Forgive me if I’m reading too much into this, but since OP said they were international and I’m aware that in some countries there’s a “pay to play” system where an applicant may need to give a “donation” to get admitted or to receive certain privileges while enrolled at the college - perhaps that’s what OP/parents are thinking.
@AliciaSmith: pay to play only exists at the highest donation levels in the US - tens of millions of $$ - and that’s not something they would put in an orientation giveaway bag. So it’s safe to assume this is just a regular call for donations (typical of pretty much all colleges in the US) that you can either choose to ignore without any negative consequences - or contribute if you wish to support your new college (but don’t expect to receive any special benefits by doing so).