The Alumni Fund student telethon, which ended last night, shattered all previous records this year, with 400 student callers raising a total of more than $568,700.
"'Shattering' is the word we like to use," said Alumni Fund Student Intern Sam Keating '97. "This is the most we've raised in the 21 year history of the telethon."
Thousands of alumni were contacted, and Dartmouth was given 5,621 pledges.
The money raised goes to Dartmouth's current use fund and supports financial aid, LSAs, FSPs and other programs that directly affect students.
Ten percent of the College's operating budget is comprised of proceeds from the telethon, Keating said.
The key factor in the telethon's success was the high level of student participation. "We were really happy to see how strong the support of the students was," Keating said.
Assistant Director of the Alumni Fund Christopher Boffoli said, "There were some nights when people were waiting in line to call."
Carolyn Abruzzo '97, another student intern, said the steering committee comprised of about 40 seniors who helped organize the telethon was responsible for the unusually high turnout.
"Our steering committee helped us with the logistics and with rallying support among various houses and organizations," Abruzzo said. The committee also solicited prizes for the student volunteers.
Greek houses, COSO organizations and UGA groups were all encouraged by the committee to sign up for calling shifts. "On every given night, we had three or four groups making calls," Abruzzo said.
Boffoli said the alumni response was overwhelmingly friendly and enthusiastic. However, he said, "A few people use it as an opportunity to vent" about whatever irks them about Dartmouth.
Sometimes the student callers attempt to reach an alumnus or alumna only to find out he or she is deceased. The alumni records are then updated to reflect the information.
There are sometimes unexpected fringe benefits to being a student caller. One student was even offered a job.
The alumna called by Matt Richardson '97 liked his voice so much that she offered him a job with a new telecommunications company in Hanover.
