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By Shauna Kendrick

The holiday season is fast approaching, which means it’s time for the fifth annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony to be held Wednesday, Dec. 1.

The event, hosted by the Classified Senate, will begin with a 3:30 p.m. reception in the Fireplace Lounge of the Rhatigan Student Center.

The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 4 p.m. just north of the RSC. WSU President Don Beggs and Classified Senate President Tom Veltman will throw the switch to light the tree.

This year the tree will have new decorations, thanks to a fundraising effort by the Classified Senate. Tim Shrank, office assistant in Postal Services, challenged all classified staff to donate $1 toward decorations. As of Nov. 10, $175 had been raised, which included gifts from Don and Shirley Beggs and an anonymous donor. Donations may still be made to Shrank or Shelly Kellogg in human resources.

The university’s centennial celebration in 1995 rekindled the tree-lighting tradition at WSU. The tree is from a New Hampshire tree farm near the home of WSU’s first president, Nathan Morrison.