As a Student Caller with the University’s Annual Giving Program, I wanted to say thank you for the very timely opinion piece, “Donations value athletics over academic prestige,” (ODE, Feb. 24).
Our state funding is at an all-time low, and 56 percent of our funding comes from private gifts and outside donations. Gifts to the Annual Giving Program not only support academic programs but also crucial student programs like the Safe Ride Shuttle, the Career Center and the Study Abroad Programs office. Because this is a source of confusion, let me be clear: The Duck Athletic Fund supports athletics. The UO Foundation supports academics. They are two separate fundraising entities.
Every night when I solicit support from parents, alumni and friends of the University, I encounter the same divide over priorities: athletics vs. academics.
Next time you talk to your parents, please tell them to be considerate when they receive a call from one of our callers. Graduating seniors and soon-to-be alumni, that goes for you as well.
My biggest pet peeves are three-fold: getting hung up on in the middle of a call, being told that you only support the Duck Athletic Fund so you can get access to better football tickets, or worse, being sworn at.
Many of these academic departments wouldn’t be able to offer the programs that they do if it wasn’t for the Annual Giving Program.
So when you get a call from us because you are a recent graduate and a new alum, please be nice. We are just doing our job, and would love it if you would not hang up on us in the middle of the call.
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