Donate for scholarship

By Anna Barnes

When I read Raymond R. Vogel’s (’66) threat not to donate to the University of Illinois because it retired the Chief, I found myself asking, “Where were your dollars before?” I have been opposed to the Chief for years, but did not let that keep me from donating. I donated my first scholarship five years ago because I believe in supporting the talented students this institution attracts. I also donate annually to support programming that furthers this institution’s land grant mission of educating the public. I suspect that Mr. Vogel and others like him never intended to donate in the first place and now have a convenient excuse for not doing so. If they were truly going to support this institution, its students and its mission, they would have been writing checks instead of letters to the editor.

Anna Barnes

University alumnus ’90