For the fourth year in a row, the senior class gift will take the form of a monetary donation to the UCLA Fund.
This year, however, is the first that seniors have the option of choosing the specific areas their money will go to. There are over 60 areas to choose from, including individual departments, professional schools and the UCLA Hammer Museum.
Melissa Bersofsky, director of young alumni and senior class giving, said this new option is meant to allow seniors to give specifically to “the areas that mean most to them.”
The change will help them to personalize their contribution, Bersofsky said.
“(Seniors) can sort of leave their own personal legacy at UCLA,” she said of the new option.
One other option is giving to the Chancellor’s Greatest Needs, which is “the most flexible money,” Bersofsky said, and is used at the chancellor’s discretion.
The option is a popular cause among this year’s graduating seniors, Bersofsky said, possibly because it can be used to cover unexpected expenses.
“Seniors are certainly understanding the importance of flexible funds,” she said.
Jamie Lee, senior gift committee chairman and fifth-year business economics student, said he is especially familiar with the UCLA Fund from his involvement in the Call Center, which works year-round to get donations for the fund.
The fund helps maintain UCLA’s quality and high reputation, he said.
“These gifts make us more competitive in the academic world … not only to the students, but also to potential faculty,” Lee said.
The last nonmonetary senior class gift, given in 2003, was lifetime UCLA e-mail forwarding.
This year the giving committee’s goal is to raise $100,000. As of Monday, they had raised $60,000 with 1,136 seniors donating, Bersofsky said.
There are over 9,000 students graduating this year, she said, and if each donated the committee’s suggested $20.07 (for 2007), they would reach $192,000, she said.
The senior gift giving committee held events such as Senior Week and Senior Chill ““ where seniors received free Jamba Juice, cocktail shakers and coupons ““ to help promote the gift.
Since only 15 percent of UCLA’s budget comes from state funds, the UCLA Fund is an essential cause, she said.
“Eighty-five percent of the funds that make UCLA run come from private gifts” such as alumni and senior gifts, she said.
Lee said he believes many students don’t know how heavily the university relies on private funding.
“The general misconception is that tuition covers a lot of our budget, but it really doesn’t,” he said.
Fay Gordon, a fourth-year political science and world arts and cultures student, said she believes some seniors find it difficult to donate due to graduation costs.
“I think that we’re graduating college, and we have so many impending costs upon graduation … it’s a little bit of a challenge (to donate),” she said.
Gordon said she chose to purchase a lifetime membership to the UCLA Alumni Association instead of making a donation as a means to stay connected to the university postgraduation.
“I think the senior class gift is a really great idea, but … for me, I had to choose between that or becoming an Alumni Association member and … I thought the lifetime membership would be more beneficial,” she said.
The UCLA Fund also works with the Alumni Association, putting on events throughout the year to help connect both past and present students, Bersofsky said.
Lee said he believes that giving to the senior class gift also helps foster a connection with the university despite its large size.
“Because we have so many alumni, we don’t have that private-school feel where everybody’s connected after we graduate,” Lee said. “Giving back to UCLA gives (people) that connection right away.”
Many campus programs are made possible by the UCLA Fund, such as Powell Library’s laptop lending program and many student groups, Lee said.
Many students consider their student fees or tuition as donation enough, Lee said, but pointed out private school tuition is much higher, so UCLA relies more on donations.
“Students here feel like they’ve already paid too much in tuition. … We haven’t even spent close to what (private school students) spend,” he said.
Seniors can donate to the class gift at seniorclassgiving.ucla.edu until June 30.