Standing Up to My Alma Mater

Editor’s note: This article continues an occasional series about giving—or not giving—to one’s alma mater. In earlier articles, Jane Shaw wrote about her indecision over whether to donate money to Wellesley and Jay Schalin pointed out that giving to schools other than the one you graduated from is a viable alternative.

Every year, I receive glossy brochures from NC State imploring, enticing, and encouraging me to give to the school’s annual fund.

NC State mailings remind me of the university’s most recent scientific breakthroughs, show off the latest addition to its library holdings or science labs, and tout the flourishing campus culture—complete with the new brickyard farmer’s market.

I usually throw such missives straight into the trash—I’m still paying for my education, so I’m not yet ready to send NC State more money. But in a few years, when I’m looking back at college and remembering only the good times and not the huge cost, I might be tempted to open up my checkbook.

And I wonder: Is there a way I can give to NCSU (or UNC, where I went to grad school) and make sure it goes to something I want to support?

Giving to my alma mater’s general fund—that is, responding to the annual appeals—allows university administrators to spend that money on whatever they choose: instruction, research, athletics, centers, campus speakers, or even administration. The money may support programs or ideas with which alumni donors don’t agree.

If I were to give money to NC State, I’d want it to go to teaching—probably in my own school, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. My contribution wouldn’t feel meaningful if I knew it went to athletics or administration. Worse yet would be if the money were spent to support worldviews other than my own—by helping to pay for liberal speakers, politically correct programs, or special interest centers on campus.

So I researched the options here in North Carolina. Many of these ideas will help those who, like me, are interested in liberal education and free market principles, but most of the ideas will be useful for anyone who wants to donate more responsibly.

Here are some details that can help you start changing your giving today:

  • Give directly to a national student group—such as Students for Liberty or the Network of Enlightened Women—designating the money to be spent at your own alma mater. Such national groups are official 501(c)3 organizations, which means your donation will be tax-deductible. Most student groups of this type are eager to assist alumni. Students for Liberty founder Alexander McCobin explains that the Alumni For Liberty Alma Mater Support Program is still in development, but alumni who want to donate now can simply make a general donation to SFL and in the comments section designate it to support a student group or students from a particular school.
  • Find out the campus code for a student group or activity at your alma mater (usually available through the giving section of the school’s website). Even very liberal campuses usually have College Republican or College Libertarian chapters. At UNC-Chapel Hill, you can designate the school, unit, or program to which you want to give using the school’s online system. Some of the options include the Eve Carson Scholarship Fund, Carolina Performing Arts, the library, and the planetarium. A determined donor can even search through student groups to find the Carolina Review (UNC’s conservative news magazine) or the UNC-CH College Republicans. NC State has a similar online system, but without the same level of detail. The system would allow me to give to the Enhancement Fund of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, for example, but not restrict my gift to teaching only.
  • If it’s a project you care about, give money to your alma mater’s senior class gift. At NCSU, for example, the 2010 Senior Class Project will support the “Finish the Bell Tower” project—a “student-initiated grassroots movement to finally finish the Memorial Bell Tower,” a memorial to the students and alumni of NCSU that lost their lives in World War I. Because the money is in a separate fund, an alumnus who gives to this project can be certain that it isn’t funding politically correct campus speakers, wasteful administration, or other programs of which he doesn’t approve.
  • Give to the alternative newspaper at your campus.  The Collegiate Network (CN), a project of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, helps students run conservative campus papers across the country. If your gift is at least $250, you can give to Collegiate Network for them to direct to the student newspaper at your alma mater. By giving through CN, your donation is still eligible for a tax write-off. In North Carolina, CN newspapers exist at NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, Wake Forest, and Davidson.
  • If you have more money to give, donate directly to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) or the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS). At IHS, your donation can be used to fund faculty research by one of IHS’ members. These faculty members are committed to the ideas of free markets and a free society—so you can be sure the research you are funding is compatible with your beliefs. (Be sure to check with IHS first to confirm that it has faculty at your alma mater.) If you donate at least $5000 to ISI, that money can be spent to help host an event at your alma mater.

These aren’t the only options: Concerned alumni should look for others at their own schools. There are many ways to remain loyal to your alma mater and still give responsibly.