Giving Starts Early For Columbia's Seniors

At the beck of a midnight knock on the door or a ROLM phone ring, seniors at Columbia University's colleges are being asked for more generosity than ever this year, according to members of Senior Fund Committees in Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Barnard College.

To date, 34 percent of Columbia College students have given, compared to 15 percent this time last year. The College aims at a goal of 75 percent to beat last year's record of 70 percent participation--a number on par with senior giving rates at other Ivy League schools.

SEAS typically ranks highest, with last year's class giving at a 90 percent rate. Barnard College has only had an organized senior giving committee since 2001, and climbed from 48 percent to 52 percent last year.

These funds don't raise huge sums of money. Instead, the program aims at making seniors aware of how important alumni support is to the functions of their college. Skeptical students often argue that Columbia University is wealthy enough to support its colleges without student donations. But the colleges' fundraisers say that the colleges need donations, even from the most recent alumni, to meet their costs.

For all three schools, tuition income does not cover the cost of an education--at Barnard, for example, tuition covers only 69 percent. Solicitors say this means that any gift, no matter how small, is important.

"Generally, what's convincing are the statistics that show exactly how little of student costs are covered by tuition," said Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs Katie Meehan, CC '02, "and why it's necessary to the college to have this gift."

Columbia's colleges have differing priorities, but all rank financial aid high on the list of necessities that depend on alumni support. Class gifts go toward different projects at each school. At the College, the sum goes to the main financial aid fund, while at Barnard, students will vote on the use of the gift in an upcoming online election.

"Most of this money goes to financial aid," said Andrew Lorber, CC '04, the vice chair of the Senior Fund Committee. "People really loosen up a lot when you talk about contributions to the financial aid."

The skill in participating in a senior fund committee is convincing skeptical students that it's worthwhile to give. Incentives are offered--the biggest draw for the College is the pint glass for a $10 donation, according to Lorber. At Barnard, the costs for these giveaways come from the giving itself, while at the College, the Student Affairs Office provides funding. In both cases, what is stressed to seniors is the charity.

"You could emphasize the personal gain portion, which is that if you give now, Columbia will look better in the future and better in the rankings," Lorber said. "But I don't think that's a worthwhile explanation. It's not in the spirit of what we're doing."

At Barnard, where the endowment is much smaller than those of its peer institutions and of Columbia's other colleges, development officers call giving "a matter of survival."

"Money that goes to the Barnard senior fund actually turns on the lights and keeps the water running and the heat going," said Robin Tare, manager of the Annual Fund at Barnard.

To be sure, many students--even those who give--still don't feel that supporting their college is their responsibility right after graduation.

Daniel Kraft, CC '04, gave to the fund to get the mug but doesn't feel like he should be counted on to support the College.

"I guess I'm not looking to give to Columbia immediately after school. It's hard to think about becoming a donor after already paying so much. I'll have to take a couple years to think about it," Kraft said.

Historically, Columbia has not seen alumni giving rates as high as those of its peer institutions--the reasons why depend on whom you ask, with answers ranging from the New York experience to the student riots of 1968.

At Princeton University, where giving has typically ranked in the top three in the nation, fundraisers say that students often cite a positive undergraduate experience and the importance of supporting the financial aid program--now totally supported by grants at Princeton--as reasons why they give.

"That's a huge driver for the senior class project. Without annual giving, that financial aid is seriously diminished," said Kevin Cotter, the assistant director of the Office of Annual Giving at Princeton.

Across the country, as tuition rises and government aid shrinks, giving back has become a critical source of funding. But it's difficult to compare participation among recent grads because giving systems vary widely. Only about 45 percent of seniors at the University of Pennsylvania--a record for the school--participated in the class campaign in 2002, but the gifts raised millions.

At Princeton, students do not directly contribute cash to the senior fund like at Columbia, where fundraisers say they prefer students to be immediately involved. Instead, Princetonians pledge a four-year donation, and are asked the next year to make good on their pledges, usually around $25 per year.

"I know Columbia's trying to make improvements," Cotter said. "The senior class pledge is a good place to start that."