Tuesday, April 9, is UTSA Giving Day, a day in which the university turns into a charity and asks all members of the UTSA community for donations to help finance its operations. They try to make it a fun day, with challenges and events to tempt people — especially students and alumni — into making contributions.
Asking alumni to make donations is commonplace, with universities sending out requests constantly, even years down the line and asking them to contribute to their alma mater’s success. UTSA takes it a step further and asks current students, along with their families and friends, to donate. Their excuse? “Tuition and fees alone do not cover the full cost of educating a student.”
What are students paying for, then? How is the money being managed?
The audacity of looking at students, who are already paying thousands of dollars each semester to get an education, and telling them that it is not enough is an affront to them and their families’ efforts.
Universities need money to operate and as they say on the Giving Day website, what they get from the state covers only a small percentage of UTSA’s operating budget. It is normal and acceptable that the university turns to donors to make ends meet, and the spirit of Giving Day is one of humble inspiration. All donations go towards bettering the experiences of students, including the UTSA Fund, the various colleges, Academic Advising and other key areas of the university.
The problem with Giving Day in its current design is that its principal target is students. Everyone wants UTSA to keep operating at its best, but that is why people pay their tuition and fees. Attending college is not a prize, it represents a heavy financial effort –– if not strain, for some. Even if it is completely voluntary, UTSA should not ask for a single penny more from its students than it already does at the time of billing — especially with the end of the semester approaching and stress levels at an all-time high.
It would be a wonderful world if everyone who attended UTSA were a millionaire who could make a dozen gifts on Giving Day on top of what they are required to pay, but that is not the reality. The best way for students to help the university during this Giving Day without donating themselves is to become Giving Day Ambassadors. This way, they can spread the word to promote specific causes if they choose, and inspire their families and friends to donate if they can. Ambassadors get credit for every donation they get and can win prizes for their efforts.
UTSA should not even look at its students during Giving Day, other than to ask them to share the event on social media.
