Art
Student art auction supports Bates remodeling
by Lee Webster
Tuesday November 15, 2005
At a school where the student body is often perceived as apathetic and uninvolved, there is a movement to get students to stop complaining and start taking action to make improvements. Junior Katy Dull and Sophomore Drew Snyder, the organizers of the first annual Student Art Auction, see the student body as untapped potential in the fundraising efforts of the school.
"It isn’t that the administration is antagonistic towards student ideas, there just isn’t the means. The lack of money is what’s preventing everything we desire from happening," Dull said.
The organizers want the student body to understand that the school needs better funding before it can meet all their demands.
The Student Art Auction—which took place over family weekend— was an idea hatched through Dull’s conversations with her parents who are very involved in the fundraising efforts of the school. In her later conversations with Snyder, they developed the idea of an auction, which would serve the dual function of supporting student artists and raising money for the school.
The auction raised over $4,000, half of which the student artists donated to the school’s fund for Bates. The show was held in Bates in an effort to draw parents and alums down to the building to see how far it has come in the renovations and how far it still needs to go.
The new student spaces in Bates, most of which were scheduled for completion this fall, are still under construction. "Bates is such a priority for the school. They’re moving forward, but are still actively seeking funds," said Elise Schramm, director of parent giving, who worked closely with the students in organizing the event. "It’s the logical place where the show would take place and where it would focus for raising money," said Snyder of the Bates space.
The new Bates is intended to provide a much-needed social and activity center on campus, fostering a greater sense of community for students. The building is intended to be the future hub of student activities, housing the offices of Student Affairs, Career Counseling, Community Partnerships and College Events, as well as a student spiritual space, a party space, music performance space, the new coffee house, common ground and publications spaces and other student spaces.
"Sarah Lawrence is such a community-driven idea, but there’s too much of a disconnect between the students, alumni and administration," Dull said.
The two students believe that getting the student body involved in fundraising will encourage understanding of the reality of the school’s financial situation as well as empower the students to get more involved in the obtaining and distribution of funds. Fundraising is an important issue this year as the school struggles to increase endowment and ensure the sustainability of the college.
Tuition does not cover the costs of running a college and most schools rely on a significant endowment to close the gap. Sarah Lawrence’s endowment is considerably less than many liberal arts colleges and raising funds is critical.
Dull and Snyder want to get the word out about student participation in fundraising. "You don’t have to donate a lot, it matters how many people are donating. The number of people giving back goes to organizations and makes it more likely that the school will get grants," Snyder said.
Dull and Snyder hope to start a student group that will work with the administration and the office of College Resources to develop ways to raise money that are student directed.
"We’re Sarah Lawrence. We need to be thinking of cool in-teractive ways to raise funds. We could follow the model of other schools, but that would be chipping away at what we are. That we are not mainstream is our saving grace and our downfall, so we need to wrack our brains for new ways to raise money," said Snyder about their plans for the group.
A group geared towards fundraising and development would also give students more control in the allocation of funds and the process of development. Dull and Snyder have the greater Sarah Lawrence community in mind and they hope to develop more personal connections with alumni. They want to make the fundraising process new and innovative.
"We don’t want people to write a check and have that be it. We want donors to put a face to the campus and have them involved with the students," said Snyder.
Dull added, "People appreciate creative fundraising efforts, it’s really easy to do if you just think about it. And it’s a way for students to showcase their talents, do what they’re passionate about, and get money for the school."
Dull and Snyder hope that their efforts, along with the work of others, will create a school where students don’t feel disempowered or ignored by the administration, but will understand the financial workings of an academic institution and be able to actively work to get the funds to improve their school.
