Spiritual issues aside for a moment, what is really happening is the selling and packaging of the college as "Christian Campus", not as an institution of higher learning. I submit as evidence to this the Grove City College's continual "pan-handling" for donations. At least once a month, I receive some sort of slick mailing from them asking me to give a donation or mention them in my will. (I have, by the way, decided to leave the sum of $1.00 to GCC in my estate.)

If I donate say $1,000, then I become a member of the President's club, or some such thing. What the hell does that do for me? (If I dontate to a politician, at least I get a corrupt office holder that will do me a favor once in a while.)

Then there is the matter of this "Vision and Values" rag that shows up in my mailbox every so often. Why don't they do us all a favor, stop publishing this thing, and save some money?

Another trick is to get alumni to join regional and local alumni chapters. (Join one of these and you get a fundraising song and dance along with the "rubber chicken" dinner.) And, of course, you can imagine how much of a rally these meetings would be. (As Jack Nicholson said to Shirley Macklaine in Terms of Endearment, "I'd rather stick needles into my eyes.")

Even the Alumni News Magazine is rife with soliciations for money. I only check this out to see if anyone from my class has been promoted to Vice-president of something or other. Sometimes I check out the "necrology" just to see if I am listed there and, if so, whether or not they spelled my name correctly.

I am proud to say that I have never donated a cent to GCC, and I doubt that I ever will. But I do fear what might be next...what they might choose to do to raise money,,,

Telemarketing, email solicitations, or telethons. They haven't tried any of these yet. (May be even a televangelist program on cable. Opps, dont give them too many ideas!)

But who knows? When the collection plate is filled, that, after all, is what it's all about.

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