Why I'm not giving a penny

The senior class gift drive is hoping to raise $60,000 this year. I don't plan on donating a penny.

It's not that I am against the concept of donating money to Penn. In fact, before the school year started, I was excited at the prospect of making a contribution to the gift drive and leaving my mark on the University.

That was before I learned about where the money was going -- The Penn Fund.

On the surface, The Penn Fund seems like a noble cause to donate money to on behalf of the senior class.

Just over half of the Fund's money goes toward financial aid. About a quarter goes toward "residential experience," such as renovations to study areas and dorm rooms. Sixteen percent of all donations to The Penn Fund go toward "student life and academic support," like the Kelly Writers House, Civic House and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. The remaining money goes toward "special initiatives." In the past, initiatives have run the gamut from campus technology upgrades to the Penn Reading Project.

Indeed, The Penn Fund raises money for all walks of undergraduate life. This is why over 25,000 Penn alumni made donations to it last year, raising $19.4 million. This year, the goal is to get 27,500 donors to give $21.5 million -- which is the reason why I won't be contributing.

I want my senior class gift to have an impact on Penn. I would have happily given to a project that physically left something on campus, like the courtyard outside Mark's Cafe at Van Pelt Library built by the Class of 2004. I would also have given to last year's gift drive, which paid tuition for a member of this year's freshman class.

Both of these projects were unique to the senior class. The students came together, pooled their resources and donated money to creative causes. Were it not for the previous two classes, the University would have one fewer courtyard and one fewer scholarship.

But with or without this year's senior class, there will still be a Penn Fund. And The Penn Fund is hardly affected by the senior class' donation. Even if the gift drive reaches its lofty $60,000 goal, the donation will make up a whopping .3 percent of the entire fund this year.

At the start of October, 140 members of the senior class had donated roughly $36 per person. Let's put that in perspective. That means each senior's donation makes up just .00017 percent of the overall Penn Fund. It also means that your average senior will be giving $18 to financial aid, $9 to residential programs, $6 to student life and $3 toward special initiatives.

And nowhere is it documented in the great history of Penn that the Class of 2006 left an impression on campus. There is no plaque to show to your kids when you come back as an alumnus. There is no incoming student who is thankful for our class' donation. Our little bit of money is thrown into a much bigger pot and then sliced and diced.

Earlier this month, Greg Meila -- a College senior and Class Gift Committee member -- told The Daily Pennsylvanian that "giving $1 to The Penn Fund is like giving $22 to the endowment."

Actually, giving $1 to The Penn Fund is more like buying one 21.5-millionth of a hot dog. It doesn't get you anything.

The senior class gift drive has always been a hard sell. Last year's 49 percent participation rate broke all sorts of records, but that still means that the majority of people didn't give. While organizers claim that this year's drive is off to a record start, I feel like they are going to have a hard time convincing my peers that their donation will make a difference. Well, I guess it does make .00016 percent of a difference.

I have the rest of my life to donate money to The Penn Fund, and intend on doing so as soon as I can afford it. When I am 32 years old, I will have no problem being a small fish in a big pond. I will not be concerned with leaving my mark on the University.

But I only have one senior year and one last chance to leave make a lasting impression before I leave Penn. Unfortunately, I'll have to look outside the senior class gift drive in order to do that.

David Burrick is a senior urban studies major from Short Hills, N.J., and executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is dburrick@sas.upenn.edu. Camp David appears on alternate Thursdays.

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