Measures of Desperation

Low and behold, my inbox today was flooded with requests to donate to the senior fund. Most of them polite, one of them stood out from among the rest:

"hey guys,

So just in case you don't know, I am on the senior fund committee and we are on our last stretch to reach our goal of participation. Time is running short and for the sake of convenience and timing, I would like to give on behalf of you for now if you don't mind - I am doing this because I know some of you are off campus or maybe never got reached by our team. I know you all pretty well so I don't foresee this as a problem. However, if you do not want me to do this please email me and I will obviously refrain from doing that."

This act of usurping my agency crosses a line for me. There's a reason why these people are so adamant when they incredulously exclaim "It's just a dollar!" at your frugality. It's because it's not just a dollar, it's a tacit representation of your connection to the university and a symbolic acknowledgment of your agreement and satisfaction with your overall college experience.

Sure, I've had a great time here at Columbia and will in almost all certainty be donating to the university in the future (after I can afford the boat, and the helicopter, and the helicopter on the boat) but this sort of almost-underhanded opt-out scheme disappoints me. The goal is not to give because you feel obligated, but to give because you want to. If there's one thing that Columbia unambiguously and unequivocally cares about, it's money. It's a business that--unlike most other universities--doesn't try to hide that fact; as students you are its customers. In the market customers vote with their wallets, not through their student council or other marginally-empowered elected representatives.

There might be a reason why it's hard to reach the donation goal this year. Some students have realized that the best way to voice their dissatisfaction is to speak the only language Columbia truly understands.

This is the most influence I'll probably ever wield with a single dollar, and I intend to use it wisely.

Edit: Because sane arguments also have supporting evidence, find a page taken out of the 2008 Columbia Annual Security report below: