A Class War, but Senior Gift’s Winning

Time is almost out for Senior Gift donations, and while participation has been high, not everyone’s cheery.

The Senior Gift, taking cues from big league fund raising ventures, acknowledges hefty student donations with “century” and “associate” gift level tags for $100 and $250 contributions, respectively, kind of like donations to a municipal symphony. The practice isn’t new, but it’s drawn ire from those who say it makes class divisions a part of the feel-good fund.

Supporters tend to cite the warm and squishy feeling one gets for a special gift-giving distinction.

“The benefits of century and associate roles mean that the names of the givers will appear in the Harvard College Fund’s annual report, listed as either associate or century givers,” says Senior Gift co-chair Brooks E. Washington ’06. Associates are also invited to an annual social function in major United States cities for all associate-level givers of all graduating years, says Washington.

In the bustling Quincy dining hall, many seniors were supportive of the gift in general.

“I like Harvard a lot,” Camille I. Johnson ’06 says. “The college has a lot of money, but it also does a lot of good for its students.”

Others, though, were displeased with the benchmarking system.

“This seems like just another example of typical Harvard stratification bullshit,” says Peter K. Williams ’06.

Williams, and in fact all seven seniors FM interviewed in the DHall, have already donated, so whether it’s bullshit or not, Washington is getting his job done.

“We are doing better than they were doing last year,” he says.

Take that, ’05.