Hoping to leave a lasting impression on the UCLA community
““ which could even involve a martini or two ““ the class
of 2003 is surveying its members as they choose their class
gift.
With four potential class gifts on the ballot, including funding
for an on-campus pub in Ackerman Union, the senior class gift will
be announced May 3 at the Young Alumni Reunion.
The three other gifts on the ballot include: a library for UCLA
Child Care Services, a lifetime e-mail service for Bruin alumni,
and preservation of old books in the UCLA Library. UCLA seniors,
who submitted the various gift ideas, also have the opportunity to
vote for their choice online, or at various senior events.
The class of 2003, which is hoping to have at least 50 percent
of their class participate, is suggesting a $20 donation to go
toward the gift.
The possible beneficiaries would also like to see enthusiastic
senior participation.
To the Associated Students of UCLA, the potential class gift
would be a welcome stream of income to fund the Cooperage
renovation ““ even if only 10 percent of the total amount is
raised, said Student Union Director Jerry Mann.
The total cost of renovating the Cooperage, which includes the
addition of an on-campus pub and revamping central campus eateries,
would be $4.5 million.
“We’re always grateful for the donation” Mann
said.
In 2000, the graduating senior class donated $15,000 to renovate
the third-floor Kerckhoff study lounge. And while ASUCLA took
advantage of the extra money to pay for new lighting, Internet
access and new furniture for the lounge, the total cost of the
renovation exceeded $100,000, Mann said.
The student union isn’t the only campus site that receives
class gift donations.
Various classes over the years have enhanced the UCLA community,
in both aesthetics and services.
The class of 1981 donated $5,000 to the UCLA Child Care Center
to lower the cost of child care and an additional $5,000 ten years
later, said Gay Macdonald, executive director of UCLA Child Care
Services. If granted the gift funds, the center, which provides
early care and education for children, plans to create a family
library to house books on child development, Macdonald said.
“The early years are so developmental and we don’t
get a lot of information about child development,” Macdonald
said. “(The donation) would help us provide essential child
care for our diverse community.”
Meanwhile, the UCLA Library is looking to diversify their
collection by implementing a book preserve to house rare books. If
the library raises $750,000, with or without class gift support,
the Andrew Mellon Foundation will match the fund, said Laila
Rashid, library director of development. The preserve will be
located at the Southern Regional Library Facility on campus.
Rashid said the library would benefit tremendously if they
became the beneficiary of the class gift.
“We’ve built some of the best collections in the
world, but we get little or no money from the state to help
preserve them,” Rashid said.
The books, whose pages get worn and torn over the years, are in
need of a preserve, Rashid said.
“They’re the crown jewels of the university,
they’re our precious resources,” Rashid said.
Another potential class gift, the lifetime alumni e-mail
service, could be useful to UCLA students after they graduate.
The current UCLA e-mail service typically terminates after
students graduate. By extending the service, proponents of the gift
idea hope to provide communication with fellow alumni.
http://www.classof2003.ucla.edu/