It’s no secret that there is much apathy among members of the senior class towards the 2013 Senior Gift Drive. Many seniors, after shelling out around $200,000 for their education at Northeastern and frequently going into debt to do so, are reluctant to voluntarily give even another dime to the school. This is understandable, but it raises the questions: Could the senior gift be put to better use, and would doing so encourage more participation?
As 2013 Senior Gift Drive Committee Chairwoman Sarah Leahy explained in a letter published in The News last week, seniors can choose where they want their donations to go. In an email to The News, Leahy explained that this means gifts can be directed to anything that has an allocation in the university’s budget.
In her letter, Leahy explained that this system allows Northeastern seniors to give back to and preserve the “opportunities and experiences” they’ve had. But does Northeastern really need this money to preserve these “opportunities and experiences?” Probably not; the university is doing rather well and while any portion of last’s years $20,000 total would certainly be appreciated by whatever department or program receives it, in the grand scheme of the school’s budget, this money is inconsequential.
But what if it wasn’t? What if the money went to a scholarship fund for an incoming freshman? Then the money would make a real difference, even if just for one or two students. And what better way to “[provide] opportunities for current and future Huskies,” as Leahy wrote the goal of the gift was in last week’s edition of The News, than to literally give someone the opportunity to attend who otherwise may not be able to.
Technically, seniors in the current system can earmark their gift to go towards an existing grant if they so choose, but few seniors probably realize this is an option, and unless a large number were to do so, these donations are still inconsequential. In her email, Leahy also noted that “Northeastern awards more than $170 million in endowed scholarships and grants, and more than 80 percent of students receive financial aid,” but there will always be a deserving incoming freshman student who is just well-enough off to not qualify for significant financial aid, but still unable to afford Northeastern without it.
If seniors were giving to an incoming freshman instead of the university they have already sold an arm and leg to attend, it can be assumed that many would be more willing to participate. As noted by a recent White House report, Northeastern’s tuition is bloated, which is why many seniors feel a certain level of animosity towards the university that makes them think twice before donating, and which exacerbates the need constant need for a new scholarship.
Despite what some may claim, $20.13 is not a substantial amount for seniors to give. Even those burdened by debt can likely afford this one-time payment. Just as the 2013 Senior Gift Drive Committee is trying to symbolically get 2,100 seniors to participate, even if it’s at $1 each, seniors are symbolically refusing to do so. But a senior gift scholarship could change that.
As Leahy wrote to The News last week, the senior gift “celebrates your time a student.” Uniting the senior class for such a celebration is certainly a noble goal. Uniting the senior class behind a scholarship could certainly help the Committee reach this goal and do some real good in the process. It may be too late for the 2013 Senior Gift Drive Committee, but this year’s juniors should take note, and hopefully this time next year they will all donate $20.14 to the 2014 Senior Class Scholarship Committee.
