Do you donate to your old school?

[Idaho]

I was hit up by my college's athletic department to become a booster. Just curious to what level, if any, we as sports journalists donate to our colleges and their athletic departments?

 

[joe]

Not a chance.

 

[User 1019]

We don't give to the athletic department, but we do give to the school of accountancy.

 

[Idaho]

In the spirit of disclosure, I donated to the athletics department once when I lived in a different state and didn't cover the team in any way. I also fund a scholarship in the comm dept earmarked for an aspiring sports journalist.

 

[Claws for Concern]

I've attended two reunions for the college's newspaper. Money for each one goes to help the journalism program.

 

[JackS]

I do donate to both my old schools (but not athletics), and both my employers match the donations. I want to keep a good relationship with them because I would love to finish my career teaching. I always notify the alumni mags when I win awards and such, and meet with faculty or staff whenever they request it.

 

[Starman]

Hell no. I paid plenty of tuition money on my way through; that's enough. And as far as I'm concerned, they ought to shut the J-school down completely, because every person that comes out of it now is coming after my job, and Mr. Publisher will be happy to hire them at half the wage scale.

And as far as the athletic program -- you gotta be kidding. A crooked, corrupted cesspool (which also doesn't win a hell of a lot For Christ's sake, if you're gonna cheat, cheat good. ).

I live 80 miles away from my alma mater, haven't set foot on campus for eight years, and don't care if I ever do again.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

No. **** 'em. Universities waste tons of money. Better the money goes to a good cause.

 

[Bear]

I give money to the college of liberal arts at my alma mater, but not to the overall university foundation.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Certainly, even though my alma mater is a member of the Billionaires Endowment Club. Not a lot, but some, mostly toward specific capital construction projects that interest me, or to the athletic program my brother played for at the same university. My donation is never unrestricted.

I feel as if I got my money's worth, so I give back some.

 

[Cadet]

I firmly believe that universities should have a five-year grace period for recent grads. There is nothing more sickening than being recently graduated, looking desperately for a job or having a job where you don't make enough to keep yourself in ramen, and getting hit up for donations by the school. I have been known to call up and yell at development departments when they pull that ****.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

I give $300 per year to my old high school and the company matches. At that level, you can't designate what it's used for -- beyond choosing general fund (whatever) or capital fund (physical plant improvements) -- although my pittance does put me in probably the top 5 percent of my graduating class. There are a few classmates who give five or 10 grand a year ... then there's a few like me ... then there's the token gifts, which are the vast majority. I think about 25 percent of the Class of 1977 gives something. There are 10 "named" giving levels ranging from $25 to more than $25,000 and I am in the group that's fourth from the bottom. Some of the super rich give a lot, and they get a gym or library or something named after them. Usually they are older people who aren't raising kids anymore. If you want to endow a scholarship, you have to give at least $100K. If I hit a lottery jackpot, I'd do it. I was on scholarship there for four years and loved the place.

 

[JackS]

I was on scholarship there for four years and loved the place.

Same here and I feel kinda bad for the people who say, "hell no." It's a good feeling to want to give back.

 

[KJIM]

Paid $500 to join the university's lifetime alumni upon graduation and now am a low-level athletic booster. I've done this from the year I graduated, even though I didn't work in journalism until 10 years after that. Nothing's changed.

 

[shotglass]

I don't ... but I feel badly that I don't.

 

[Starman]

Needless to say, no professional sports journalist should ever become an official member of any athletic program booster club.

 

[BigDog]

I donate to the fund for a specific sport. Have for years. And since I don't cover the school, its opponents or anything within 1,000 miles of said school, I see no problem with it.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

I have donated a whopping $50 and that went to the journalism fund.

 

[KJIM]

Needless to say, no professional sports journalist should ever become an official member of any athletic program booster club.

I disagree.

My personal life is separate from my professional life and it's my choice to pick where my philanthropic money goes.

I don't live in the state I went to college and don't cover college sports at all, but I don't see a conflict. It's not like I'm setting up a scholarship in my name and being trotted out on the football field for awards.

I'm also a season ticketholder for my college football team, which is also in my hometown.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

My concept of "giving back" would be to help a student in some way -- review their work, write a letter of recommendation, call them with job leads, whatever.

I don't see any purpose in handing money to institutions that are notorious for wasting it.