2008 Woodie Awards
The Elder Statesman: to give or not to give
Joe LaBarbera
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Opinion
You will always remember your years here at UW-Whitewater. However, should you somehow forget, Tommie Jones at the Alumni Center will have someone call you as a reminder. When the phone rings they'll also ask you for money. The big question is not should you give, but how much? I remember writing a check to the UW-Whitewater foundation for $25 shortly after I graduated. It seemed like a lot of money at the time. I guess it was back in 1984.
I was always partial to the baseball program. I never played, but some of my best memories were associated with my time doing radio play by play for the baseball team. The money wasn't big, but as the years went by the donations grew.
Just a few years ago, then Head Football Coach Bob Berezowitz came to my house and asked for some help with the new Student Activities Center. I wrote him a check for more money than I care to share here. If you want to know how much, just visit the SAC and check the plaque in the lobby. My name and my wife's name are both on it in the $1000 to $2499 range. It stung some, but I thought my experience at Cable 19 and WSUW started me off into the broadcast world with a decent push and I owed the university something for it.
Just last spring the College of Arts and Communication was raising money for its new website. It was coming up short so I agreed to write a check on the spot for half of the remaining balance needed to complete the project. Another supporter fronted the other half.
Now, I'm not so certain that giving money to this university is a good thing. It was one member of the faculty that changed my mind. I took an online course this summer and had to suffer through a series of lectures with an absolutely pathetic technical quality. I spoke to the instructor and found out the department was using a cheap, crappy two-bit mic. I went out and bought a brand new, high quality USB headset. I told the instructor I would provide more if the department needed it and went on my way. Six months later the USB headset was still in the box and the lectures were still technically inferior and difficult to listen to.
I was always partial to the baseball program. I never played, but some of my best memories were associated with my time doing radio play by play for the baseball team. The money wasn't big, but as the years went by the donations grew.
Just a few years ago, then Head Football Coach Bob Berezowitz came to my house and asked for some help with the new Student Activities Center. I wrote him a check for more money than I care to share here. If you want to know how much, just visit the SAC and check the plaque in the lobby. My name and my wife's name are both on it in the $1000 to $2499 range. It stung some, but I thought my experience at Cable 19 and WSUW started me off into the broadcast world with a decent push and I owed the university something for it.
Just last spring the College of Arts and Communication was raising money for its new website. It was coming up short so I agreed to write a check on the spot for half of the remaining balance needed to complete the project. Another supporter fronted the other half.
Now, I'm not so certain that giving money to this university is a good thing. It was one member of the faculty that changed my mind. I took an online course this summer and had to suffer through a series of lectures with an absolutely pathetic technical quality. I spoke to the instructor and found out the department was using a cheap, crappy two-bit mic. I went out and bought a brand new, high quality USB headset. I told the instructor I would provide more if the department needed it and went on my way. Six months later the USB headset was still in the box and the lectures were still technically inferior and difficult to listen to.
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fed_up
posted 2/08/08 @ 11:38 AM CST
I have to say I am fed-up with reading this tired crap from this older student.
I don't care how old you are or how much "life experience" you waste hundreds of words boasting about. (Continued…)
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