Paying for Alumni events
So rb is going to a Brown alumni event tonight. Ruth Simmons, president of Brown, is coming to San Francisco to talk about the progress of her initiatives at the University. Simmons is no doubt a interesting person, but I was shocked to hear that the Alums had to pay $25 to come and listen to her ($15 if they've paid their annual Alumni membership fee). Plus, with the subject matter of the talk, it seems to not be much more than a glorified fund-raising event.
Last month, one of my former computer science professors from Swarthmore came out to Berkeley to give an Alumni talk about her current AI research. There was a lovely private cocktail hour setup in the main entrance of the Lawrence Hall of Sciences with yummy food and wine. When I asked Lisa if she was out here for any particular reason, she said that the Alumni office paid for her to fly out specifically for the event. She did mention in her talk the new science hall that the college is building (and trying to fund-raise for) but since she is a professor, the talk focused on her research and was very interesting. Plus the whole event was FREE (including drinks and food)![1] It was open to all Swarthmore alums and friends - not just computer science people - plus none of us had to pay to be a Swarthmore Alum. We all get the Alumni newsletter and don't have to pay a membership fee (unless of course you count the tuition money that we all paid when we were there).
That's not to say I don't donate money to Swarthmore. But I feel like going to Alumni events (especially free alumni events) makes me feel more charitable in my giving. And if Swarthmore had asked me to pay $25 to go to the event, I'm not sure I'd go and if I did pay the money, I'm not sure I'd feel as strong a need to donate anything at all to the annual fund. To quote Donald Trump from a recent TV show 'You have to spend money to make money'. Is paying for alumni events common for schools like Brown and Swarthmore?
[1]If the Alumni Office organizes the talk (ie it's on campus or there's someone from the administration or faculty speaking at the event) the event seems to always be free (including refreshments). If the regional alumni coordinators sponsor the event to the symphony, you pay for your own ticket. There was a alumni organized picnic over the summer in the Bay Area that was 'bring your own picnic lunch' so that it could be free - and the Alumni Relations Office paid for the advertising of the event. Everyone was shocked by how many people attended.
Last month, one of my former computer science professors from Swarthmore came out to Berkeley to give an Alumni talk about her current AI research. There was a lovely private cocktail hour setup in the main entrance of the Lawrence Hall of Sciences with yummy food and wine. When I asked Lisa if she was out here for any particular reason, she said that the Alumni office paid for her to fly out specifically for the event. She did mention in her talk the new science hall that the college is building (and trying to fund-raise for) but since she is a professor, the talk focused on her research and was very interesting. Plus the whole event was FREE (including drinks and food)![1] It was open to all Swarthmore alums and friends - not just computer science people - plus none of us had to pay to be a Swarthmore Alum. We all get the Alumni newsletter and don't have to pay a membership fee (unless of course you count the tuition money that we all paid when we were there).
That's not to say I don't donate money to Swarthmore. But I feel like going to Alumni events (especially free alumni events) makes me feel more charitable in my giving. And if Swarthmore had asked me to pay $25 to go to the event, I'm not sure I'd go and if I did pay the money, I'm not sure I'd feel as strong a need to donate anything at all to the annual fund. To quote Donald Trump from a recent TV show 'You have to spend money to make money'. Is paying for alumni events common for schools like Brown and Swarthmore?
[1]If the Alumni Office organizes the talk (ie it's on campus or there's someone from the administration or faculty speaking at the event) the event seems to always be free (including refreshments). If the regional alumni coordinators sponsor the event to the symphony, you pay for your own ticket. There was a alumni organized picnic over the summer in the Bay Area that was 'bring your own picnic lunch' so that it could be free - and the Alumni Relations Office paid for the advertising of the event. Everyone was shocked by how many people attended.