In the late 1800s business-man D. K. Pearsons offered Pacific University a gift of $15,000 to help build Marsh Hall. To help Pacific in its struggle to grow, he later negotiated to give another $50,000 if the university could raise $100,000 on its own. In 1859, $50,000 was a very large amount of money today that would have an estimated value roughly 27 times greater.
As president, the Rev. Thomas McClelland went back east in an attempt to round up funding. On Feb. 15, 1895, a few students began to post signs around campus about a student meeting in the university chapel with the text, “FACULTY ARE POSITIVELY NOT ALLOWED.”
After this meeting and another the next morning, all 22 members of the Pacific University student body came up with a collective total of $4,065. With this unexpected contribution from the students, the school was able to build Marsh Hall, where students and staff have been learning and working together for more than a century.
Today, student giving factors into both school ranking and the Annual Fund. What is student giving? Student giving is the contribution of at least one dollar to Pacific made by an undergraduate student. Students Today Alumni Tomorrow’s goal is for 15 percent of the undergraduate student population to give to the university.
As tuition rates increase and economic struggles make it harder to be a student at Pacific, the last idea many students have is to donate money to the school that is “taking” so much from them already. It’s important to understand the higher the student giving factor the university has the higher potential ranking the school has. The higher a school is ranked the more federal funding is available.
What few students realize is where their tuition actually goes. Tuition Free Day, which was observed April 6 this year, is the day when tuition stops funding the school. Tuition only covers 80 percent of the school year. From that point on the school is operating on donations that came from corporations, private donors, alumni, faculty and staff and students. If it were not for these donations tuition would have to increase to cover the last 20 percent of the year.
Even though one dollar does not seem like much, as an entire united student body, the fact that we care enough about the school to give additional funds for support doesn’t just help the university, but our selves as well.
If students wish to see the things they desire from Pacific happen, like better food or nicer facilities, it could be as easy as a one dollar donation to STAT.
STAT will have a table set up in the University Center during lunch time hours on Thursdays and Fridays and will gladly accept donations. In return for a gift, a student will receive a set of Pacific refrigerator magnets, a limited edition piece of flair and have their name listed in the Pacific Annual Report.
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