Dearest Bucknell,

Please stop asking me for money.

I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain, but I am going to anyway. For starters, I have not left yet. I am still actively paying you. In fact, one of my concerns, and a concern of many seniors like me, is the fact that we do not know if we will be able to use all of our dining dollars before we leave. You know, the money that we have already paid to you for food and that we are now spending on cases of drinks at outrageous prices (100 bucks for two $15 drink cases? Criminal.) 

So while I understand the altruistic goal of supporting current and future Bucknellians, the fact is that I don’t want to give something to the place I am paying to go to yet. The economy sucks, the job market sucks more and a vast majority of us have some sort of loans that we will have to pay off sometime soon. So maybe consider waiting a few years for us to get settled in apartments with semi-decent jobs before you hit us up like a gambling addict who just needs a little bit more and then they will be done this time, they swear.

Maybe you do need cash. The federal government is threatening cuts, enrollment is down next year and even departments are mentioning how they need to produce receipts to buy things like pencils at this point. But the question is, should the cash come from us? We have already been milked by Bucknell for the past four years, with the price of this place costing hundreds of thousands of dollars since we arrived.

Of course, some people may want to donate. And I don’t fault them. They have memories here, and they want to give a little back to the community that they have fostered and grown within, so that it may be even nicer for the community that comes after. If they have a spare 20 bucks to put aside, then they should do it. But I do not yet. I will not have the funds necessary to help them build yet another brick building or to cut down more wildlife to plant grass for many more years. So I am kindly asking that they, at the very least, wait a few more weeks and let me walk across the stage before begging me for cash. Thank you.