To the Editor:
I wish to add to Leonard V. Smith's response to Naomi Buck's letter in the March 28 issue of the Review.
As a former financial aid student, I find nothing shameful or insulting about the initial requests or follow-up reminders that the financial aid office sent students. It is, however, shameful and insulting to donors that their generosity is ignored. It's unfortunate that some students failed to thank donors having received the first letter, making it necessary for the financial aid office to send out reminders.
An education is possibly the greatest gift that a non-relative can offer you. The people who have chosen to share their money by providing education's for low-income students are generous and intelligent. If I were one of the donors in question, I would reconsider whether my hard-earned money should go to any student who thinks that "to thank and correspond with these guys, simply because they gave money to Oberlin for financial aid" is "offensive." It is a waste to be angry with "rich" people for being rich (though, as Mr. Smith points out, not all who donate money to Oberlin necessarily fall into a high-income bracket).
If a student does not "want to be sucked into having a patron," as Ms. Buck expresses it, then he or she can reject the generosity of donors. Those donors who don't want to be thanked individually are anonymous donors. To my knowledge, it is not an option to become an anonymous receiver.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 22, April 25, 1997
Contact Review webmaster with suggestions or comments at ocreview@www.oberlin.edu.
Contact Review editorial staff at oreview@oberlin.edu.