Anybody else get the BS Alumni Association Survey?

DeepSnap

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And no, I don't mean Bachelor of Science.

Gave my $.02 worth about the B(Big Bee)illion Dollar Endowment Fund vs Alexander-Tharpe Fund.

No one will care, but just curious. Hadn't seen anyone else griping about it.
 

LibertyTurns

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And no, I don't mean Bachelor of Science.

Gave my $.02 worth about the B(Big Bee)illion Dollar Endowment Fund vs Alexander-Tharpe Fund.

No one will care, but just curious. Hadn't seen anyone else griping about it.
Saw that & your post encouraged me to take it.

I bashed them from eliminating alumni from having local clubs and discouraging us from interacting with prospective students.

There was a question on gender- male, female, don't care to answer then an area below that asked for anything you’d want to share about your gender. I responded Male, then all original equipment and in good working order. You supposed to answer something like I’m feeling a little like a lady today?
 

Deleted member 2897

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I don’t have anything yet.

Hopefully they’ll let me identify as a howler monkey.

My advice is to continue to plow into AT instead of back to Tech. Our sports programs need everything they can get. In fact, I’ve never given a penny back to the actual school.
 
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I finally got around to submitting mine. It was mostly innocuous at best. I definitely used the opportunity to express my opinion about a couple of things in it, "gender identity" for one. There are two sexes; "gender identity" is totally unscientific.
I don’t have anything yet.

Hopefully they’ll let me identify as a howler monkey.

My advice is to continue to plow into AT instead of back to Tech. Our sports programs need everything they can get. In fact, I’ve never given a penny back to the actual school.
I have given annually to both the school and the AT since 1968
 

forensicbuzz

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We have an elite world wide reputation in academics.

Our sports are underfunded. I give where we need the money, not where we have plenty. But that’s just my preference.
Your comment wasn't about your preference, it was about the advice you give to others. It starts with academics. Now, I was a Board Member of SAA, SF, and an Ambassador when I was at Tech. I understand the Alumni Association and how it works. I realize there needs to be cooperation between Annual Giving and A-T Fund and the AA has historically been non-cooperative. But advising people not to give to the academic side and essentially bragging that you've never done so is antithetical to the purpose of Higher Education.
 

Deleted member 2897

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Your comment wasn't about your preference, it was about the advice you give to others. It starts with academics. Now, I was a Board Member of SAA, SF, and an Ambassador when I was at Tech. I understand the Alumni Association and how it works. I realize there needs to be cooperation between Annual Giving and A-T Fund and the AA has historically been non-cooperative. But advising people not to give to the academic side and essentially bragging that you've never done so is antithetical to the purpose of Higher Education.

Oh well. If the school ever starts being more helpful to the sports programs, I might change my mind. Until then, I could give 2 ****s about them - they are doing great and don’t need our help as much as our sports programs do.
 

forensicbuzz

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I think that universities with huge endowments should be working towards making undergraduate educations cost-free for the students. I believe the enrollment should match the ability of the endowment to cover the costs of the students. Alumni will pay that back by growing the endowment. Eventually, the university reaches a critical size and the maximum capacity is reached with a cost-free undergraduate program. I think the Ivy League schools already have the endowments to do this but choose to continue to grow the endowment instead of fully funding the students. Once full capacity is reached, favoritism and people buying enrollments goes away. But, unfortunately, it's a chest-thumping matter regarding the size of the endowment, so instead of spending all of the gains on the students, a large portion is moved to increasing the principal.
 

Deleted member 2897

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I think that universities with huge endowments should be working towards making undergraduate educations cost-free for the students. I believe the enrollment should match the ability of the endowment to cover the costs of the students. Alumni will pay that back by growing the endowment. Eventually, the university reaches a critical size and the maximum capacity is reached with a cost-free undergraduate program. I think the Ivy League schools already have the endowments to do this but choose to continue to grow the endowment instead of fully funding the students. Once full capacity is reached, favoritism and people buying enrollments goes away. But, unfortunately, it's a chest-thumping matter regarding the size of the endowment, so instead of spending all of the gains on the students, a large portion is moved to increasing the principal.

IIRC at some places (Princeton comes to mind), if you make less than $120k, your college is free. That model makes sense to me. If a family is making good money, I would make them pay for college. But working class and middle class and even slightly upper middle class that’s a fantastic deal. And instill into the students to pay it forward.
 

LibertyTurns

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I think that universities with huge endowments should be working towards making undergraduate educations cost-free for the students. I believe the enrollment should match the ability of the endowment to cover the costs of the students. Alumni will pay that back by growing the endowment. Eventually, the university reaches a critical size and the maximum capacity is reached with a cost-free undergraduate program. I think the Ivy League schools already have the endowments to do this but choose to continue to grow the endowment instead of fully funding the students. Once full capacity is reached, favoritism and people buying enrollments goes away. But, unfortunately, it's a chest-thumping matter regarding the size of the endowment, so instead of spending all of the gains on the students, a large portion is moved to increasing the principal.
In conjunction with 5 others I help run an annual half scholarship. Our charter demands the scholarship be funded in perpetuity so we carefully manage the amount allocated and ensure the principal amount can cover even under the most extreme cases, ie a 90% market crash. Also, GT restricts the amount we can give because they do not want us competing with the President’s scholarship. I’m sure Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc have similar arrangements.

I do think your comment about buying admissions is a bit misguided. Sure as I can be people with connections will continue to game the system. Grants to do research, jobs for family members, extras regular or poor people cannot possibly afford will always separate the haves from the have nots.

I believe it was you that mentioned you moved to a higher tax area because of the schools. The dude making $50k with a wife with a part time job doesn’t have that luxury to guarantee his kids a good education. He’s reliant on the marginally competent, hopefully motivated teacher his kid gets stuck with. He closes his blinds at night so nobody shoots at him thru the window and doesn’t have the superfast internet his kids can surf to do their homework on their new Apple laptop. It’s a crap shoot.
 

GT_EE78

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I finally got around to submitting mine. It was mostly innocuous at best. I definitely used the opportunity to express my opinion about a couple of things in it, "gender identity" for one. There are two sexes; "gender identity" is totally unscientific.
I was a bit offended by that too. I told them "decline to answer - Since,there's only two choices, you can flip a coin."
 

forensicbuzz

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IIRC at some places (Princeton comes to mind), if you make less than $120k, your college is free. That model makes sense to me. If a family is making good money, I would make them pay for college. But working class and middle class and even slightly upper middle class that’s a fantastic deal. And instill into the students to pay it forward.
I make over $120k. I have 5 kids, 2 in college. I have less expendable income than many that make half my salary. Salary is a horrible way to differentiate those who need assistance from those who don't.
 

forensicbuzz

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North Shore, Chicago
In conjunction with 5 others I help run an annual half scholarship. Our charter demands the scholarship be funded in perpetuity so we carefully manage the amount allocated and ensure the principal amount can cover even under the most extreme cases, ie a 90% market crash. Also, GT restricts the amount we can give because they do not want us competing with the President’s scholarship. I’m sure Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc have similar arrangements.

I do think your comment about buying admissions is a bit misguided. Sure as I can be people with connections will continue to game the system. Grants to do research, jobs for family members, extras regular or poor people cannot possibly afford will always separate the haves from the have nots.

I believe it was you that mentioned you moved to a higher tax area because of the schools. The dude making $50k with a wife with a part time job doesn’t have that luxury to guarantee his kids a good education. He’s reliant on the marginally competent, hopefully motivated teacher his kid gets stuck with. He closes his blinds at night so nobody shoots at him thru the window and doesn’t have the superfast internet his kids can surf to do their homework on their new Apple laptop. It’s a crap shoot.
I don't disagree with you for the most part. I'm definitely not misguided. There are those who can buy admissions and they'll do that. My point was that the universities should get to a point where that's near impossible to do because the university doesn't need their money.

As for the last paragraph, it's not about what you make, it's about what you have to spend after all your bills are paid. As for general competancy of teachers, I commented on that in a different thread.
 

Deleted member 2897

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I make over $120k. I have 5 kids, 2 in college. I have less expendable income than many that make half my salary. Salary is a horrible way to differentiate those who need assistance from those who don't.

I hope you saved something the previous 20 years. Making money like that without college expenses should allow ample savings for 99% of the population...savings that would have quintupled over the last 20 years if invested.
 

forensicbuzz

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I hope you saved something the previous 20 years. Making money like that without college expenses should allow ample savings for 99% of the population...savings that would have quintupled over the last 20 years if invested.
Easier for some than others. Medical bills get expensive really quickly. Not all households have comparable expenses. My single-earner household is comparable to most double earner households. I have more expenses than most.

So, again, my point is gross salary is a horrible way to differentiate between who needs and who doesn't need.
 

LibertyTurns

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I don't disagree with you for the most part. I'm definitely not misguided. There are those who can buy admissions and they'll do that. My point was that the universities should get to a point where that's near impossible to do because the university doesn't need their money.

As for the last paragraph, it's not about what you make, it's about what you have to spend after all your bills are paid. As for general competancy of teachers, I commented on that in a different thread.
I make over $120k. I have 5 kids, 2 in college. I have less expendable income than many that make half my salary. Salary is a horrible way to differentiate those who need assistance from those who don't.
Sorry, misguided was a bad word to use. Yale, Harvard, etc already don’t need more money. The reason the crap with admissions is still going on is rich entitled people trying to leverage their money & power to gain an advantage. Having other kids take tests, lying about extracurriculars, etc is likely to cease now that several people got exposed, but make no mistake they’ll find another way to game the system. Most didn’t get where there are by being dumb.

Also, the income threshold is very different depending on where you live. $120k may not go far in NYC, but I’m sure it goes a lot farther in Dothan, Al. That being said, people make choices and you decided to have 5 kids and live in a pricier area. I’m sure you want to educate your children as best you can as we all do, but those economic decision were yours. Allowing families access to loans so their kids can attend college or helping out someone below the poverty line, I’m ok with. However, it’s not government’s responsibility to make life easier if economic choices are made with less regard for the future whether you make $250k/yr or $50k/yr.
 

forensicbuzz

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Sorry, misguided was a bad word to use. Yale, Harvard, etc already don’t need more money. The reason the crap with admissions is still going on is rich entitled people trying to leverage their money & power to gain an advantage. Having other kids take tests, lying about extracurriculars, etc is likely to cease now that several people got exposed, but make no mistake they’ll find another way to game the system. Most didn’t get where there are by being dumb.

Also, the income threshold is very different depending on where you live. $120k may not go far in NYC, but I’m sure it goes a lot farther in Dothan, Al. That being said, people make choices and you decided to have 5 kids and live in a pricier area. I’m sure you want to educate your children as best you can as we all do, but those economic decision were yours. Allowing families access to loans so their kids can attend college or helping out someone below the poverty line, I’m ok with. However, it’s not government’s responsibility to make life easier if economic choices are made with less regard for the future whether you make $250k/yr or $50k/yr.
You're missing my point entirely, or so it seems. I live just north of Chicago. I chose to live here, you're right. I could live in Dothan, Alabama and have similar expendable income 60% of my current salary. That's not the point. The point is that an arbitrary salary cut-off is a horrible way to determine whether someone should be eligible for aid.

I have invested in my children's primary and secondary education and will help them with their higher education, but that's largely on them. They need skin in the game and they need to understand what it means to earn your education. Both started in CC and have both chosen different directions since starting. I refused to throw good money at the first two years of college. My daughter is a rising senior in HS. I told her I would pay for CC for the first 2 years. She's dead-set on a 4 year school Back East. I told her good luck, better start writing scholarship applications.
 
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