Image from web.
On March 28, students awoke in the morning to find campus covered with signs about “17% Day” and “Completing the Pie.” For those who had been reading their email, it was clear what the day was about, but for the rest of campus, the signs were a bit of a mystery.
“17% Day,” sponsored by the SGA Advancement committee and the Senior Giving committee, highlighted the generosity of people and foundations whose support fills the gap between the revenue from the comprehensive fee (eighty-three percent) and the full cost to run the college for an entire year. By providing the final seventeen percent of the cost in the form of gifts, these contributors “complete the pie.”
While it may surprise students that the comprehensive fee does not cover the full cost of their education, this is not a phenomenon that is unique to Connecticut College. In fact, the majority of universities and colleges across the country rely on gifts and other forms of revenue to supplement tuition fees. It may also surprise students that the most generous donors are not the only ones who make an impact.
As May 22 approaches, seniors are simultaneously scrambling to make post-graduation plans and trying to soak up the final weeks of college. We are looking towards our future, but also taking time to remember the past four years. There is no doubt that the past four years have held challenges, triumphs and defeats, but more than that, these past four years have left an impact on each and every one of us. In this period of reflection, it seems only fair to ask seniors to make an Annual Fund gift—of any size—to help the college to move forward, to grow, but most importantly to allow other young women and men to have the same opportunities that we have had here. Without the donations of alumni, young and old, the college would not be able to operate the way it does today. By participating in Senior Giving, seniors become a part of a new Connecticut College community that extends beyond graduation.
Giving as a senior is not about the amount of the donation. It is about saying thank you and paying it forward to those who will follow in our footsteps. As a class, over fifty-five percent of us have already donated, which far exceeds the class of 2010 at this point last year.
This high percentage was in part inspired by the challenge we received at the “100 Days, 100 Years” event. Trustee Tom Sargent ’82 told us that if we achieve a ninety-five percent participation rate, he will donate $10,000 in our name. Additionally, he went on to declare that if we break the ninety-seven percent participation rate record, that he will raise that donation to a remarkable $25,000. This action is a generous encouragement for our class to push ourselves to get classmates, teammates, neighbors and friends to engage and participate.
To make a donation, seniors can go to http://seniorgiving.conncoll.edu and click “Make a Donation,” or they can talk to one of the members of the Senior Giving committee, whose names can be found on the same website. Students have an opportunity to designate how they would like their gift to be used.
Although the days until graduation are getting closer at an increasing pace, I encourage seniors to take a moment, reflect on their time at Connecticut College and show their pride. Participate in Senior Giving. •
