I feel like a bad person every time the screen on my silver razor pops up a number starting with 651-696-XXXX. I feel bad because calls with this area code and prefix originate from my alma mater. Said alma mater is a very pricey school that desperately wants to play with the big boys when it comes to alumni giving and endowment-building. Too bad said school pumps out teachers, social workers, nonprofit directors, academics, activists, ascetics, and all manner of other people who don't make enough to repay their expensive educations.
Since graduating from this illustrious institution, I have done Americorps, temped, and tortured myself with an additional 2 years of expensive education. For this reason (not to mention some residual emotional scarring left from my college days--not related to the wonderful people I met there!), I am just not ready to write that first check to the annual fund. Undaunted by my 4 years of call-avoidance, sweet young freshmen working for pennies and free pizza keep calling me from clearly recognizable numbers. Maybe next year, girls.
Always one to give credit where due, I must admit the alma has some creative ideas on how to suck in alumni. Unfortunately, few are up my alley. I have recently received colorful emails or print mailers inviting me to:
- Travel with the school bagpipe band to a Scottish fair in Canada
- Attend a "Sale of Arts, Crafts and Creative Ventures by and for the college community"
Needless to say, these are not my kind of events. But finally the tireless alumni relations staff found a way to hook me. Next week they are hosting an event titled,
How to Find Great Bottles of Wine under $10. Tickets are only $13, food is provided, and since the focus is on Spanish wines they'll even throw in a professor to lecture on the Spanish wine culture. Congratulations alumni relations staffers! If I didn't work all the time these days I would seriously consider going.
3 comments:
I can't believe you started a blog! It seems out of character for some reason. Several of my academic friends keep them--including some celebrity scholars--but I haven't gotten on the blog train.
I did call you c while ago but your number is disconnected. Until receiving this e-mail notice about a blog I feared that you would be the college friend never to be heard from again.
P.S. So are you living with this channel-flipping man??
So, tonight I got home from class, and was so excited to read all new posts on everyone's blog. You should be happy to know that you are the ONLY person with a new post. I so appreciated it...I've found reading blogs is the newest best addition to watching Passions.
Ab--your enry made me think of the pathetic SCSU donation-calling machine that works me over every once in a while. Last time they called, I pledged 20 bucks or something like that and told them to send me the bill. They did. I didn't pay. Reminds me of how I did my first three years at school there: I'd register, but not show up for the goods. I can't get over thinking I gave them all that money for a degree and I'm sure the new library on campus is benefitting someone greatly, but I paid -- literally paid -- my dues. Funny how the college never got back to me on paying up on my pledge, but did write a letter of thanks two months later for my donation. I'll donate at the Red Carpet next time I'm up there with Mick and Spud.
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