The Alumni Fund student phonathon is pulling in fewer donations than it did last year, and fewer students are volunteering to solicit money from alumni.
Alumni Fund Assistant Director Christopher Boffoli, who organized the phonathon, attributes the lower turnout rate this year to winter rush and NFL games, which are taking place at the same time.
In addition, he said, a large number of members of the Class of 1999 are currently off campus. He said that the Class of 1999 has been a very active class the previous two years, helping with the phonathon.
Four student interns -- Adrian Durbin '98, Molly Hershey '98, Anne Peterson '98 and Henry Rosevear '98 -- run the phonathon. They applied and interviewed through the College's Development Office.
Over 51 percent of Dartmouth alumni donate money to the College each year, which is much higher than at other schools, Boffoli said.
Most higher-level giving is not made through the Alumni Fund, but is given instead given in donations for specific uses.
The Alumni Fund is for "unrestricted giving," meaning that every donation goes into one account that can be used for everything from financial aid to the electric bill in a college building.
Alumni frequently engage in conversation with the callers. Some ask where the students are from, what they are interested in or even if the students are sitting somewhere where they can see the Green.
Rosevear said one woman who is applying to graduate schools happened to call an alumnus who had been on the admissions committee at one of the schools she was applying to. He gave her advice on the application process and told her to mention his name during the interview.
Sometimes alumni use the phonathon as a chance to vent their frustrations about the school, Boffoli said.
Although some alumni criticize College President James Freedman, they do not often donate money after they are told he is resigning this year.
The Dartmouth Alumni Fund acquires donations from more than 21,000 alumni each year.
Students have the option of calling certain groups of alumni, such as alumni from their hometown, alumni working in a profession the students are interested in, alumni who were in the same Greek organizations or relatives and classmates of relatives.
