Where Does Financial Aid Come From?
TJ Anderson

Where does your scholarship money come from? How do you get the financial aid that you need to pay for your education? The state supplies some of this money, but after recent budget cuts, not that much of it. A good portion of the money that many students receive to help them pay for their education comes from alumni who are generous enough to donate their hard earned money to UMass Lowell. For years, alumni received mailings from the university asking them to donate money to help the university cover the cost of education that the state does not provide. The University now uses a much more direct approach. Like many schools UML has begun using phonathon campaigns. The university calls alumni directly and requests their financial support.

Every year, students at UMass Lowell hit the phones and begin calling alumni asking them to make donations to what is called "The Lowell Fund". The Lowell Fund is the largest source of unrestricted funds for the university. The money raised goes to where need is greatest at the school, whether it be campus beautification, or financial aid and scholarships for students. But this money is not always volunteered by the alumni. In certain cases it takes coaxing by the student callers, because not all alumni want to give right away.

The company that runs the calling center here at UMass Lowell is called RuffaloCODY. They call for hundreds of other schools and non-profit organizations at call centers nationwide. These include organizations like Maryland Public Television, Boston College and Adelphi University. Many schools like Boston College are able to raise millions of dollars per year via their phonathon. Unfortunately state schools like UML have trouble raising money for a number of reasons; the most important being that because UML is a state school, many alumni do not feel a sense of community like alumni of private schools do, alumni also feel UML is well funded by the state already and does not need any more money. Colby Ganz, the Center Manager for RuffaloCODY here at UMass Lowell said “there are about 54,000 alumni of UMass Lowell, and right now about 16% of them donate annually”. Last year, the phonathon campaign raised just under $600,000 dollars for UML. Although this is a lot of money it could easily be more. Speaking with callers, they say there are many reasons alumni do not support the University. Reasons range from being upset with the University for the William Bulger ordeal, to simply not caring about the university. Many alumni will hang up as soon as they hear the name UMass Lowell.

Although telemarketers have become taboo over the last few years with the advent of the "do not call" list, it is important to distinguish between someone selling timeshares, and someone raising money for a good cause. So when you graduate from UMass Lowell and you're earning sums of money that right now seems unheard of, don’t forget the school that helped you reach your place in life. And when that phone call comes remember there's a UML student on the other end working hard trying to make our university a better place for generations to come. And when you’re on the phone with them, remember back about how much an extra $500 in financial aid would have helped you, and reach deep into your check book and give back.