For those of you who never visited my brother’s apartment circa 2009, let me give you an image: a modestly sized apartment, the linoleum floor cursed with a dirty-looking off-white color, the walls decorated with small, circular holes. The lock on the front door is broken (same as the bathroom) and the TV is the centerpiece of the entire flat. It sits on an entertainment center that looks sturdier and more valuable than the building itself, and it’s the only part of the house that reminds you it isn’t 1974. My brother managed to justify the irony of having an expensive luxury item sit in the midst of dilapidation by making extensive use of it, but the black screen of the TV seemed to stare out at the flaws of the living room, highlighting them and making them appear even worse. Even on its worst day, Conn’s beauty and quality of living far outdoes any bachelor pad I’ve entered. However, I can’t help but feel vaguely reminded of my brother’s apartment when it comes to our college’s physical condition.
Each year, thousands of alumni make monetary donations to the school, thanks to the efforts of Alumni Relations. Once alumni decide to donate, they must then choose where their money goes.
“There are different areas where the money can be directed. Science education, residential life, internationalization, financial aid and unrestricted… those are some of the areas,” said Nick Rivera ’07, Advancement Associate for Alumni Relations. Money given to the unrestricted section is handled by the school, which uses it to inject funds into whatever programs need it most.
According to Assistant Director of Annual Giving Samantha McCracking ’10, Alumni Relations sets an annual goal, which is usually met. “Our goal [this year] is $5.4 million. Our other [long term] goal is to help increase the community of alumni who donate, as well as their generosity.” The goal changes slightly each year, but not by much, which explains the consistency of successful fundraising.
So when the Athletic Center received $1.6 million in alumni and parental donations to upgrade its locker rooms, I was initially confused. Clearly, these donors did not choose the unrestricted section on their donation cards, because the Athletic Center is certainly already one of the better funded places on campus. There’s nothing wrong with this; the Athletic Center is one of the most widely utilized areas at Conn and arguably, every athlete who attends this school can attest to using it often. But one has to wonder why such a sizable donation would go to an already well-funded building while places like Lazarus, notorious even among its own residents for being overdue for renovations, go unchanged.
The answer lies in the donors themselves. There are two kinds of donations alumni can make: they can donate to the annual fund, or they can choose to make a capital gift.
“Capital gifts are budget enhancing gifts, while the annual fund is sustaining,” said McCracking. “Capital and endowment gifts start at $100,000, but annual gifts can be of any size.”
The annual fund supports people and programs here at Conn, while the capital fund goes to whatever the donor wishes. In the case of the Athletic Center donation, the donors clearly thought that their money would be the most beneficial renovating locker rooms.
I suppose what I’m having the most trouble understanding is why. When making such a sizable donation, why choose to “renovate” an area on campus that is perhaps in the least need of a renovation?
One reason is that alumni are more likely to donate to the areas on campus they remember most. If you spent a lot of time on the treadmills at the AC, then you probably wouldn’t want your money being poured into somewhere you never went. But what if the somewhere you never went really needed the money? When do the personal preference of the donator and the physical needs of the school come into conflict?
You may well be aware already that Conn’s endowment is low in comparison to other NESCAC schools, so why’s the money going where it isn’t always needed?
“Conn is a young school, and it [wasn’t always] co-ed,” said McCracking. This might seem like a rather simplistic answer, but she’s right. Schools like Hamilton have been around a bit longer (the school is celebrating its bicentennial this year). As such, they’ve had much more time to build a community of alumni and multi-generational students who are more likely to, at some point in their lives, make a donation. Conn has only just reached the 100-year landmark, and it will take some time for that community to grow. Another reason may have to do with our past as an all-women’s college; it’s possible that many of Conn’s graduates may have gotten married and became part of a “collective,” with donations going to the husband’s alma mater instead.
That being said, until Conn’s endowment reaches a level that is on par with other NESCAC schools, I would have to urge alumni to consider their donation choices carefully. Let me be perfectly clear that I am in no way suggesting that the Athletic Center is receiving special treatment, nor am I saying that Conn looks like a rundown apartment or that the donors are making the “wrong” decision. Conn was built on a history of generous donations from devoted townsfolk and eccentric millionaires (Morton Plant, who donated one million dollars, which paid for, among other things, the creation of Plant and Branford dorms); we’ve always relied on donations as a school, as do all private, liberal arts colleges. But if I were a wealthy donor and saw an area of the school that needed enhancement, I would probably direct my funds toward it, regardless of whether or not I myself made great use of it during my time at Conn. After all, the donations are about making the school better as a whole, and I would hate to see generous gifts go to the program and places that need them the least. •
Lazarus House. Photo courtesy of Karam Sethi.
you clearly have never seen the locker rooms or been in the training room at peak hours, its unbearable. Also, the field house/basketball court is an architectural nightmare. Also, some of the largest donors are former athletes.
While one of those claims is potentially justifiable, and very likely true, the first is almost certainly not true, and the second is just, like, your opinion, man. Regardless, none of them take into account what Karam is trying to get at here. He’s suggesting that donors who specify where their money goes might be better off leaving that choice to the school itself, which presumably knows a little more realistically what the same funds might do for another, more neglected area of campus.