Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Public universities begin to shift focus to undergraduates as potential donors By SAMIRA JAFARI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Leon Harris pays for his college education on his own. He’s drowning in student loans, he’s between part-time jobs and his dorm room just got more expensive. Yet on a recent afternoon, the University of Alabama sophomore came face to face with a banner asking him to donate money to the university as part of a newly launched, student capital campaign. “I don’t have any money to give. I give them a lot of money already,” Harris said. Public universities traditionally have not solicited their undergraduates for donations — Alabama hasn’t asked since 1922. But faced with state budget cuts and the need to remain competitive, schools around the country are beginning to focus on students as young as freshmen and sophomores as prime targets for fund raising. “Very clearly there is a trend and the trend has been going on for a couple of decades,” said John Taylor of Durham, N.C., a higher education consultant who specializes in annual giving. “You typically didn’t approach people until a good five years post graduation. That seemed to be rule of thumb,” Taylor said. “Over the last decade or two, we’ve seen that shift, so the day after graduation they’re fair game. Now the shift has moved further to talking to seniors before they graduate, so logically that translates to the earlier you contact the student the better.” At California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, undergraduates have been giving to a students-only fund, established in 1998, that’s used for scholarships. Several schools, including the University of Georgia, have solicited seniors to donate typically $35-$50 for the betterment of the campus. At Auburn University, a few individual colleges within the University are asking students to make contributions in the amount of their class year — $20.04 for 2004, $20.05 for 2005 and so on. Some students, such as Alabama senior Glen Gregory, say it’s too soon to be asked to give, even if it’s only a small amount — the cost of a cup of coffee, perhaps. “I wouldn’t give money now, but I’d give money later,” said Gregory, a Memphis, Tenn., native who relies on his parents for tuition. “I got a pretty tight budget. ... It would pretty much be me asking my parents for money.” Added Harris: “What’s the point of increasing tuition if you’re going to ask me for money? If I was an alumni I’d probably give, but I don’t know about now.” Philanthropy observers aren’t sure how many public universities have launched student capital campaigns, but believe the campaigns reflect what private institutions have done for some time. “It’s probably been going on in private institutions for a number of years, largely because private schools have been more dependent on philanthropy,” said Tim Seiler, director of the fund-raising school at the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University. “There is a growing need for private donations because of evolution of government funding,” he continued. States are facing tough economic times, with legislative appropriations increasingly earmarked for faculty pay raises and rising health care costs. That leaves universities to come up with money for building and expansion themselves, typically through private donors and tuition hikes. Of Alabama’s 16 four-year colleges, half have increased tuition by at least 33 percent over the past four years. Nationwide, tuition climbed 10.5 percent at public four-year colleges last year. But university officials insist that tapping undergraduates for donations isn’t just about the money. “It’s about establishing a firm tradition of giving,” said Graham Smith, coordinator of Alabama’s student campaign. The theory is that if students get in the habit of donating a couple of dollars each year as undergraduates, then giving as alumni will be almost second nature. It also serves as fuel for more traditional capital campaigns that target older alumni, the idea being, “If a freshman can donate, so can a working professional.” Plus, it teaches students the true value of their education — “what it really costs to run this gigantic machine,” Smith said. To drive the point home, campaigners haye decided not to add new mandatory costs but to encourage students to donate voluntarily. “It wouldn’t feel like a contribution if it was mandatory,” said Allie Esslinger, an Alabama junior who is serving as the student director of the campaign. Though hard numbers aren’t available, it seems undergraduates who are scholarship recipients are more willing to donate to universities if the money goes toward scholarships. Freshmen Matt Clay and Justin Headley both attend Alabama on academic scholarships and look to their parents for spending money. Even though they are still “scraping by,” they say they will give to the student campaign because it’s going to help another student. “Of course, we’re college students and we don’t have that much money, but I think we can contribute a small amount,” Clay said. “If we can see the results, like see a kid get a scholarship, then we’ll want to give more,” Headley said. WIRELESS Continued from page 1 “By coming to training, you are going to be able to get everything you need in a one-stop shop, to connect to the wireless network.” According to the USC Computer Services IT Bulletin, students and faculty must have a computer equipped with either an internal or external wireless card prior to the training. McAfee and all virus patches must also be installed We strongly encourage students to get the training,” South said. “We are doing everything possible to make this easy for students to get connected to the wireless network.” Computer Services will not send out technicians to assist laptop users individually. South said that students or faculty requesting wireless assistance wouldn’t receive an online ticket, but would be referred instead to the training sessions. Second-year public relations student Kyle Bohman has already signed up for a training session. “I hope people take advantage of it,” Bohman said, adding that he would enjoy being able to check thefacebook.com while relaxing on the horseshoe. “I thought I’d be able to get connected without attending a training session. The only network links I found on campus require passwords,” Silvie Martinez, a fourth year art and photography student, said Martinez said she is considering signing up for a training session and added that the wireless network would make it easier to access information without having to go home to get on the Net. Students can sign up for the training sessions and find more information at http://csd.sc.edu/wireless/. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockneivs@gumt.sc. edu RICHARD AMBO/THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER The Explorer, a 591-foot Semester at Sea research vessel, is guided by a tugboat as it pulls into Honolulu Harbor. The vessel, with 990 people on board, lost power in three of its four engines Tuesday when a 50-foot wave broke bridge windows, damaged controls and injured two crew members. Storm diverts ship, frigh tens passengers By JEANNETTE J. LEE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HONOLULU — Lauren Osgood watched as waves and flecks of sea Spray licked at the glass on the door. But there was nothing to hold onto. Computers, library books and furniture crashed to the floor and were flung against the walls as the ship leaned like a massive metronome from port to starboard and back again. “We were right by the exit doors on either side, and so you could like see the waves on the doors, which freaked me out,” said Osgood, 21, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was enrolled in the Semester at Sea program that used the research ship Explorer as a floating classroom. “That’s kind of when I began to panic because you could see the water and realize that you were tipping that much,” she said. The 591-foot Explorer limped into Honolulu Harbor on Monday for repairs and inspections after passengers endured more than a week’s worth of rough seas. None of the students suffered injuries beyond bruises, but one crew member suffered a broken leg and another a broken arm. The ship’s seesawing motion made sleeping difficult, so many of the nearly 700 students were awake when a wave shattered the glass on the ship’s bridge and three of the four engines shut down early last Wednesday. The incident occurred about 650 miles south of Adak, Ala., in the Aleutian Islands and about 1,300 miles southwest of Anchorage. Students said rough seas had plagued the ship since they left Vancouver on Jan. 18 with 990 people aboard, including the students enrolled in a University of Pittsburgh program designed to give them a global perspective. Tuition for the program is about $20,000 for the semester, which includes living expenses on the ship and some trips ashore. The crew distributed plastic bags for nauseous passengers, and students sat on the floor during classes because the furniture was not secured to the floor and would topple with the ship’s movement. “We were so used to it after a while. You’d just be talking to someone and when you felt the boat move, you’d just instantly grab for something,” said Becca Leonard, 21, a junior at the University of Southern California. After the engines and bridge were damaged, passengers and crew donned life vests. The students were herded into the ship’s narrow hallways and eventually to the fifth deck of the ship. Oirodfr 4 3odroom floorplm Mvded * full Siz& WaSher/SVipr ^C4?\o Mvdool* : Srine. +fiis • coupon in for i %0 PeposW* Special! f * STERLINGUNIVERSITY 2 1 5 Spencer Place 739-0899 www.sterlinghousing.com *$ee management PH? BTJlj 'for_details