My parents are already paying 34 grand

Last semester my mother received a letter from the Tufts Athletics Association asking for a donation to send the women's lacrosse team to Panama City, Florida for spring training. This semester my mom received another letter, this time from the Tufts' Parents Fund, asking for a $1,000 or $1,500 donation. My father has also received requests from Tufts for donations. The School of Engineering made repeated phone calls to him after I was admitted to Tufts, asking for a gift from him, an alumnus.

Now I know that Tufts has a small endowment. And it's within their right to call parents, alumnae, and friends looking for donations. But to call and write parents who are already paying $34,000 plus a year (and five percent more next year), asking for donations is a bit obnoxious. Over $30,000 can buy a car or a boat. At the end of four years, parents will have paid around 140,000 dollars, enough to buy a house. Most families don't have that kind of money lying around. Parents have saved that money for years, sacrificing many privileges to pay tuition to the college of their child's choice. Tufts should respect the fact that many families are making great sacrifices to pay the tuition for their school. It may be expensive to run a school of Tufts' caliber, but to ask parents for more money when they are already paying a hefty bill is rude and immoral. It also makes Tufts appear more interested in the money in parents' wallets rather than the quality of life and education for their child.

Nowhere was this image more reinforced than at First Night last September. After a long day of moving in, dealing with my parents for one last day, and sweltering in the heat, a member of the Alumnae Association presented over a dozen alumnae at dinner who have given generously to Tufts University. He further explained how these alumnae were great role models for the class of 2006, and that the students should follow their lead. This was the first and most shocking display of the administration's disregard for the cost of a college education I have seen at Tufts (what a way to start the year). The students in the audience were not remotely thinking about life after college or giving money to Tufts. What they were (and should be) focused on were classes and meeting friends. Also, the member of the Alumnae Association showed extreme disrespect to those students receiving financial aid. These students and their families have difficulty as it is affording a Tufts education. To lecture those students on how they should give more money to Tufts is extremely insensitive to their situation. While hearing this, I grew very offended and had a very negative view of the Tufts' administration.

There are plenty of other instances where Tufts concern over charitable contributions has gone overboard. President Bacow's letter about the Naked Quad Run, the revoking of Liz Monnin's Senior Award, and the handling of alcohol consumption and hazing among fraternities are all issues the administration dealt with, partly to preserve alumnae donations. It is understood that any college would try and preserve a clean image in order to increase donations to the school, but some of these issues could have been handled without making the administration appear insensitive to students.

If the Tufts leadership is so concerned about alumnae relations, the best possible thing it could do is to listen to the students, instead of thinking about its endowment first. If Tufts would create a supportive environment that allows students to have great experiences and fond memories of Tufts, they, their parents, and other alumnae would be much more willing to donate money to the university. I'm not saying that Tufts University isn't being supportive of students (far from the truth), but recent events give me reason to think that increasing the endowment is a higher priority than keeping students happy. Tufts University should become a real light on the hill among colleges and try to make the student experience even better. Not only is this the right thing to do, it's the profitable thing to do.

Brian Goff is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering.