Asking for money is always a sensitive issue. That’s why it’s no surprise that so many College of Wooster seniors have strong reactions when they are asked to donate to the Senior Wooster Fund.
Development offices try to incite students to donate as early as possible. I’m assuming that the idea is that the earlier you donate, the more likely you are to continue contributing in the future. Plus, once you have given once, you most likely feel compelled to keep giving. For instance, I made a small donation to my high school right after my senior year, and I’ve felt obligated to donate every year since. Obviously, if done right, this method works.
Despite the logic of this concept, many current seniors are affronted when asked to make a donation to the College. After years of expensive tuition payments and anticipating the student loans that they need to repay, some feel that it is inappropriate for the College to ask students for more money.
While I can understand this attitude, I do not agree with it. From the Class of 2011, the College is asking for a donation of either $11 or $20.11. In the grand scheme of things, these are really small amounts of money. Giving it to the College is definitely not going to have any significant impact on a student’s future plans or financial situation. This amount of money certainly does not compare to the price of tuition, and it definitely will not pay off anyone’s student loans. Overall, most students probably will not even notice that they have spent it. I bet most students spend at least $11 per weekend eating out, buying toiletries and other supplies or alcoholic beverages. Wouldn’t giving some of that money to the College be a better way to spend your hard- earned dollars?
What really mystifies me about students’ refusal to donate is that this attitude is so counter to the school spirit that most students seem to exhibit. From what I have experienced in my four years at The College of Wooster, most students seem to really love their school and to be proud of it. So, why are students so unwilling to support the College with a small donation? I know that everyone’s money is tight, but don’t students want to help future Fighting Scots have the same great experience that they did? When you’re wiping away those tears at graduation, don’t you want to know that you’ve given back something to the school that has given you so much?
However, though I support and understand the College’s efforts to ask for donations, I think that there might be a more sensitive way to do it. For some reason, asking for a straightforward donation annoys students. If there was some other incentive to give, students might go for it. One possible idea would be to plan an event for seniors and use part of the ticket price as a donation. I have a feeling that more students would be inclined to attend a dinner or cocktail event, even if the price tag was more than $11, if they knew that they were going to have a fun evening ahead of them. Obviously, students are spending money, so the College just needs to find a better way to inspire them to donate a few dollars to the College through the Senior Wooster Fund.
Emily Tarr is a Senior Staff Writer for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at ETarr11@wooster.edu.