Colleges and universities around the nation currently are grappling with how to solicit alumni donations in light of terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
As the mourning process continues, most institutions of higher learning have placed fund-raising on the back burner.
The University, in particular, is in a precarious position because of its proximity to the Pentagon.
"We want to make sure that we're being thoughtful and respectful to our alumni," said Bob Sweeney, University vice president of development.
Sweeney said the University is taking steps to ensure fund-raising procedures are appropriate.
"We will not contact anyone who lives in the states directly affected by this," he said. "We really want to be a leader in this situation."
The affected states include New York, New Jersey and portions of Northern Virginia and Maryland, where many people are directly affected by events.
Despite the nation's preoccupation with the tragedy, rates of giving to the University through phone-a-thons have actually increased in the last week, according to University President John T. Casteen III.
The University also temporarily is changing the way donations are solicited.
Usually, solicitors will travel to areas with high concentrations of alumni. Because of concerns over whether such a policy will prove itself appropriate because of recent events, however, solicitors now are making appointments with prospective donors by phone before making personal visits to private homes or offices.
Aside from making exceptions for the needs of potential donors, the University also is paying attention to employee concerns.
The University is working to support employees who are required to travel around the country soliciting donations. For example, the University is making it easier to find alternate means of transportation for employees who may be wary of air travel, particularly cross-country trips.
Other universities also are changing fund-raising plans in response to the terrorist attacks.
"We are postponing all fund-raising," said Abigail Franklin, director of annual funds for the College at Columbia University. "I have been in touch with a number of other New York schools and there will be no telemarketing or mailings."
Franklin said programs to raise money for the American Red Cross and other relief organizations, which aim to help clean-up efforts and victims' families, are taking priority over fund-raising for many colleges.
Officials at Emerson College said they are also facing obstacles in gathering donations from affected states.
"Considering we have campuses in Los Angeles and Boston, we're in a very tough position," Emerson College Fund Coordinator Emily Lane said. "We delayed all mailings until after Yom Kippur and revised our telemarketing scripts."
"We do not want to offend anyone or appear insensitive," she added. "Our students still have a great need, perhaps now more than ever"
Read More
PBS NewsHour correspondent speaks on bringing humanity to international conflict
By Grace Little | 22 hours agoSchifrin's work exploring Putin’s Russia, his coverage of COVID-19 and his reporting in Afghanistan and Ukraine have earned him various accolades.
Spring meal swipe drive aims to tackle food insecurity at the University
By Nicolas Biernacki | YesterdayU.Va. Dine facilitated the drive by converting each meal swipe donated by a student into one pound of food that is then donated to the CFP.
Winsome Earle-Sears talks higher education in first U.Va. event of the campaign
By Ford McCracken | 2 days agoA Jamaican immigrant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Earle-Sears is the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia,
