I’m convinced that one of the hardest things to do in the world is to ask for money. Of course, the ability to solicit funds is a very useful skill, and improved skill comes only through study and practice. That’s part of the reason why I became a “class agent” for Rose-Hulman upon my graduation in 2004.

As a class agent, it’s my job to solicit donations from my peers on behalf of Rose. Easier said than done. If there’s one thing that’s harder than asking for money, it’s asking friends for money.

But enough about that. What’s really surprised me has been the decline in the alumni donation rate over the past few years. Once at about 50%, it has shurnk to only 29%. On a similar note, the much-maligned “senior dollar giveback” thing has seen reduced participation, from about 84% to about 70%. I’ve plotted this below for your evaluation. (I should note that while the alumni participation data was obtained directly, the dollar giveback data was inferred from individual class participation rates. Also, something strange happened to the 2006 data point, so I have chosen not to plot it.)

What is the cause of this decline? Are people that strapped for cash? Are people becoming less satisfied with their Rose-Hulman experience?

Whois bonnevilleclub.com?

Yes, Bonneville Club has been sold.  It’s been a fun six years.

The weather has turned warm, the sun is out longer, and nature is awakening.  Spring has arrived.

To celebrate, I’m thinking about going backpacking.  Yosemite is supposed to be beautiful in the spring, and I’ve never been there, so it seems like the perfect place.  It would also be the perfect way to celebrate the end of Winter Quarter.

Now I just need to get through another month of classes…

Perhaps it’s just me, but I found this photo competition — for the worst photos, not the best — pretty funny. From the page:

GUY WITH POWER POINT This destroys the long-held belief that Power Point presentations are the most painfully boring experience divised by Satan. Obviously, a PHOTO of a power point demonstration is far more excruciating and soul destroying. Redeeming factor: A slam-dunk cure for insomnia.

hehehe

(via)

Well, the photo challenge didn’t quite work out. It had a good multi-week run, but my schedule got busy and my creativity dried up, so the challenge has lapsed. I think that I’ll just be posting favorite photos on an approximately daily basis to my Flickr account.

So, what’s been happening in the photo world? Well, I’ve had eight photos published so far in the circulation-10,000 Stanford Daily. Two have made the front page, one of the others was miscredited. I’m really enjoying my little taste of photojournalism.

Of course, not all events are right for the paper. I’m fond of many of my photos from last weekend’s Big Freeze, and while the hockey team liked them, they couldn’t find traction among the editorial staff. Oh well. I can take solace in the fact that about a half-dozen of them have become Facebook profile photos.

How about that election? If your polling places were like the ones here, you had a long wait. Here’s a photo of the line for Stanford’s polling place (the GCC):

Some of the people had to wait several hours to cast a vote. Wow. I wonder what the wait will be like in November?