Do you donate to your alumni?

[84porsche]

I have been getting phone calls for donations from my college and I have only been out a year. What I am trying to say is they didn't do much for me when I was there. They did not improve anything when I put in requests. I got involved in some events and made some changes but everybody was self-centered and all my work went forgotten after I have left so should I feel obligated in any way to give them a penny.

[ronin]

I'd say if you paid for your own education, then no. and if you didn't, anything you may want to give could go to those organizations or individuals that helped you. if they don't want anything in return, simply "pay it forward"

[84porsche]

I put myself through college working 2-3 jobs. I would like to help maybe in the future but only if it going to a good cause and not some administrator's pocket that does nothing.

[azasadny]

No, I paid my way through college and they're not getting any more of my $.

[ronin]

agee with both of you. I also paid for my own college education. nice feeling to not owe anyone for it. now I have a daughter to prepare for college. that'll set me back a few bucks

[Moneyguy1]

Same here. Eleven years of night school, three degrees. Not a single penny from the college to help out, and a lot of grief from some of the "Professors" about part time students. Bunch of Prima Donnas.

The university I went to (University of Rochester) has more money than the Pope, owns property it rents out to faculty and students and pays no property taxes, owns a large hospital complex and I am sorry but I have better places for my money and folks who need any thing I can spare a lot more than a heavily endowed "institute of higher learning".

[vash]

no, and they quit asking.

[wludavid]

I'll buck the trend. I donate to my alma mater and I paid to go there.

No one who goes to school in the US actually pays for their whole education, even if they pay sticker price for tuition and books every semester. Public universities are funded by state and (some) federal taxes and private school tuitions are subsidized by endowments. Even when tuitions are ~20k-30k per year, the actual cost of running a university hovers between around 40k per student for public and much higher for private. I believe I paid 21k for my last year of school and I think I saw that the cost was somewhere around 60k per student.

The endowments pay for quite a lot at both public and private institutions. I'm much more comfortable giving money to my school since they don't spend millions each year on minor league (ahem, I mean student athletes) football and basketball programs.

(One interesting tidbit about my school's endowment is that it still contains the stock that George Washington gave in the 1790's - $50,000 of James River Company stock - quite a lot in those days. Old George helped pay for my education. )

[Superman]

Alumni is plural for graduate. Alumnus is singular. The university itself is you Alma Mater. Forgive me for being persnickity.

[smoak]

I figured the 20k a year I gave them should sustain them for a while. They keep sending materials, I keep putting them in the garage to protect the floor.

[David]

I don't give any money to the University of Texas where I first graduated from because they have tons of money and they didn't do me any favors when I was there.

I do give money to the University of Houston Engineering Dept. because I know they need the money and I believe it's a good program at a reasonable price.

[ronin]

hey, U of H, that's my girl's alma mater. she also used to teach math there

[David]

I was at U of H from '92 to '98 and I met lots of math professors and TA's due the mechanical engineering requirement of 20 hours of math. I was more impressed with the U of H math department than UT's of course that could be due to a different attitude I had back in my UT days.

[pbs911]

I donante to my old college, University of Hawaii, because it provided me with monetary support during my time there. Discounted tuition and a semester stipend I do not have to pay back. They continue to do the same for others who are residents of Hawaii and are low income.

Unfortunately, I regected UH School of Law acceptance and went to law school in California. I will be paying back student loans from them for the next 10 years. If that alumn can make an agreement with Salley Mae to donate my student loan payments then all the power to them. Until that time they have seen all the "donations" they will from me.

[304065]

Alumni is plural for graduate. Alumnus is singular. The university itself is you Alma Mater. Forgive me for being persnickity

Persnickety AND gender-specific.

"Alumna" is the feminine of Alumnus.

Perhaps while you're checking the dictionary you could stop by "Pedantic?"

[RallyJon]

I was on financial aid in high school--basically the charity case to make all the rich preppies feel magnanimous. Good school. Great people. I send them a nice check every year.

Then I went on to an Ivy League university and learned how institutions with way too much money soak the students and squander their funds on pie-eyed "investment" projects, excessive salaries and bulky, inefficient administration that contribute nothing to the core job of teaching. Needless to say, it'll be a cold day in Hell before they get a dime from me.

[wludavid]

Originally posted by john_cramer
Persnickety AND gender-specific.

Let's not forget "alumnae" which is the feminine plural.

[304065]

Not forget, indeed. Many fine times were had with alumnae.

[Superman]

The gender-specific thing I did not know. Pedantic, yes. Now, how would I know that?

[goat]

Heck no.
Then again, I now work for them so I pay every day.