8 Percent of alumni give to Rutgers
- Thread starter rutgersal
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Rutgers must make sure they give out the proper facts.
If Rutgers says in their magazine that only 8% of alumni are donors then they need to answer this Question...........
In the article by Northjersey.com Rutgers says of the recently completed Fund Drive for 1 Billion dollars, there were 130,000 donors of which 70,000 were alumni. The Rutgers alumni association says there are 450 thousand living alumni.
So 70,000/450,000 = 16% Seems to me, 16% donate. This is twice as much as what is in the magazine. Am I wrong here?
I agree with those that wish and hope Alumni can give more, we won't upgrade facilities without it, but the number looks like 16% not 8%. We should at least get the facts straight.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/rutgers-says-fund-drive-raised-more-than-1b-1.1234125
If Rutgers says in their magazine that only 8% of alumni are donors then they need to answer this Question...........
In the article by Northjersey.com Rutgers says of the recently completed Fund Drive for 1 Billion dollars, there were 130,000 donors of which 70,000 were alumni. The Rutgers alumni association says there are 450 thousand living alumni.
So 70,000/450,000 = 16% Seems to me, 16% donate. This is twice as much as what is in the magazine. Am I wrong here?
I agree with those that wish and hope Alumni can give more, we won't upgrade facilities without it, but the number looks like 16% not 8%. We should at least get the facts straight.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/rutgers-says-fund-drive-raised-more-than-1b-1.1234125
I'm using the #'s that SRRU (who is a friend and we occasionally spar here) supplied for RU - New Brunswick versus PSU University Park. I added state stats from the US Census. His point is that PSU is very much not diverse. My point is that when you compare it to th eState as a whole its not as bad off as it seems. If you look deeper, the 2 most under represented groups on each campus are Blacck & Hispanic. When compared to the overall state population, PSU's ratio of these students to total is 60% of the 5 for the whole state while RU is at 62% as compared to NJ. So while the absolute #'s look bad for PSU, fact is that Pa is a less diverse state than NJ and so the school reflects that rather proportionately.
Not sure how this correlates to Alumni giving. My guess is that PSU has a much higher % of 2nd 9and 3rd) generation PSU students than RU does. This is probably the most significant difference in alumni giving. I would also guess that the % of white students at RU was much higher 20 years ago than it is now so we probably have as high a percentage of alumni from the most historically advantaged group as PSU ddoes yet that does not seem to help in alumni giving or in the other related topic - affluent kids attending RU.
As far as another poster's question about the possibility of PSU steering minorities to the other campuses - come on, you cant be serious.
A high percentage of Asians attending RU are first generation americans from the Indian subcontinent whose parents work multiple jobs and/or many hours to make a living - from a purely economic point of view, many of them would be considered disadvantaged. We're not talking about at RU the kids of the highly educated Asian American community that, particularly on the west coast, have been living in the US for multiple generations.
The campaign ran over a number of years. I believe the 8% is an annual number. So it's possible that 16% gave to the campaign, but never more than 8% in a particular year.
Asians are over represented in any quality college. In California, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego they represent 40% of the student population.
Even In Univ of Texas, whites are 50% of the student pop, Hispanic 20%,Asians 18%, and Blacks 4%. Asians are only 3.8% of the Texas population. In 3 years, whites will be the minority at UT.
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Yeah and a lot of them are from North Edison, East and South Brunswick, Marlboro, Holmdel, Princeton, West Windsor, Fort Lee and the surrounding heavily Korean towns...are those places disadvantaged?
RU also has the second largest Jewish population in the country too, and one of the largest Muslim populations. I'm guessing you're going to tell me that despite those groups, like Asians, having higher than average incomes overall nationally, the RU ones are the poor ones, right?
This thread is pathetic. Someone call a wahmbulance.
I'm a first generation college (and law school graduate). My mother took on a job to pay for me to go to RU. And guess what, those 7 years of total higher education, she probably couldn't even tell you one course I took or professor I had, and she'd probably even struggle to tell you what I majored in. And starting in high school, my work got challenging enough that no one I was related to could have even contemplated helping me. My mom had to drop me off early or pick me up after school after working with my teachers if I had any questions.
Why? Because I was an ADULT and I didn't go crying to my mom about real world problems. Because when the student loan company and mortgage company threw red tape in my face, I didn't get to put mom on the line. Because when my boss criticized something I did, I didn't get to have my mom give him a talk on my feelings.
Oh no, I had to ride the bus at RU. Since I rode the subway to law school, PATH to work, sat in traffic for work, and oh now, SIT ON A BUS to go to work...
And oh no students protested. I have an idea, go find the one school in America where no one ever protested anything and go donate to them.
I don't always agree with the way I was raised but geez, my parents would never, have never, dreamed of helping me argue with any college, that's just absurd.
I'm a first generation college (and law school graduate). My mother took on a job to pay for me to go to RU. And guess what, those 7 years of total higher education, she probably couldn't even tell you one course I took or professor I had, and she'd probably even struggle to tell you what I majored in. And starting in high school, my work got challenging enough that no one I was related to could have even contemplated helping me. My mom had to drop me off early or pick me up after school after working with my teachers if I had any questions.
Why? Because I was an ADULT and I didn't go crying to my mom about real world problems. Because when the student loan company and mortgage company threw red tape in my face, I didn't get to put mom on the line. Because when my boss criticized something I did, I didn't get to have my mom give him a talk on my feelings.
Oh no, I had to ride the bus at RU. Since I rode the subway to law school, PATH to work, sat in traffic for work, and oh now, SIT ON A BUS to go to work...
And oh no students protested. I have an idea, go find the one school in America where no one ever protested anything and go donate to them.
I don't always agree with the way I was raised but geez, my parents would never, have never, dreamed of helping me argue with any college, that's just absurd.
The thing about relevancy is context. And in the context of the discussion that you entered it was very relevant. The question of whether the supposed RU Screw was a uniquely Rutgers problem (which it is not).
The point you are making is that these things impact giving. Of course, negative experiences impact giving. That is true everywhere and anywhere. But that doesn't mean the myth of the great RU Screw is the reason people don't donate to Rutgers.
I hadn't quoted anyone in this thread when I made my post and I never made any comments one way or the other about whether or not RU's issues were unique until you quoted me and made a mistaken inference. But the fact remains that the president of the foundation cited factors that negatively impact donations. Whether those same issues influence my or your giving doesn't matter. And whether or not other universities have the same campus and administrative issues doesn't matter either. The relevant question is not whether or not RU has unique issues. The question of this thread is, why don't more alumni donate? The President of the Foundation cited reasons and I shared them here. Anyone who has research to prove him wrong should share it with us.
PSU, Ohio State and Michigan have 100,000 plus attendance at their football games where the season tickets holders are required to donate for the last 40 years. At Rutgers, the last 10 years starting with Schiano brought out the fans. This is a strong reason why our donations are lower. Their fans are proud when their teams are winning. I didn't care about the football team or any my relatives that went to Rutgers never went to a game until Schiano turned Rutgers football around and made it exciting. When we have forty years of good football and basketball, the donation will go up.
Another reason is that even when students lived on campus, many of them commuted home for the weekend. This didn't give them the full college experience that others had going away to school.
Another reason is that even when students lived on campus, many of them commuted home for the weekend. This didn't give them the full college experience that others had going away to school.
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It's pathetic how many excuses for not giving are included in this thread alone. Forget about all the bullshit reasons why you are pissed off at RU. Just give back to your university. No excuses - just results.
Thank you for the correction. I appreciate that. You provided more info that I couldn't and perhaps the kid wasn't proactive enough, who knows. I just know his mother was frustrated. And, of course it is certainly not limited to RU.
I can't speak for Michigan, or OSU but this is definitely false for Penn State. It was this way before the dark years of 2000-2004. But after STEP and the scandal you can get tickets as a first time athletic supporter.
I laugh when I read posts like this when posters act as if Rutgers did this for free. For the vast majority of students were not given anything from Rutgers. They paid or borrowed thousands for it. It irks me when alumni shame other alumni for not donating money because of this.
I haven't read all the posts here, but OP I just want to give you props for starting this thread. I posted this on FB and will donate in a week! Also, my company (Lockheed Martin), matches my amount!
"(TL;DR: I'll donate a dollar to the Rutgers School of Engineering for every like this gets!)
Fellow Rutgers Alumni,
Today I read an alarming statistic regarding our University's endowment. Of the 400,000 some Rutgers alumni, only 8% of them have donated back to the school. That is appalling! Now of course, I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I am at this position in my life because of what I gained from attending Rutgers. I am who I am because of my college years. Albeit, they might have made me a quirky individual, but nonetheless I am proud of who/what I have become LOL.
Therefore, I'd like to start my first ever donation to RU with a twist. For every like this status receives, I will donate a dollar to Rutgers. This money will go to the School of Engineering as I believe that investing in the future of students can pay great dividends (No offense RU athletics, I'll still be an avid fan, but for now my money goes to SOE). I encourage the rest of my 2014 class to at least think back on their years at RU and ask yourself, "What has RU done for me?" If the answer to that is negative, so be it, RU could definitely have screwed you LOL. If the answer to that is positive, then try to help in anyway you can! (Reach out to your former departments for Alumni relations, become a mentor to students that are pursuing degrees in your industry, and overall engage in discussion that will improve the quality of education at RU!).
To all the people who have had bad experiences, please leave a comment below and let me know why!"
"(TL;DR: I'll donate a dollar to the Rutgers School of Engineering for every like this gets!)
Fellow Rutgers Alumni,
Today I read an alarming statistic regarding our University's endowment. Of the 400,000 some Rutgers alumni, only 8% of them have donated back to the school. That is appalling! Now of course, I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I am at this position in my life because of what I gained from attending Rutgers. I am who I am because of my college years. Albeit, they might have made me a quirky individual, but nonetheless I am proud of who/what I have become LOL.
Therefore, I'd like to start my first ever donation to RU with a twist. For every like this status receives, I will donate a dollar to Rutgers. This money will go to the School of Engineering as I believe that investing in the future of students can pay great dividends (No offense RU athletics, I'll still be an avid fan, but for now my money goes to SOE). I encourage the rest of my 2014 class to at least think back on their years at RU and ask yourself, "What has RU done for me?" If the answer to that is negative, so be it, RU could definitely have screwed you LOL. If the answer to that is positive, then try to help in anyway you can! (Reach out to your former departments for Alumni relations, become a mentor to students that are pursuing degrees in your industry, and overall engage in discussion that will improve the quality of education at RU!).
To all the people who have had bad experiences, please leave a comment below and let me know why!"
I am not an alumni and have 6 seats in Section126 for over 35 years. Used to have 8. Have a few friends who used to come to games with me who are now seasons ticket holders with multiple seats. None are RU alumni.
Main Problems (in order of significance as per my opinion)
1. The "every man for themselves / dog eat dog" attitude that is more prevalent in NJ than other states. I think this plays a big part into lack of donations as many people just don't have the thought of giving back AT ALL...TO ANYTHING.... never mind Rutgers specifically. I did a charity drive for homeless people this summer where we were asking just for left over cans in people pantries and you would be surprised how many people said "hey it's there own fault they are homeless, not mine." I was shocked... if you don't want to give that it fine... no need for the added hostility towards the homeless people or towards me just for trying to help. And I think that mindset sometimes applies to Rutgers as well where people go "Hey I paid my tuition, I don't owe them a dime more!" or something like that.
2. Inertia and ":groupthink" plays a big role as well. A big part of gathering donations is getting that FIRST one because after that the person is much more open to donating again in the future. And then once you get more people donating....people start to talk on message boards and in bars and at tailgates, etc about their donations that they just gave and then other people see a donation mailing and instead of throwing it out immediately actually give it a thought and maybe actually donate.
3. The RU Screw plays a role. The problem is I think since we have a name for it... people are looking for it WAY more than at other schools and therefore find more things to feel "screwed" about. I am not saying Rutgers doesn't have some absurd policies and procedures, but other schools do as well and I do think RU gets a worse rap than they should for this which then hurts donations because donors shut down and say "I am never donating to this school ever again because I got screwed!"
1. The "every man for themselves / dog eat dog" attitude that is more prevalent in NJ than other states. I think this plays a big part into lack of donations as many people just don't have the thought of giving back AT ALL...TO ANYTHING.... never mind Rutgers specifically. I did a charity drive for homeless people this summer where we were asking just for left over cans in people pantries and you would be surprised how many people said "hey it's there own fault they are homeless, not mine." I was shocked... if you don't want to give that it fine... no need for the added hostility towards the homeless people or towards me just for trying to help. And I think that mindset sometimes applies to Rutgers as well where people go "Hey I paid my tuition, I don't owe them a dime more!" or something like that.
2. Inertia and ":groupthink" plays a big role as well. A big part of gathering donations is getting that FIRST one because after that the person is much more open to donating again in the future. And then once you get more people donating....people start to talk on message boards and in bars and at tailgates, etc about their donations that they just gave and then other people see a donation mailing and instead of throwing it out immediately actually give it a thought and maybe actually donate.
3. The RU Screw plays a role. The problem is I think since we have a name for it... people are looking for it WAY more than at other schools and therefore find more things to feel "screwed" about. I am not saying Rutgers doesn't have some absurd policies and procedures, but other schools do as well and I do think RU gets a worse rap than they should for this which then hurts donations because donors shut down and say "I am never donating to this school ever again because I got screwed!"
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Another thing I can think of is that Rutgers does a poor job of instilling pride in Rutgers as an institution. When I was a student I really didn't know anything about the history of Rutgers. I had no idea it was a colonial college. I didn't know anything about the Queens campus. I didn't even know what Old Queens was. When I saw a picture of Old Queens on some Rutgers pamphlet I was like "where the hell is that?" because I never stepped foot on Queens campus as I had no reason to. And this is common among students.
I think there should be a mandatory seminar for all freshman that promote Rutgers' history and teaches students everything about Rutgers.
The one thing Rutgers did really well was the "Freshman Throw Down". Basically it was a competition between freshman dorms on who could show the most school spirit. There were all different events including tug of war etc. And during this event we learned the football cheers and the Alma Mater. It was very well done. I think they should expand this and make it university wide.
I think there should be a mandatory seminar for all freshman that promote Rutgers' history and teaches students everything about Rutgers.
The one thing Rutgers did really well was the "Freshman Throw Down". Basically it was a competition between freshman dorms on who could show the most school spirit. There were all different events including tug of war etc. And during this event we learned the football cheers and the Alma Mater. It was very well done. I think they should expand this and make it university wide.
I am not a women, I'm a woman first of all, and maybe because some posters here are just mature adults and are capable of debating others. I didn't complain about RU personally, I have no reason to nor did I discuss PSU in this thread either. This was a discussion about giving to RU and I was relaying something told to me by a parent, who is a friend, with a kid at RU. I live in NJ, so I naturally know quite a few parents and kids who attended or attend RU. Why are you so sensitive and feel the need to point me out? If I told this story as an RU fan It may make you feel better but it doesn't change the narrative. I'm always up cordial debate but If you lash out at me for making a comment ( and I have not bashed RU) I'm going to dish it right back. If you are cordial in your posts, you'll certainly get the same from me. Your condescending posts don't scare me and you may be able to bully your buddies on this board at will, but you don't affect me like that. If my posting bothers you that much, either ignore or have me banned. I'm still going to live my life and do what I do. why don't you do yourself a favor and stop trying to control grown folks on a message board.
You're not really understanding what the main problem is. The reason why kids tend to get locked out of classes isn't because they are naive or overly dependent, it's because of how RU sets up class registration. You have to sign up online on certain days based upon how many credits you have and when the classes open for a credit amount, everybody tries to sign up at the same time and the servers always crash so getting the class you intend on signing up for is a matter of luck. I know tons of people who have been locked out of classes and would wind up taking something they have no interest in or taking classes that aren't towards their major, it has even happened to me but it wasn't crucial for my major. You used to be able to go to Murray and get your schedule done before the online stampede but they stopped allowing that about halfway through my time at RU. Overall, I can definitely understand the lack of funding, the amount of crap students have to go through is ridiculous just to get schedule set up. Maybe those kids in particular were naive and inattentive but you do get screwed over, especially in 400 level classes where the overall class size is much smaller than normal.
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All excuses for not donating are weak and many don't know about the meaning of putting your money where your mouth is.
A few points. All campuses are lumped in the yotsl. It would be interesting io zee the individual totals for NB/Piscataway, Newark and Camden. The school, NB/Piscataway, is too big. Scheduling as defined earlier and on line presents problrmd, as does time offerings and related bus travel and other logistics. Those of us who graduated many years ago did not have these problems and if so to a lesser extent. There was more personality at the school. Most left with a good feeling and not as if they got screwed somewhere along the way whether it be in signing up for a class, getting on campus housing, being able to have a vehicle on campus to help get around, parking and even just a more friendly atmosphere. 8 know people and also students who attended Cook and their attitude and impression of their Alma Mater is often far different than those of Rutgers College A&S or Livingston. It's a fact that Rutgers itself has to follow up on and ask why is this. Much of the difference it attitude and giving again is related to the big mess of the University and the problems ot often brings or creates. Again I am speaking about NB/Piscataway.
Also it is grossly unfair to compare private school donation support yo public institutions. Private schools are much, much smaller and personal and often from day one foster a climate of giving back etc. There are other issues that people shy away from mentioning which has to fo with the overall liberal attitude of the school and perhaps dare I mention diversity which is selfishly reflected in something as simple as the recent stories and students senate support to diversify the mascot. Add in the odd things that often happen on campus which are highlighted by the NJ media snd in essence the poor overall public relations by the University and things add up. I've had fellow alumni 9f ten comment thst if Rutgers would intentionally plan poor publicity and/or handle some things the way they do...well they often couldn't plan any better.
Bottom line summary.....much has to do with size and an apparent insensitivity in how to overcome the problems associated with this.
Also it is grossly unfair to compare private school donation support yo public institutions. Private schools are much, much smaller and personal and often from day one foster a climate of giving back etc. There are other issues that people shy away from mentioning which has to fo with the overall liberal attitude of the school and perhaps dare I mention diversity which is selfishly reflected in something as simple as the recent stories and students senate support to diversify the mascot. Add in the odd things that often happen on campus which are highlighted by the NJ media snd in essence the poor overall public relations by the University and things add up. I've had fellow alumni 9f ten comment thst if Rutgers would intentionally plan poor publicity and/or handle some things the way they do...well they often couldn't plan any better.
Bottom line summary.....much has to do with size and an apparent insensitivity in how to overcome the problems associated with this.
Sorry SC, this is a bunch of bull. My kids just graduated this year and two years ago. None of their friends had to take another year because of the mythical RU Screw.
It is so easy now to get your schedule set up with the websites they have set up. You can make up to 5 schedule options before it is time to register. The more credits you have the earlier you get to go online and register. ie. Seniors get first priority. Are there some classes that you might get locked out of, yes. But as I have heard from a lot of students, take your butt over to the professor and ask if you can join the class. Most of the time they let you in.
As some one posted, if you do not graduate on time it is on you, plain and simple. My kids knew there was no option to do five years. They checked every semester ahead of time what classes they needed and what ones in the future and where they were in process of fullfilling their major, actually a webiste for that also.
Like a cartoon out there about teachers, one side from 30 years ago is parents yelling at their kids because they had bad grades, the other side from today parents yelling at their teacher becuase their kids had bad grades. Sounds like this mother who wrote this.
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FYI, per Rutgers Financial Aid Website, approx 80% of RU students receive some type of financial aid (either from the school, state, public and private scholarships, federals grants, etc...).
Thats becoming more and more popular to do all over the country...as RU has approx 4,000 new incoming transfer students each and every year (most with Community College AA Degrees)
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do you think this is an RU only issue? I went to a college with only 2000 students and we had similar issues.
I feel compelled to mention that I meet Rutgers alumni periodically in the business world. Both young and old and almost all speak highly and with pride about their time at RU. Im not sure what exactly drives down donations and I suspect it is a number of things but this 3 page thread that follows years of similar threads describing why our school sucks and what it doesn't do well certainly doesn't engender good feelings that make people want to grab their checkbooks. It is part the RU screw, part lack of athletic success, etc., etc. but I think a big factor is this "we suck" attitude. I don't see it in the eyes of our graduates but I do think the undercurrent in posts, discussions and Ledger articles suppress alumni desire to give back. Why donate to something that appears to be so poorly run? But in fact Rutgers has great accomplishments every day. It is a huge school with so much going on. Some could be done better but so much great work is going on too. If the good stuff were better celebrated the narrative would change and people would lean in more.
Yes, if I thought there story was complete bull I would call out a Rutgers fan as well. Cordial? The next time you post something positive about anything RU will be your first. I'm not sensitive, I've never taken one class at RU and I don't care that it takes lazy kids 5 years to graduate. However, I do care about JOPA trolls infesting our boards ........
No doubt NJ is more diverse a place than most of our counterparts including PA which makes having a diverse student body easier for RU.
I mean it when I give credit to PSU for better giving. I think they have done a better job in building school spirit than we have. For any number of good and positive reasons. They might have advantages we don't like not having a inbred inferiority complex etc.
But the key point is we need to do better in fostering that sort of support for alma mater and we alumni need to spread that message. Those with the myriad excuses need to get on board and pitch in.
I mean it when I give credit to PSU for better giving. I think they have done a better job in building school spirit than we have. For any number of good and positive reasons. They might have advantages we don't like not having a inbred inferiority complex etc.
But the key point is we need to do better in fostering that sort of support for alma mater and we alumni need to spread that message. Those with the myriad excuses need to get on board and pitch in.
The RU Screw is complete MYTH. It sounds good, so people look for examples of it.
I can say with 100% confidence that every problem or issue I had during my time at RU was my own doing. When RU made any mistakes and was alerted to them they corrected them.
I can say with 100% confidence that every problem or issue I had during my time at RU was my own doing. When RU made any mistakes and was alerted to them they corrected them.
Back in the day we had to wait in extremely long lines at "Add/Drop", which was held in the College Avenue Gym for 2-3 days. I don't consider that a "screw" because it's just how things had to be done. The web based system used today sounds like a dream come true to me.
Oh...and without smart phones or wi fi too.
Can you imagine today's ADHD students standing in long lines for seemingly hours with no cell phone, no internet, all to change their class schedule?
I laugh at any complaint from those that make their schedules today via computer (which is 99% of all college students at every Univ).
I appreciate your feedback but it was not the mother who "wrote this". I was relaying something a mother told me. So I understand your experience was positive with both of your kids and that is, of course, the ideal situation, but I doubt you can speak for ALL students and parents at RU. Basically what you are saying is that if other parents did not have the experience you did as a parent, it is b.s. and on them? Since when does one situation fit all--anywhere? I mentioned nothing about the mythical RU Screw because as I've stated before, I'm unfamiliar with it.
The one fact that can't be disputed is the financial constraints Rutgers athletic department faces day to day.All the lame excuses why fans or alumni don't donate on a annual basis all have some impact on the end result of having many sports teams ranked at the bottom of the B1G.In the end it comes down to the haves and have nots and those with more financial resources have a better chance of being successful.
I have spoken positive about RU and one of my first posts was about my experience at the RU game in September. Re-read if you need to. I have no reason to speak negatively about RU, it's players, coaches or staff, I can't say the same for some RU fans about PSU, but it is what it is. I've also said several times on this board on different topics that I know RU students who absolutely love the school and that is fact. And to call me a JOPA troll only shows you haven't been paying attention to my posts in the first place because I never even bring it up. That "lazy" kid's parents are paying thousands in tuition and thus have a vested interest in RU that goes beyond being a fan of football, but thank you for responding.
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