[Redrum]

It is a public university phenomenon.  All over the U.S. alumni of public universities do not donate at the same level as alumni of many leading private universities.   It\'s just that Cal supporters\'  expectations and rhetoric  --that Cal is the pre-eminent public institution in America-- doesn\'t match the reality of their alumni tight-fistedness.    Their discussions on their own boards focus a lot on why the heavy-hitter Cal grads don\'t step up.   "Where are our John Arrillagas?"  is the essence of their complaints.  Waiting for the knight in shining armor to rescue them from themselves.  The obvious question in reply would be:  with SO many Cal grads in the Bay Area and N. California alone,  Where are the Average Joes?    Cal graduates (roughly) as many kids each year as total enrolled undergraduates at Stanford.    As striking as the difference between the population and economic base between the North and the South in the Civil War.    

And yet, they don\'t give.   They will spend their money on season tickets, which is paying for direct value in return,  but as a group are apparently not much moved by the needs of the institution itself.  At least, that\'s exactly what the scale of the giving indicates.    One of my best friends was a Cal grad and-- until Cal started squeezing every last drop from their loyal ticket-buying base-- a regular attendee even during the Holmoe years.   When I asked him if he donated to Cal (either to the athletic dept. or the university) he seemed perplexed as to why he\'d even consider it.    And he\'s a great guy.   But, he\'s got the "Cal mentality",  i.e. "I pay my taxes.  It\'s the state\'s problem,  not mine."

Or, an alternative theory:  they see how badly managed Cal athletics are and figure "Why should I donate money to watch these clowns piss it away?"

[Redrum]

It is a public university phenomenon.  All over the U.S. alumni of public universities do not donate at the same level as alumni of many leading private universities.   It\'s just that Cal supporters\'  expectations and rhetoric  --that Cal is the pre-eminent public institution in America-- doesn\'t match the reality of their alumni tight-fistedness.    Their discussions on their own boards focus a lot on why the heavy-hitter Cal grads don\'t step up.   "Where are our John Arrillagas?"  is the essence of their complaints.  Waiting for the knight in shining armor to rescue them from themselves.  The obvious question in reply would be:  with SO many Cal grads in the Bay Area and N. California alone,  Where are the Average Joes?    Cal graduates (roughly) as many kids each year as total enrolled undergraduates at Stanford.    As striking as the difference between the population and economic base between the North and the South in the Civil War.    

And yet, they don\'t give.   They will spend their money on season tickets, which is paying for direct value in return,  but as a group are apparently not much moved by the needs of the institution itself.  At least, that\'s exactly what the scale of the giving indicates.    One of my best friends was a Cal grad and-- until Cal started squeezing every last drop from their loyal ticket-buying base-- a regular attendee even during the Holmoe years.   When I asked him if he donated to Cal (either to the athletic dept. or the university) he seemed perplexed as to why he\'d even consider it.    And he\'s a great guy.   But, he\'s got the "Cal mentality",  i.e. "I pay my taxes.  It\'s the state\'s problem,  not mine."

Or, an alternative theory:  they see how badly managed Cal athletics are and figure "Why should I donate money to watch these clowns piss it away?"