Disappointing…
Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 7:01 pm by Wally
When I left University, 20-mumble or so years ago, I signed up at no cost to join the Alumni Association. For all that time, I’ve been receiving the occasional publication setting out what’s going on, new research, blah blah blah.
Some of this is good, some is bad. I’ve vaguely kept in touch with the University where I spent 5 years, and that gave me 2 degrees. Some of the administration and Vice-Chancellors who run the show day to day, have been good, some terrible. Some interesting, and some excruciatingly boring.
And along the way, I’ve been an occasional donor to the various appeals – money for library collections, but more particularly, funds for student scholarships.
I donate for a few very good and simple reasons:
- I was the beneficiary of Gough Whitlam’s free tertiary education; modern students (thanks I might add to a later Labor Government) are not so fortunate. My parents – who no doubt on reading this may disagree – were not hugely well off, and paying fees would have been either a huge stretch or meant I would not have gone at all;
- My wife is likewise the beneficiary of the free tertiary education – in her case, the parents were even less well off - but ended up with three University educated daughters – courtesy of Gough or the once-generous government scholarship system;
- And finally – I only just managed to scrape into what I wanted to study. I crept over the cutoff score by 3 points in the equivalent back in those days of the TER. I think I was the lowest scored entrant that year – but entry scores don’t prove everything because I still managed 2 degrees (1 with honours and an invitation to two extra honours years in two other disciplines as well), and left with a bag full of distinctions.
Supporting students who are not so well off is something I care about. It helped me along the way, so the idea of giving something back for future generations matters – especially in the land of HECS, and fees, and parsimonious governments who make it much harder for students to study.
So it pains me when I receive the annual published list of donors – never showing dollar amounts – just donors of anything. And on that list I see the old lecturers, tutors, professors and staff. And bugger all of the students I spent 5 years of my life with.
I wonder what they think of the education and opportunities they received, and whether they are grateful for it? If they are – I’d hope now is time to show it. Most of my cohort should be middle aged and debt free – finding $20 to $100 a year to chuck in a scholarship find should be immaterial. And the help is immeasurable. Time to give a little back.
I’m certainly grateful for the little bit of education I received, all the way to year 9, way back in 1967. School leaving age was 15 then and when I turned 15 Dad said I was finished with school. So I finished, but had absolutely no idea what to do then, yes, woefully ignorant me envisioned days of reading, swimming, not much else. Now of course, I wish I’d known more and done more, but I’ve got to the point where I’m happy enough with the way things have turned out. Mostly.