Giving to Grinnell on Tuesday

Topics/tags: Miscellaneous, Grinnell

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday [1]. It’s also the day that Grinnell’s students vote on unionization [2]. The two issues highlight a problem Grinnell currently faces: Large numbers of alumni are so frustrated by the Administration’s response to the unionization proposals [3] that they have indicated that they will refuse to give to Grinnell until something changes [4].

That makes me sad. Grinnell is a wonderful place. I regularly see Grinnell make a positive difference in the lives of its students. Most Grinnell students received some form of direct or indirect support from the College [5]. Holding back donations from the College doesn’t hurt the current administration. And, even if you don’t want to give to the College as a whole [6], there are certainly areas of the College that would benefit from some extra money.

For example, although I most frequently donate to the CS Diversity Fund (aka the Broadening Participation in CS Fund), I’ve recently given to the Grinnell College food pantry (Grinnell has students who don’t get enough to eat), to mental health (student affairs has a fund for students who need care and can’t afford it), to a fund to support international students (Karen Edwards mentioned some needs), and to the Swim and Dive team.

I expect that every Grinnellian has some part of the College that’s special to them. So I ask that you consider giving to that part of the College, no matter how frustrated you are with the current administration. In the end, you are giving to the College, not the Administration.

Postscript: You can read more reasons to donate to Grinnell in my prior musing on the subject.

[1] This musing is being written on the evening of 26 November 2018.

[2] No, I am not going to comment on unionization.

[3] And, admittedly, other things the current administration has done or said.

[4] I believe that the particular change depends on the alum. Some are waiting for President Kington to retire. Some want to see apologies about the reaction to unionization.

[5] Remember: The per-student cost at Grinnell is somewhere between $10K and $20K more than full-pay students are charged.

[6] E.g., to the Pioneer Fund.

Version 1.0 of 2018-11-26.