In the Editorial, “Students should be asked to give back later rather than sooner,” the Daily once again lectures the Iowa State community on something they have completely failed to research. We hope that you do not share the cynical view of the Editorial writers, and that you do not share their misunderstanding of how a culture of philanthropy can affect a community like Iowa State.

The Daily also fails to answer important questions that almost all reader of the editorial should be asking. “What is the Senior Gift?” “Why is a Senior Gift done?” “What is its history?” And most importantly – “What initiatives does the current Senior Gift support?” The editorial leaves us wanting.

Have you ever walked across campus and noticed a bench, a rock, or a lonely plaque somewhere? Many of those are permanent markers celebrating the contributions of previous senior classes of Iowa State and what their philanthropy has added to the campus. The flag pole on Central Campus, the Victory Bell at Jack Trice, part of the funding for the renovation of Morrill Hall, and yes – even a renovation of Lake LaVerne were all contributions of current Iowa State Senior classes as they graduated and left Ames. So on to the most important unanswered question – what does the 2013 Senior Class Gift support?

As the culture of philanthropy on college campuses across the country has changed, so has the Senior Class Gift initiative at Iowa State. Where in the past the Senior Class felt compelled to make a physical mark on campus, more and more such projects are too time consuming and more expensive than the Senior class can manage. Instead, philanthropic programs nationwide have shifted from physical gifts to scholarships for current students – and we have as well. This year’s senior gift (and all gifts following) will fund a new scholarship on campus for seniors only – seniors that, as they enter their final year(s) of college, find that they have specific financial hardships that would not allow them to continue their education at Iowa State. This scholarship would allow those struggling seniors to continue in school and graduate.

Although the editorial writers believe that “youth is wasted on the young,” we understand that one unifying focus of this current student generation is a culture of philanthropy. Why wait 20 years to give back to Iowa State when you paid $10 to run the Nearly Naked Mile last weekend? As the person in front of you at Starbucks pays for your latte before you get to the window yourself, remember that a culture of philanthropy starts now – not in 20 years.

Finally, although I may personally believe that writing for the editorial page of the ISU Daily is a “miserable job,” I certainly would not make that claim publicly without speaking to a single opinion writer for the Daily. I image that if the Daily staff spoke with even one student who works in the Foundation call center they would have a difficult time finding one that was miserable.

As few as two years ago the Daily wrote articles celebrating the history of philanthropy of the senior class – now the editorial page attacks this 120+ year tradition of a spirit of philanthropy that exists on campus. We hope that readers of this letter will have, rather than “a desperate desire to leave college,” a lasting connection with their Cyclone home and maybe – just maybe – a desire to help afford that experience to others.