IU asks seniors to donate before leaving

IU seniors will get one last chance to do something Hoosiers do best: compete against Purdue. The IU Foundation is sponsoring Senior Face Off, a fundraising drive that began Monday and ends Friday. The face off will encourage seniors from both campuses to make donations to their soon-to-be alma maters and declare the school with the highest percentage of donating seniors the winner.\n"It is ... where seniors from IU and Purdue try to raise money within the senior class," said Nathan McCarthy, the IU Foundation annual fund associate. "(We get) donations ... and whoever wins gets the pride of winning."\nMoney collected by the Foundation at IU can be designated to go to a specific school or program. Senior Adam Helton, session assistant at IU Telefund and a caller for the Senior Face Off program in 2003, said this makes the gift better for seniors.\n"(Seniors) are able to give back whatever they want in the school or academic unit ... they feel passionate about," he said. "The money goes where they want it to go. It's up to the individual caller."\nThe face off is now in its third year, and IU has both prior competitions. \n"We have won past two years, and we're trying to go for the third year in a row," McCarthy said.\nLast year, IU won the face off by a narrow margin of 0.2 percent, with 16.4 percent of the senior class of 2003 giving.\nMcCarthy said the Foundation is hoping to get around 20 percent of seniors to donate this year. \n"As far as growth, we'd like to have more seniors participate in the program. One thing we like to emphasize is we realize (seniors are) getting ready to start a job. It's not the amount that counts, it's the participation," he said. "The tuition we pay does not cover the entire cost (of attending). Gifts from alumni and friends help fill that gap along with state funding. It pays for that chair you sit in or the technology getting updated."\nThe winner of the face off is determined by the percentage of seniors who donate, not by who brings in the most money. Theoretically, the school that raises the most money could still lose the drive based on participation.\nIU Student Foundation President Vince DeFazio said he hopes the program will eventually become an annual event for IU seniors.\n"I hope that it takes off," he said. "It's still in its premature stage, but I hope the program really builds and is a good competition between IU and Purdue."\nHelton encourages seniors to give back so future students can enjoy the same privileges current students do.\n"Everyone stops at Woodburn to use computers. All that stuff goes through programs and campaigns like this," Helton said. "We're not asking for a lot of money, and it doesn't matter how much you give, just that you give."\nDeFazio echoed Helton's thoughts.\n"This school has provided so much for us and supported us all the way through," he said. "Donating back to the University is a great way to leave your legacy and give students coming here and already here the opportunity to have the same privileges we do.\n"I think if you get seniors while they're still here to get in the mindset of donating money, (they'll realize it) is a good thing, and hopefully when they become alumni, they will have the same mentality and want to give."\nMcCarthy agreed. "The reason we ask seniors is because it's a good habit to get in, to start giving to your university right away," he said. "The help is needed and very much appreciated."\nThe final results will be tabulated and reported by May 7. To check out the school's latest standing, visit http://iufoundation.iu.edu/seniorfaceoff/.\nSeniors who want to donate to the face off can give by saying "yes" to a student caller from the IU Telefund, by donating at the Senior Face Off table at the Senior Salute Thursday at the DeVault Alumni Center or by visiting http://www.indiana.edu/~iuf/seniorfaceoff/gift.html.\n-- Contact assistant copy chief Brittany Hite at bhite@indiana.edu.