Thank you, and remember to be a good alumnus when you graduate

Dear Editor:

We have already individually thanked all of the students (approximately one third of Macalester’s summer population) who volunteered to call alumni for the Annual Fund this July. However, that seemed insufficient. We are taking advantage of this forum to publicly recognize their great work. Plus, it’s high time that all 1,800 of you got a little dose of indoctrination.

The 40 student volunteers staggered through the stifling heat to the Lampert building over the course of two weeks. For four hours every night, they tirelessly called alumni and asked them to make donations, large and small, to Macalester.

Overall, the Phonathon raised $79,273 from 1,097 people. Figuring conservatively, we calculate that they did about two months worth of work in seven days: amazing! And the fact that we were able to get in touch with so many of these people so early in the fiscal year using so few resources means that we can spend the coming months raising money from people we otherwise would not have time to contact. That will have a real effect on how much money we raise overall and hence how much money will be in next year’s budget for financial aid, academic programs and all the rest.

This cause and effect relationship between what alumni give and what happens at Macalester brings us to our next, and in many ways most important point: You will all be alumni VERY soon. And not long after that happens, you are going to receive a phone call, or a letter or an e-mail (or, more realistically, all three) asking you to make a donation to Macalester. We want to impress upon you just how important it is for you to respond as generously as you can to these appeals. If you’re down and out, just give ten bucks. U.S. News and World Report looks at alumni participation for their annual college rankings, and foundations also look at it when deciding whether to give the college grants. If you aren’t scraping the bottom of your bank account, then give as much as you possibly can.

As alumni, we are going to need to materially support this institution if we want it to keep improving, representing our values and making us proud that we went here. That’s how private liberal arts schools work. That’s why there are names on all of these buildings. That’s how your professors get paid and your financial aid gets funded.

For now, though, just keep on enjoying the hell out of this place. Take great classes and throw great parties. But when you graduate, remember that Macalester will always be your school, and it will always need your support in order to stay great and get greater.

Curtis Gilbert ’02 and Alexis Henry ’03