Seniors Create "Senior Promise" Campaign By Emily Wales To date, 75 seniors have pledged to give to the College as part of the Senior Promise, a student-led campaign that aims at encouraging seniors to become part of the College's culture of giving. Although the campaign has received $11,877 in pledges thus far for the Jewell Fund, students involved in the Senior Promise were more concerned that soon-to-be-alumni understand the importance of making a long-term commitment to William Jewell. "More than anything, we wanted seniors to learn how much it costs to run Jewell and how alumni giving improves the quality of our education," Kyle Faulconer, business administration major and student organizer of the campaign, said. "Fundraising was one goal of the Senior Promise, but we believe that students who pledge to give back now will remain more connected to the College as a whole." Using a clever marketing strategy, student members of the campaign created the iGive logo to make the entire College community aware of their efforts. Covering campus with information about alumni giving, "iGive" could be found on posters across campus (two of which are included with this article) and on the backpacks and t-shirts of seniors who donated to the campaign. "We highlighted practical and personal reasons for giving back to Jewell," Katie Perko, chemistry major and chair of the marketing committee, said. "We had plenty of statistics that helped students see why it's important that we give, but it was the individual iGive statements from committee members that struck a chord with people. Hearing students thank their professors or want future students to have similar experiences left an impression." For Sara Reynolds, communication major and chair of the Senior Promise event committee, giving back to Jewell was an easy decision. "As part of the campaign, I'm excited to educate my peers about the value of giving back to the College," she said. Not all seniors were as eager to make a financial pledge while they still were in school, however. "Lots of people asked why they should give back to the school when they're already giving so much. I think the team responded well to those concerns when they explained that the Jewell Fund is supporting their scholarships and making their educations more affordable." Although student organizers said working on the campaign has been rewarding, they also recognize that it marks a sad transition. "I'll miss the community and family atmosphere when I'm gone next year, but I know that when I give back as an alum, I'm making a lasting difference for an institution I love." Second Thoughts By Emily Wales (Emily Wales is Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, The Hilltop Monitor. She is the recipient of the L. E. Kresse Award, named for the first woman graduate of WJC and given to the senior woman "most likely to succeed." Emily was also named this year's Faculty Award winner, awarded by the faculty to the outstanding senior man or woman. Following is an editorial written by Emily and published in the Monitor on March 23 regarding her thoughts about the Senior Promise). Budgeting my expenses and balancing my checkbook rarely make it very high on my list of priorities. I tell myself regularly that I'll do a better job next month and won't spend quite so much money in the Target dollar aisle. In spite of my good intentions, however, I often get to the end of the month with little room to spare. I'm not ignorant about financial literacy, and I am careful when it comes to using credit cards and making big purchases. (Okay, so that last line was mainly to avoid any threatening emails from the business department or-more likely-my parents.) I can only imagine how much scarier paying my bills and planning for the future are going to be next year, when I'm living entirely on my own in a new (and more expensive) part of the country. I'll be making enough money to get by and I hope to be able to enjoy at least a little more financial leeway than I have in a while. Despite my modest income and poor money skills, I signed up to work for and give to the Senior Promise, William Jewell College's annual campaign to encourage graduating seniors to give back financially. No, I don't plan on going bankrupt, and I'm not being paid by the Office of Advancement to write this column. (Although, Nelson Kanning, if you're reading, I'd love one of those sweet Jewell blankets.) I was wooed by the campaign's opening dinner of sandwiches and soda and I fell prey to the persuasive ways of the College's skilled fundraisers. The complaints we hear on the committee are predictable: I didn't like [fill in the blank] about Jewell; I won't be able to give enough to make a difference; and I'm already paying this place enough of my hard-earned cash. We've also received plenty of doubtful comments about the posters, such as "It couldn't really cost $36 million to run this place" and "What I pay in tuition is enough to pay for the education I received." Here are my brief responses: It does cost that much to run everything at William Jewell-from salaries to heating bills. Just ask Ron Dempsey, vice president for Financial Affairs. (To give you an idea of the costs, it's $1.15 each second to run the College. Yeah, we did the math.) And the average student's tuition bill only covers half of what their education costs. The rest of the funds come from grants, friends of the College and, most importantly, alumni donors. There are plenty of reasons not to give back to the College-the parking ticket I didn't deserve, the bad grade I did deserve, the fight with my friend about the amendment to the Student Bill of Rights, and the bruise I got from falling out of my lofted bed. Trust me, as editor of the newspaper I've had plenty of opportunities to ponder the parts of William Jewell of which I'm not overly fond. For me, however, the shorter list of reasons to give back is made up of much more important aspects of my experience here. I'm giving back to William Jewell for all kinds of reasons-to show that I believe in the direction the College is headed; to thank the faculty, staff and administration who made my journey so special; and to ensure that future students at the College can take part in the unique opportunities William Jewell offers. As part of the campaign team, we're not looking to boost the College's annual budget. More important than dollar figures is the commitment seniors make to stay engaged with life at the College. Higher percentages of alumni gifts mean greater opportunities for grant monies and, hopefully, a more generous culture of giving in the future. Whether you choose to give back because you're interested in increasing the value of your diploma or you simply are thankful for your four years here, I hope you'll consider the campaign's goals. (And seniors, this isn't just for you. Those of you who are underclassmen soon will realize how quickly your time here will fly.) Without alumni support, there would be no new Union, no future sorority complex and no financial aid as generous as the current system. Whether small or large, a gift to William Jewell can make a big difference.