The 60,000-plus turnout and a full student section at ASU football's season opener Saturday was a huge bonus for the athletic program, but Sun Devil stadium was still far from sold out. For most top-25 Division-I football teams, a 60,000 turnout wouldn't be viewed as a huge bonus. However, a school that historically gets zero financial support from its alumni loved Saturday's large crowd.
Getting financial support from alumni is not a new challenge for ASU. In 2001-02, ASU alums contributed a measly $3.9 million while UA alums turned in $15.9 million
The lack of funds has pushed ASU to drastic measures to try to boost alumni support. This year, ASU will spend more than $100,000 on homecoming celebrations in hopes that a bigger bash will bring home a greater number of the 233,000 alumni than in previous years.
The trouble is that of those 233,000 alums, only 12,996 were paying members in 2002-03, lifetime or annual, of the ASU Alumni Association. ASU officials claim that the University's "commuter campus" role prevents many alumni from feeling connected to campus once they leave.
Maybe the real trouble is that ASU is having a hard time creating a link with the alumni who move away and never feel compelled to donate back to the University. The big-budget homecoming party is supposed to bridge that gap, and it's something that needs to be done.
ASU has a large pool of alumni who, if motivated, could help carry the growing burden of administrative costs and tuition hikes that the University is currently facing. We're not just talking about the former Sun Devils who've made the big time - although it sure would be nice to have a couple million from Barry Bonds or maybe a little dough from Al Michaels. We'd even take some chump change from former child star and Sun Devil David Spade.
OK, sorry we included Spade in the category of "big time," but our point still remains. If alumni started to open their checkbooks a little wider, one of the largest and fastest-growing universities in the U.S. could form a sturdier financial base for funding programs and changes.
The biggest problem facing ASU in its hunt for generous alums is legend: looking at the alumni contribution records, the apathy that allegedly plagues our campus apparently grows, with years since graduation, into a Paul Bunyan-sized tall tale.
So while a big-budget party sounds like a great idea to us, we at The State Press are afraid that a weeklong homecoming bonanza will be nothing more than a (super fun) quick-fix for this larger weakness. Overspending isn't the answer to the alumni donation problem; it's rarely the answer to any problem. Today, we reported that ASU is trying to raise money to bring back its musical carillon by selling an antique rug valued at nearly $25,000. Call us cheap, but what college student has a need for, not to mention can afford, an antique rug?
Organizers of the rug sale said they are targeting wealthy alumni looking to make a contribution to their alma mater. Great idea. We don't hold any homerun records, but we don't even think Bonds should buy into that.
