Receiving a degree in higher education is not the easiest financial feat, but through innovative fundraising, the Tucson Ariz. chapter of the Brandeis National Committee is making learning a little cheaper for everyone.
The Tucson BNC hosted its annual book sale in the Foothills Mall from Jan. 18 to 27, the proceeds of which go to an endowed student from the Tucson area who has been accepted into Brandeis and qualifies for financial aid.
For the BNC, reading has always taken center stage. The organization was founded as the Brandeis University National Women's Committee around the same time as the University in 1948 as a way to provide financial support to Brandeis and its libraries. Since then, the organization has gone coed and consists of over 25,000 members nationwide in over 50 chapters engaging in philanthropic and community projects that "reflect the values on which the university was founded: academic excellence, social justice, nonsectarianism and service to the community," as stated in its online mission statement.
The BNC's commitment to Brandeis scholarship has enabled it to donate $126 million in support of the University and its libraries, lining the Goldfarb shelves with books, as well as scholarly journals and resources in online formats.
The book sale complements this commitment to scholarship because, as Meg Sivitz, the head of the sale said, "We're all about books." The BNC started holding book sales in 1958 as an innovative method of raising money. Explaining one reason Tucson continues this tradition, Sivitz said, "[Books] are a green way of being-we're able to recycle used books."
Additionally, the benefits of buying from the sale instead of a large book chain are tremendous. "People that would find a book for $26 at Barnes and Nobles can get it from us for $5," said Sivitz. The sale held a number of promotional discount days that always send book-lovers sprinting toward their stacks; all books were half-off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the last day of the sale was "Bag Sunday," which allowed shoppers to fill a canvas bag of books for only $10.
As a companion to the annual mall sale, Sivitz established a year-round online Amazon bookstore that also raises money that goes toward the Brandeis scholarship fund. The online store is "extremely successful," according to Libby Fischer, the book sale consultant who ran the physical sale before Sivitz. So far, it has sold about 6,000 books, raising over $400,000 from both sales. 
The proceeds from the thousands of books sold at the Foothills sale will go to a scholarship fund that supports students including Coco Tirambulo '16, a first-year Brandeis student and Tucson native.
Sivitz explained that the sale gives back to the community by giving local students the chance to go to Brandeis, a school some might otherwise not be able to afford or even know exists.
"We wanted to give back to Tucson," said Sivitz. "Many people in [Tucson] don't know about Brandeis. They go 'Brandeis? What's that?'"
Tirambulo's wide interests have caused her to plan on double majoring in Biology and Anthropology, and possibly adding a minor in Classical Studies.
Although she is thrilled by the academic opportunities Brandeis has made available to her, the people are what made her finally decide to fill out the enrollment forms.
"It was the community that made me choose Brandeis. I remember when I first came to Brandeis during Admitted Students Day, everyone was so friendly. It made me feel like I was in the right place," said Tirambulo.
Linda Cramer, the president of the Tucson BNC chapter, expressed how glad she was to support Tirambulo. "We loved meeting Coco and enjoyed our lunch with her. We met her parents at the book sale."
Academic support is something the larger BNC community is making staunch efforts toward. Janice Fineman, the executive director of the BNC, identified key areas of scholarship fundraising where the organization makes an impact. In addition to "general scholarship," the BNC has "a library works scholar fund which helps pay the salaries of students working in the library as part of their financial aid," said Fineman.
The BNC is also running a campaign called "Sustaining the Mind" to establish a fund to foster research in neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases, and to establish an endowed scholarship fund for students studying science.
Although many chapters have pledged to help fund these projects, the Internet presence in combination with classic "brick-and-mortar," as Fineman put it, fundraising strategies of the Tucson branch are practically an anomaly within the organization. "In terms of the online book-sale and the regular physical sale, Tucson is very unique in that regard," said Fineman.
Most of the members of the BNC are not Brandeis alumni, but graduates of other schools that support social justice and the education and research ideals to which Brandeis is committed. "For me, the best part is knowing that our members, who are not alums, are making an impact in the lives of our students," said Fineman.
Tirambulo is an example of benefits decades of BNC philanthropy has had on the University. "I am so thankful for having so many opportunities at Brandeis." she said. 

Corrections appended:

It was stated that the BNC has over 26,000 members when in fact it has over 25,000 members. 
It was stated the BNC has donated $115 million. The BNC has actually donated $126 million. 
The sixth paragraph should have ended with, "raising over 400,000 from both sales."