Alumni Contributions

[Ming]

So the other day I got a letter in the mail from Fordham University (where I went to college) asking me for donations, since now I'm an alumni, and apparently that's what alumni are supposed to do. At least that's why I believe the school cares at all about alums. I guess they figure that the more proud someone is of something, the more opening they'll do of their wallet.

Honestly, I don't have a problem with alumni being proud of where they went to school and wanting to contribute to the betterment of that place. Hell, I'm proud of where I went to school. And EVENTUALLY, I would hope to make some sort of contribution. I just find it funny how they are ALREADY soliciting money from me considering I owe enough money in student loans to buy a small house.

The letter says, "Your support is an affirmation of your belief in the value of a Jesuit education, and an investment in Fordham's mission." Honestly, while that sounds nice, I can't believe that or even pretend to with a straight face. I'll be the first to advocate a Jesuit education. And if you would like to provide a Jesuit education to someone who has clearly worked hard to be privileged to take part in this type of education, and who cannot because of financial reasons, then that's fine. But that's not where my contribution would go. It would go to giving a free ride to some brain-dead athlete who doesn't have enough of a mental capacity to be at the school that I went to in the first place. But they can throw a ball around, so they not only get to go to school, but get everything PAID for them.

And while Mr. Touchdown finishes school and is free to go off and start his life, I'm stuck turning over HALF of my goddamn paycheck to pay back loans. And I will continue to do so until I'm in my 40s. And not only will I pay my loans back, but because of interest, I will end up paying back nearly DOUBLE what I owe. So basically, it's living at home for me for the rest of my goddamn life.

All in the name of getting a freakin' piece of paper that apparently makes me a better person.

[Silver Adept]

I know the feeling. At the same time, you could theoretically give to your school and direct that it be used in particular manners. Fr that to really stick, though, you'd probably need to be giving the kind of money that Mr. Touchdown will be making in his first few years of professional football, not what we're going to be making while we have to pay back our student loans.

[FawkesFyre]

I do like how my school lets you tell them where you want your money to go...but just b/c they say it goes there doesn't mean it really does.

I contributed...once. And in order to use their facilities, like the pool, you have to be a paying alum PLUS an additional fee per semester but still be at the mercy of when its open at their convenience.

The big thing that I really didn't like was when my old department held a retirement party for the department head. You could buy a ticket for the dinner for $60 (which was catered swill from the cafeteria) and then some kind of silent auction where all the money goes into the department...to pay the student assistant's salary.

Needless to say, I didn't go...but to top it all off, 2 weeks after the party, the department head died due to Cancer, and his family actually left instructions that in lue of flowers, to send money to the deartment!!! I was shocked from his death but even more so about giving money again to the department, and frankly, made me feel a bit sick.