Every year, usually around late January and early February, the college tuition that each student pays to their education, runs out.† The tuition and fees that are paid towards the College only cover 60 percent of the cost of a Wooster Education. Now, in its second year, the campus will be hosting Tuition Freedom Day this coming Monday, Feb. 15, to celebrate those gifts from alumni along with the donations from the Wooster Fund, that have helped cover the costs for the rest of the year.
TFD is not just unique to Wooster but in fact has been hosted at numerous colleges throughout the country. Many schools have taken particular measures on campus to show which things, however small, were made possible not from tuition, but from alumni donations. One school removed all their forks in the dining hall and another shut the power off for 10 minutes in an effort to promote the importance and recognition of TFD. Carolyn Ciriegio, the development assistant for the office of alumni relations, said ìAlthough tuition is high and seems to be rising every year, it still doesnít come close to reflecting the true cost of education.”
On Monday, Feb. 15, students will have a number of opportunities available to help get involved with the efforts promoted by TFD.
In Lowry, students can come and write thank-you notes to alumni who donated to the College in the last year. Ribbons will also be placed around campus attached with the names of donors and many of the names will be familiar to many students. Alongside all of this, statistics will be provided that highlight the importance of alumni support and general facts about the alumni as a whole. For example, there are currently 1,934 Wooster alumni are married to other Wooster alumni.†††††††††††††††† †† ††††††††††† The Collegeís alumni relations are of great importance and Ciriegio urges all students to consider TFD in this light. ìThink about it in terms of what might be missing from your Wooster experience ó if so many alumni (young and old) didnít choose to support the College, you might not have all the resources available to make your Wooster experience a great one. On a more serious note, think about how many of your close friends not might be here to share those experiences with you,” she said. Every year, there are thousands of gifts donated to the College from alumni ranging from five dollars to $50 ,000 that have significantly impacted our college experience.
Again this year, seniors especially are being urged to contribute to their Senior Wooster Fund. Katie Harvuot í10 said, ìItís important for students to know about Tuition Freedom Day so they realize how many and how much alumni really give back. We rely on their generosity and continued support. I know I am going to give this year to the Senior Wooster Fund and after I graduate. Someone I didnít know donated and helped me and I want to be able to do the same.”