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USU student rings in the moolah for university development By
Amy Hayes Imagine this; an athletic female dressed as the famous St. Pauli Girl, wearing a green Scandinavian style dress and a life preserver, rowing down a river prompting the tourist in the boat of what to do when the boat reaches the rapids that lie shortly ahead. Now imagine that same young lady, without the costume this time, as a manager of Utah State University's Phonathon, which is responsible for raising some of the financial support the university relies on. Jesse Paulson puts away her goofy costume, her pair of Teevas and her raft at the end of each summer for a more conservative role throughout the school year by picking up the phone. The phonathon is a collection of students, working for the Development Office, that call USU alumni and parents of current students in order to establish relationships and ask for donations. Jesse has worked at the phonathon for the past three years, two of which as the student manager. "The phonathon is a laid back job that works well with class schedules," Paulson said. "It is also a great way to get advice from alumni and help USU achieve financial goals." The phonathon calls Monday to Thursday evenings from 5:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. during the school year. The students call for seven of the eight colleges and the two libraries at USU. The callers call from Old Main and contact alumni and parents all over the country. This year the phonathon has called for and completed campaigns for the Education, Business and Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences departments reaching the goals that were set by phonathon management and the different departments administration. The phonathon raised $39,453 for the College of Education, $48,282 for the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and $57,190 for the College of Business this year. "We set a goal and they surpassed it. They are a great group of people to work with," said Wes Boman, development director for the College of Education. Currently, the phonathon is calling for the Merrill and Science and Technology libraries. They reached $73,211 during the first three weeks that they called for this years campaign and they will continue to call after the holidays, when school returns, from January 7-January 18. The phonathon callers call parents of students during the libraries campaign, and when they call for the different departments they call alumni of each department. State funding for higher education institutions is not covering the cost of running these institutions, so development and fundraising are becoming more and more crucial for schools in Utah and the phonathon lends a helping hand. The USU libraries really suffer with the amount they are allocated from state funding and depend on the support of friends and family members of students attending USU. "The generosity of parents, alumni and friends of the university are the key reason USU is the school it is today," said Lucia Rhodes, supervisor of the USU phonathon. "The university public just doesn't realize how different this school would be without this crucial support," Rhodes said. According to John Elsweiler, interim director of libraries, federal spending on libraries totals only 54 cents per person, that is less than the cost of two postage stamps. College libraries receive less than 3 cents of every dollar spent on higher education, Elsweiler said. "If the cost of gas had risen as fast as the academic library materials, since 1980, it would cost over $5 a gallon to fuel your car," said Trina Shelton, administrator of fundraising for USU libraries. Huge foundations and businesses contribute to the libraries also. But without parents, alumni and friends USU wouldn't receive this help either. Big businesses willing to contribute look at the statistics of giving from parents, friends and especially alumni to arrive at the decision to contribute to one school instead of another. Students at Utah State University seem to look at the libraries on campus as a great place to get some studying done, but in fact, according to the USU libraries statistics 6,489 people visit the libraries and 1,665 books are checked out on a typical day. "Even though I am a graphic design major, I have used both of the libraries on campus a lot and really understand why they need the support they do. I am glad that I can be a part of achieving their goals," Paulson said. Jesse decided to go to USU because it was a family school and is very happy with her decision. Jesse will graduate in graphic design next spring and hopes to work for Real Simple, a magazine. She feels like her time at the phonathon has prepared her for the real world by helping her overcome objections and improving her interpersonal communication skills. "Being a manager for the phonathon has really tested me by requiring me to treat everyone the same and be fair. I definitely have my favorites and I have to watch that," Paulson said. As for river guiding, Jesse plans to return to the Green River next summer where she will continue to amuse tourists with her unusual attire. Jesse became interested in river guiding because her father was a guide in the same area where she guides and she grew up spending time on different rivers all over the world. Because of her father's business, Jesse and her family have lived in many different places including Texas, Alaska, Wyoming and Norway enabling her to attended three different high schools. "Utah State and the phonathon have become my home away from home," Paulson said.
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