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Iowa Greek Express, 1971
The Iowa Greek Express, Vol. 4 Page 5
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iowa alumni foundation The Iowa Alumni foundation is probably best known for its bright posters dispensing such vital telephone numbers such as Little Ceasars, Studdent Health, and Burge Hall. This, however, is not its only function. Headed by Executive Director Darrell Wyrick, the foundation takes charge of soliciting and utilizing all alumni contributions toward scholarships, loans, and university expansion. Through letters, phone campaigns, and personal contact, the foundation and volunteer alumni canvass Iowa graduates to request donations. Letters and phone calls often result in numerous five to ten dollar contributions. Larger amounts, however, such as are being used toward the art museum and library, come most frequently from personal calls on the alum, Wyrick explains. "Sometimes we take the dean of the college, or department head along with us, the president of the university, and other times we do it strictly on our own. It just depends on what we're trying to do. Nearly every major gift has come as a result of some personal approach by someone from the university." Last year, alumni donations totaled 1.2 million dollars. Though this assistance is a relatively small per centage of the total university income, Wyrick feels it is "something that is extremely important because the funds come in areas for which state funds or federal funds aren't used many areas of scholarship special emergency funds, loans, and certain kinds of research projects. They are needs which are great, but which, if they were met by state funds, would probably be a great delay." Included in the list of famous University of Iowa alumni are such celebrities as Tennessee Williams, George Gallup, film make Charles Gugenheim, screenwriter Richard Maibaum, and playwrite and television producer Norman Felton--in recent years a generous supporter of the university. Most of these people, however, are not among the major contributors, says Wyrick. "You find that the major gifts to the university do not come from the people who you would think. it's the lady-- maybe the retired school-teacher--who, instead of giving 5% of her 50 million dollar estate to the university, gives all of her $200,000 estate. This is the type of person from whom most of the major gifts come from, not the recognized multi-millionaires." Though no actual statistics have been compiled, it is Mr. Wyrick's supposition that a major portion of the contributions come from those who were at one time a part of the Greek system. "We have no way statistically of proving that either way. My inclination might be to say that by and large people who are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority, on the average, a higher per cent of them contribute to the foundation and their gifts might be larger, but as far as I know we have never made a study of it." If such a tendancy does exist, Wyrick feels that it is because Greeks have become closer to the university in their four years, than have independents. "I would say that in the past, prior to the last five years, a higher per cent of Greeks than independents were active in campus affairs, so that they became involved in extracurricular activities, and worked with a lot of people on the campus and probably formed a closer affiliation for it. "My inclination would be that a lot of people who are in the Greek system are by and large active on the campus, normally they're willing to be active after they leave." Photo by Kelly A MEMBER OF BETA THETA PI SELLING EASTER LILLIES FOR THE EASTER SEAL FUND Every spring, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Gamma Phi sorority work together to sell Easter Lillies. The project is done as a philanthropy project. The Beta's spent all day Thursday, April 8, selling lillies to the shoppers in downtown Iowa City. All proceeds go to the Easter Seal Fund.
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iowa alumni foundation The Iowa Alumni foundation is probably best known for its bright posters dispensing such vital telephone numbers such as Little Ceasars, Studdent Health, and Burge Hall. This, however, is not its only function. Headed by Executive Director Darrell Wyrick, the foundation takes charge of soliciting and utilizing all alumni contributions toward scholarships, loans, and university expansion. Through letters, phone campaigns, and personal contact, the foundation and volunteer alumni canvass Iowa graduates to request donations. Letters and phone calls often result in numerous five to ten dollar contributions. Larger amounts, however, such as are being used toward the art museum and library, come most frequently from personal calls on the alum, Wyrick explains. "Sometimes we take the dean of the college, or department head along with us, the president of the university, and other times we do it strictly on our own. It just depends on what we're trying to do. Nearly every major gift has come as a result of some personal approach by someone from the university." Last year, alumni donations totaled 1.2 million dollars. Though this assistance is a relatively small per centage of the total university income, Wyrick feels it is "something that is extremely important because the funds come in areas for which state funds or federal funds aren't used many areas of scholarship special emergency funds, loans, and certain kinds of research projects. They are needs which are great, but which, if they were met by state funds, would probably be a great delay." Included in the list of famous University of Iowa alumni are such celebrities as Tennessee Williams, George Gallup, film make Charles Gugenheim, screenwriter Richard Maibaum, and playwrite and television producer Norman Felton--in recent years a generous supporter of the university. Most of these people, however, are not among the major contributors, says Wyrick. "You find that the major gifts to the university do not come from the people who you would think. it's the lady-- maybe the retired school-teacher--who, instead of giving 5% of her 50 million dollar estate to the university, gives all of her $200,000 estate. This is the type of person from whom most of the major gifts come from, not the recognized multi-millionaires." Though no actual statistics have been compiled, it is Mr. Wyrick's supposition that a major portion of the contributions come from those who were at one time a part of the Greek system. "We have no way statistically of proving that either way. My inclination might be to say that by and large people who are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority, on the average, a higher per cent of them contribute to the foundation and their gifts might be larger, but as far as I know we have never made a study of it." If such a tendancy does exist, Wyrick feels that it is because Greeks have become closer to the university in their four years, than have independents. "I would say that in the past, prior to the last five years, a higher per cent of Greeks than independents were active in campus affairs, so that they became involved in extracurricular activities, and worked with a lot of people on the campus and probably formed a closer affiliation for it. "My inclination would be that a lot of people who are in the Greek system are by and large active on the campus, normally they're willing to be active after they leave." Photo by Kelly A MEMBER OF BETA THETA PI SELLING EASTER LILLIES FOR THE EASTER SEAL FUND Every spring, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Gamma Phi sorority work together to sell Easter Lillies. The project is done as a philanthropy project. The Beta's spent all day Thursday, April 8, selling lillies to the shoppers in downtown Iowa City. All proceeds go to the Easter Seal Fund.
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