The Senior Gift Is No Gimmick

To the Editors of The Crimson:

We are writing in response to the April 26th editorial piece, "E4D: The Classier Class Gift." We would like to clarify some misinformation in Beth Pinsker's article. She states that supporting the Senior Gift "frees up more money for investment which means that a contribution to Class Gift could end up supporting a company that profits from institutionalized racism."

In fact, the Senior Gift is not part of any "accounting gimmick"; Harvard uses the same percentage of endowment income each year, and that percentage is not affected by how much money is raised from seniors, alumni or any other source. Thus, the Senior Gift is not a substitute for endowment income. Instead, the amount of money we raise will add additional support to financial aid and operating costs this year.

If you want to send a message to Harvard that you believe in divestiture, then do give to E4D. But give to the Senior Gift, too, because the two efforts are not at cross purposes.

Just as we give E4D volunteers credit for their commitment to divestment, we hope our classmates will respect us for working on something we believe in--supporting Harvard and Radcliffe undergraduates until, during, and after the year 2003. Martina B. Albright '90   Robert F. Cocca '90   Senior Gift Co-Chairs