To the Editor:
Let me first thank you for deciding to cover what is a very important program for the Alumni Fund and for Dartmouth. But I was slightly disappointed with the coverage of the Student Telethon. ["Alumni telethon to begin Sunday," January 10, 1997, The Dartmouth]
I hoped the article would let students know what the Telethon is about and what benefit it has for Dartmouth. The unrestricted funds raised help to bridge the gap between the part of a Dartmouth education that is not covered by tuition. Other benefits for the student callers include free food, great prizes, and the opportunity to speak with successful alumni.
To some extent you did this, but it may have been more useful to have interviewed some students who have worked for the telethon before, in order to get their point of view as a caller.
I was curious to know why you chose to conclude the article by indicating that the 1995 Telethon failed to reach its goal when the most recent Telethon in 1996 surpassed its goal to set a new record of $518,246. Telethon goals are arbitrary. They are based on a standard expected increase from the previous year. If you average the total dollars raised from the year the Telethon began in 1977, it has risen steadily from its first year total of $13,376.
In addition, the performance of the Telethon in terms of dollars depends on both which classes are called and level at which the alumni in those classes give. The order of these factors can cause wide swings in dollar amounts.
Finally, the number of students who actually show up to call makes all the difference. That's why the upcoming coverage of this event will be very important in creating excitement and sustaining momentum for this program, I just wanted to make all of these relevant points clear. Thank you.
