Class Gift

To the Editors of The Crimson:

There aren't many of them. They're here but you don't see or hear from them very often. We like to think of them as the future freeloaders of America--those who selfishly gnarl at the hand that optimistically feeds them. John Yoo's editorial of April 12 is the cry of one of these embittered students.

It did not matter that students before him had contributed directly to his education by donating to the academic and extracurricular programs in which he participated, (to say nothing of the facilities he used or the faculty members who instructed him.) It did not matter that roughly 70 percent of all Harvard and Radcliffe students might not have been able to attend this University without this generosity of alumni and alumnae and those soon to be.

Mr. Yoo suffers from some unfortunate misconceptions. First, the endowment of the University is not "mostly restricted"; its principal cannot be touched under any circumstances. The interest generated by it accounts for only 20 percent of the budget of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Fortunately, Harvard places a higher priority on subsidizing the education of the student who cannot afford to attend this University or any other than on cleaning Mr. Yoo's "stinking bathroom." Like the Harvard-Radcliffe Fund, we agree that the familiar Marxist-Leninist maxim, "...each according to his ability, to each according to his needs," applies quite well to Harvard-Radlcliffe's admissions policy.

Mr. Yoo also did not understand that the main goal of the Senior Gift for Undergraduate Education is to achieve the highest possible participation rate, not the highest dollar amount. Thus, every gift to SGUE is significant because every gift is a symbol of support for all the opportunities we have been offered in the last four years.

On one point, Mr. Yoo is quite correct. The university is hoping to instill the habit of giving in all of us. Because government grants, tuition and the endowment do not cover fully the costs incurred by the FAS, philanthropy must cover roughly 20 percent.

Finally, Mr. Yoo believes that fundraising is the lowly activity of "public relations flaks." Harvard-Radcliffe would not be here without them, nor would be many of the programs to which we have had access.

Seniors, if anyone asks you for a gift, give it some thought. Think about the opportunities Harvard-Radcliffe offered you. Think about what seniors in the past gave to you and what you can give to seniors in the future. It's always fun to spend a little on ourselves, but it will also feel good to spend a little on someone else. Jack L. Orchard   Nancy L. Slotnick   Co-Chairpersons of the Senior Gift