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AIBU?

Furious about my old college asking for money

132 replies

derxa · 06/04/2017 19:19

I had a call from someone from my teacher training college asking for money. A very posh young lady called up asking for my experiences after training... asking for advice... blah blah blah. I gave my honest responses fool Eventually she asked for £20 per month for student support. I feel soiled tbh.

OP posts:

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Leeds2 · 06/04/2017 20:11

elephant, my DD is at uni in the States now (freshman) and I get emails asking for money all the time!

Lules · 06/04/2017 20:12

Mine does this and has done at least since i was a student. Never bothered me. I tend not to answer the calls anyway and when I have and told them I didn't want to donate they didn't make a fuss or anything. Plenty of my friends do donate. I think they send you a letter with other alumni stuff before they start calling which has a form to opt out.

elephantcuddles · 06/04/2017 20:15

Leeds, you already get them asking you for money? That's unacceptable IMO. They at least could have waited til she graduates! Greedy universities. IMO it's a bit worse for US universiities to ask for handouts because we are stuck paying the student loans whether we make a certain amount or not.

honeylulu · 06/04/2017 20:16

This is quite common. The first time it happened I said I'd make a one off donation and if they only rang me every three years I'd probably donate each time. They have and so I have (the amount had increased).
They need the money and students need the money, it was much much easier for me doing a "free" degree in the 90s and I'm grateful.

derxa · 06/04/2017 20:17

This is because Homerton is a Cambridge University college so it's fairly endemic within the college culture there. No one is phoning alumni from North London Poly.

OP posts:

Leeds2 · 06/04/2017 20:18

Yes, elephant, I do! I was a little surprised given she has only been there since the end of August!

Wayfarersonbaby · 06/04/2017 20:20

If I had enough money, I would do it (but I now teach in HE, so I am not of the income level that has cash to spare ) My alma mater knows this, so I never get any calls

I would do it only because I did my degree before the fees came in, and now I know how lucky I was, and how much my degree was subsidised by the college itself.

My own students have eye watering levels of debt - many will graduate with 60k+ debt in fees and loans. My old college is pretty good at giving out bursaries and student support for poorer students with the money they get. (Where I work now is another matter, I wouldn't give them any money....)

Funding in HE is pretty dire at the moment. If your old-college-with-an-H is the one I think it is, OP, they are pretty good with student support. And I can tell approximately your income level from the amount they have asked you to contribute. Is there any ideological reason you don't want to?

tygr · 06/04/2017 20:21

My old college does this every year. I think I might've once given a one off donation but tbh now I usually miss the calls accidentally on purpose and don't feel bad about it. I don't have enough spare money to give them any and they do ok with wealthy benefactors.

elephantcuddles · 06/04/2017 20:22

Leeds, I'm sorry to hear that. I would ignore them if I were you. That is really disgusting. It's so expensive to get started in uni to begin with and then to ask for handouts on top of that... gross.

I hope she is enjoying it in the states though!

londonrach · 06/04/2017 20:23

Dh and i get the same begging letter from our uni on the same day since we left. We bin them unopened now.

Stripeymug · 06/04/2017 20:23

Alumni fund-raising is a large part of income for colleges and universities'

Judydreamsofhorses · 06/04/2017 20:23

I asked to be removed from the database.

carefreeeee · 06/04/2017 20:23

Many unis do it. Mine does. I just tell them I'll pay off my £15,000 loan first

Andrewofgg · 06/04/2017 20:24

I told mine not to do it again, please, and they have not done.

Bohemond · 06/04/2017 20:31

I'm really happy to contribute to funds to support students that need extra help at my old college. I am where I am now because of the education and support I received.

Beardsareweird · 06/04/2017 20:39

I also had a call from a student at my old Uni and had a lovely chat. I was more than happy to give a teener a month to help less fortunate students- why wouldn't I?

Beardsareweird · 06/04/2017 20:39

*tenner

SomeDyke · 06/04/2017 20:51

"A very posh young lady called up asking for my experiences after training... asking for advice... blah blah blah. "
Same thing happened to me, and I spent quite a while on the phone whilst at work offering advice and talking to the student who claimed to be interested into moving into my current field of study.

When, at the end, it suddenly turned into a request for money I was totally livid (not at the student!).

I complained to my Oxford college, made sure they removed me from any such nonsense in future, and they certainly won't be getting any of my money with such dodgy tactics. I felt scammed and duped and just plain angry that they (and many others as well) have now resorted to such tactics.

Chottie · 06/04/2017 20:52

DH went to an Oxbridge college as a scholar and regularly gives money. Having a Physics degree from that college helped him become very successful and he knows that the Oxbridge kudos helped him a lot in his career. None of our DC are likely to go to his old college, not driven or academic enough but he appreciates the benefits he received. He didn't start giving until he was in his 40s. He doesn't give any money to his school although he received a scholarship there too.

East - that is great :)

20nil · 06/04/2017 20:53

They all do it now. I think a lot of them do it badly, but it does work. Lots of people give small amounts but it all adds up, and it gets people on their books and involved. I've written to my old colleges to ask them not to contact me. One still does and it drives me nuts.

PossumInAPearTree · 06/04/2017 20:57

This is because Homerton is a Cambridge University college so it's fairly endemic within the college culture there. No one is phoning alumni from North London Poly

I can promise you they are and have been for over 20 years!

Hamsolo · 06/04/2017 20:58

I don't mind it. Like a pp I received hardship funds while I was there and now I'm in the fortunate position to be able to spare it I don't mind bunging them £20 a month to pay it back.

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ATailofTwoKitties · 06/04/2017 20:59

I tend to say, 'Oh hello ! How about I tell you I'll send in my usual tenner, and then we have the chat, because that way we can both just have a proper talk?'

Usually we then have a really pleasant discussion about something utterly random - Latin education in state schools, shoaling behaviour of squid, that sort of thing. The more brazen ones suggest I might like to give them a bit more than that. Tough.

Solasum · 06/04/2017 21:01

I was a bit surprised when I started receiving alumni magazines from my first university in the mail to my current workplace, having certainly never provided any such details to my college or anyone else. I have given just once for a specific request to the university library.

Leeds2 · 06/04/2017 21:01

Thanks, elephant! She is having an absolutely brilliant time.

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