Senior Fund holds off-campus party to solicit gifts

Members of the Senior Fund Committee hosted an informal seniors-only gathering last Saturday to raise awareness for the Fund and encourage seniors to donate as commencement nears.

The party was held at an off-campus house as an inexpensive way for the committee to inform students of the fund's importance, Assistant Director of the Tufts Fund Courtney Matthews said. Roughly 20 donations were collected as a result of cards available at the party.

The event's frugal nature was largely due to the committee's nearly non-existent budget, much of which was spent on a gathering last semester at the Burren in Davis Square. With no money available to rent out another bar this semester, the committee's 25 members were asked to personally donate money to fund the event.

The party was advertised only by word of mouth, a strategy some seniors took issue with. Committee members sent out e-mails and verbal invitations, which allowed for the notification of most, but not all, members of the senior class.

"I just think that it's unfair that it's a party for seniors, but not all seniors knew about it," said one anonymous senior who did not attend the gathering.

But Max Bernstein, co-chair of the Senior Fund Committee, who hosted the party, defended the gathering, saying that only so many seniors could be accommodated in a small space. "The house is big, but not that big," he said. Despite the complaints, Bernstein said the party was a success because it raised awareness of the Senior Fund among those who attended.

Matthews agreed, saying the party "was a huge help, because it's starting to get the word out."

As of now, 15 percent of the senior class has donated to the Senior Fund, putting the Class of 2003 two weeks ahead of donations from last year's seniors at the same time. Matching the efforts of last year's fund will be no small task, however, since the class of 2002 saw a participation rate of 51 percent and eventually raised $27,000. Last year's success can largely be attributed to a single donor who matched every donation dollar for dollar.

Since the class of 2003 has yet to find a similar matching donor, the Senior Fund Committee has a goal of raising $10,000, Matthews said. That amount "would be huge for a class that doesn't have [a matching donor]," she said.

A recent anonymous donation of $5,000 will play a substantial role in attaining the $10,000 goal. Senior Fund committee members said that they were not told whether the gift came from a student, parent, or faculty member.

Matthews called the gift "huge" and said that while large donations are not uncommon, they are not overlooked. "Every year you might see one or two big gifts that come in," she said. "It's very exciting, and it will help us a lot."

In addition to striving for the $10,000 goal, the committee has set its sights on a 60 percent participation from the senior class, which would beat the Class of 1999's record of 56 percent. If 60 percent cannot be reached, Matthews said that she still "would love" for the Class of 2003 to break that record.

Participation levels are often considered important because they are taken into consideration in US News and World Report's annual lists ranking colleges and universities. The donations are a way for the publication to measure alumni satisfaction, Matthews said.

"If Tufts overall stands at 50 percent [participation], it shows that 50 percent of the people who went there had a great experience and wanted to give back," Matthews said.

The Senior Fund will collect donations through Senior Week and will expand the fundraising effort to include a permanent table at the campus center and weekly tabling at the dining halls.