to become a staple of the in-game experience bringing students together with family and alumni to cheer on the Mustangs!
To help us support future SMU student organizations, please donate to the SMU Mothers' and Dads' Special Projects Fund.