The Whitworthian

Issue date: 11/20/07 Last Updated: 11/29/07

Senior gifts don't currently amount to much. They should. There are a lot of important changes needed at Whitworth, but our alumni and external donors grow fatigued if they're asked for money too many times. In addition, tuition is increasing, so there is need for more scholarships.

The seniors recently voted which gift they want to leave so we're remembered. As a senior I got to choose between two options. I voted, but I'm unsatisfied. I don't want to give the university another bench. Actually, a bench isn't one of the options this year. However, the options are similar in concept: offer a one-time gift that minutely improves the aesthetic of campus.

Aesthetics are important. New buildings are really important. Granted, so are benches. But I'd argue there are practical improvements that are more important than aesthetics. I'd argue that student education is more important than buildings (of course they need the buildings to learn). 

Now these practical improvements aren't necessarily expensive, but they are many. Here's an example: converting our flickering fluorescent lights to LEDs that use one-third the energy, don't flicker, are recyclable and don't contain mercury. These small changes aren't the sort of things we want to keep bugging alumni and donors about. Our supporters are doing enough good building classrooms and dorms. It's our turn.

In addition, our supporters provide many scholarships to offset tuition. Again, it's our turn now.

So how might we improve campus practically (and aesthetically if we may) and offset tuition for future students without bugging our supporters? We may do these goods by making our senior gifts count. We may combine our seniors' gift, the juniors', the sophomores', and the freshmen's and do far more good than if each years' graduating class acted on their own.

I'm sure our alumni directors and endowment supervisors wisely use donations to the Senior Fund for good purposes, but we can help them out. If we organize and agree to combine our senior gifts for one specific purpose for the next four years, we may achieve these practical and educational goals.

Here's how: according to my research, in order to provide a $500 scholarship to one student every year we'd need to raise an endowment of $8500. That's just for the scholarship though, and doesn't support minor improvements around campus. There is a way we might make our money grow enough to create a scholarship, while simultaneously improving campus.

Harvard University figured this out for us. They created a revolving loan fund that provides funding for projects that improve the campus' sustainability. What money is saved by the improvements is returned to the loan fund. Currently, they're averaging a 35 percent return on investment.

So our initial investment might be used, for example, to save electricity and waste costs by purchasing LEDs (they last up to 12 times as long as fluorescent). The money our improvements save will be returned to our fund, repeatedly. As the money replicates itself over the next few years, it could address larger and larger improvements. When the fund reaches a point of sustainability, the money from the seniors will be set aside for scholarships for students we help choose. Our gifts will improve the campus and offset tuition for future students.

In reality the process is more complicated -- this is a rough sketch intended to encourage you to investigate and organize.

By focusing our combined senior gifts on a particular goal, we may achieve more than if we continue giving separately. We may engage our campus more wholly: not only do we give money, but we remain connected to the university by assisting with the improvement project and student recipient selection process. 

Consider my suggestion. If you're inspired, gather some people. Talk to Brian Benzel, Kristi Burns and Tad Wisenor about endowments, fundraising and the Senior Fund. Get your senior and junior class coordinator to support you. Then, get your senior class to agree and do some perpetual good.

Galen Sanford is an opinions columnist and a senior majoring in philosophy. Contact him at galen.sanford@whitworthian.com.

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