Seniors vote for a lifetime of e-mail
By Jamie Hsiung
May 6, 2003 9:00 p.m.
To the class of 2003, prospects of convenient communication
after graduation have a greater appeal than images of UCLA students
sipping wine in Ackerman Union.
This year, seniors who are on the verge of graduation voted to
make lifetime e-mail service for UCLA students the official class
gift of 2003.
Other potential gifts on the ballot included funding for an
on-campus pub in Ackerman Union, a library for UCLA Child Care
Services and preservation for old books at the UCLA library.
The e-mail service ““ the only gift on the ballot which
would still benefit students even after graduation ““ will
enable Bruins to retain their current UCLA e-mail address after
commencement.
The current system terminates the e-mail addresses after
graduation.
Fourth-year psychology student Katherine Gallagher, who is part
of the UCLA Fund’s Class of 2003 Gift Volunteer Committee, is
happy with the class’s decision to have a lifetime e-mail
system.
“The e-mail and the pub were the two competing class
gifts,” she said. “But the e-mail is going to be very
useful in the future for future Bruins. … It’s going to
help people stay connected.”
The UCLA Fund is the official organization that oversees the
senior class gift project, a responsibility which includes
everything from narrowing down senior suggestions to creating a
volunteer committee.
The volunteer committee helped promote class gift voting by
tabling at various senior events, including ice cream and In-n-Out
parties.
Gallagher is also pleased with the vast amount of seniors who
voted for the gift this year. According to the UCLA Fund, this
year’s participation of over 3,000 seniors was
record-breaking.
The sky-high number of seniors who participated in the class
gift decision is also significant because it means that one of the
committee’s goals ““ senior awareness ““ was met,
Gallagher said.
“Considering how big our school is, those numbers are
amazing. I’m actually very proud,” she said.
Gift options were determined by input from the senior class, the
volunteer committee and the university, according to the UCLA
Fund.
The pool of possible gift ideas was then condensed onto the
ballot based on the number of seniors who suggested the same idea
and the feasibility of the implementation, according to the UCLA
Fund.
On April 1, the UCLA Fund and the volunteer committee finalized
the ballot, and the actual voting for the potential class gift
began online.
Reactions to the final class gift decision varies among the UCLA
student community. Fourth-year political science student Connie
Nguyen said she would have voted for funding the pub instead of the
e-mail service.
“It seems like a good place to relax on campus,” she
said. “The e-mail sounds interesting, too, but we’re
talking about the college demography here: e-mail and alcohol
““ let’s be realistic here,” she said.
Though the majority of seniors may be pleased with the lifetime
e-mail system, the selection comes at a cost to some of the other
potential gifts on the ballot.
The UCLA Child Care Center was dependent on class gift funds to
launch the family library, which would provide books on child
development, said Gay Macdonald, executive director of UCLA Child
Care Services.
“We were really hoping this would be the beginning ““
the seed money ““ for the project,” Macdonald said.
Though the center will not be receiving class gift funds this
year, Macdonald is still hopeful that funding for the project could
show up next year ““ through one means or another.
“Since they have the e-mail system now, I’ll just
e-mail them to ask if they want to make donations to contribute to
the family library,” Macdonald said.
To the UCLA Fund, the next item on the agenda is actually
getting senior donations to support the gift.
Though the Fund is hoping to raise $30,000 to pay for the e-mail
system, senior participation is once again the main focus. The UCLA
Fund suggests a $20.03 donation from each senior to commemorate the
year.
