Campaign for Change is an organization involved with university philanthropy. It helps create scholarship funds for students attending Kent State, as well as other programs. The process works like this: You make a donation of any dollar amount to the site, which then qualifies you to apply for a scholarship you may earn through the program. As a student of Kent State, this is 100 percent fantastic. Who wouldn’t want free money?

The issue I’d like to point out, however, is not the question, “Who wants free money?” The thing to consider here is, who on campus can donate when we are all affected by the recession?

Of course, just because I pose this question doesn’t mean I’m against this organization. In fact, it is quite the opposite situation. I wish this advertisement would expand beyond Kent State and into the rest of Portage County. I think it is vital that we go past South Water and East Main streets and into the local communities with mailers to try to gain as much funding as possible. That is just a suggestion. There are plenty of other great ideas as well.

Why do I bring this up? It is simple. For the past month and a half, there have been poster advertisements and fliers being handed out to Kent State students to donate money for these scholarships. It is a great idea for students to learn how to give back to the school, but when everybody is done paying an estimated $16,670 to cover tuition, room and board, who is going to have money left to donate?

The answer? Not a whole lot of students. What does that translate to? Not a whole lot of scholarship money.

Of course, the dollar amount that can be donated doesn’t have to be extreme. They’re not asking for everybody to break the bank for a Kent State fundraising program. It’s all about donating what you can for a good cause – student scholarships. If you are a student who can donate, then donate. The good certainly outweighs the bad that comes out of this simple deed. If you are a student who can’t donate, it’s understandable. It’s a tough time for everybody, but let’s at least help the cause by passing the word to friends and relatives who have jobs and could possibly help our school. It would do a lot of good just mentioning the program than taking fliers that the students hand out and throwing them in the garbage. Let’s put ourselves in a better situation and get anybody and everybody involved, rather than just chasing our own tails.

Eddie Kilroy is a sophomore communication studies major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected]