As an alumni of the University of British Columbia, I received an email with this content from the UBC Estate Planning Review group.
Here’s what I wrote them back:
What gall you have to ask me to devote even one cent of my hard earned money to you and your fellow woke ilk. You don’t believe in free speech and are now in the midst of a major lawsuit by professors and a former grad student against compelled speech!!! Mere words can never adequately describe how deeply disgusted I am by all of you DEI Social Justice Warriors. You are truly bad, evil people.
In case you’re not aware, this is the lawsuit against UBC by four professors and a former graduate student. Thus, if anyone donates money to UBC, this is what they are supporting:
- Declaring that UBC is on “unceded” Indigenous land.
- Requiring expressions of agreement with, fidelity to or loyalty to diversity, equity and inclusion (D.E.I.) doctrines or other political beliefs as a condition of applying for faculty positions.
- Making declarations of support or condemnation of Israel or Palestinians or stating opinions on the absolute or relative morality, lawfulness or political justification for violence in Israel or Gaza.
The smiling a$$holes here think it perfectly fine to work for an organization that supports these things.
Robert
Don’t hold back. Tell us how you really feel.
BC, at least the cities, is lost. I’m sure they’ll love the CCP rule.
You can’t even maintain a discourse.
You can’t even maintain a golf course.
Hey, that’s hard.
I’m fair but harsh, pal. Now haven’t you got greens to trim? Or is that your other job as a salad chef?
It’s been years since I donated any money to my alma mater. I made it abundantly clear that it wasn’t getting another penny out of me.
Having been a grad student at UBC, I know what was being referred to. It was quite flaky there more than 40 years ago.
Your alma mater was also once mine.
Haven’t given them a red cent.
In my former life, and gig, I became too familiar with all the universities in Canada.
The big ones have big endowments, but are good at getting fed and prov money.
I have sat in rooms with their presidents and VPs and they are like our politicians.
Canada has endless layers of that shite.
An idea of conservatism in this country is a pipe dream dreamed by goofs like Max.
Tend your garden.
Unis have become all about money, even at the faculty level.
Unless one has a proven track record of bringing in bundles of external loot, one’s chances of being considered for an academic position are considerably diminished. One reason appears to be that departments expect that one’s research grant goes into a common pool from which the staff can draw.
I once worked for a company that pulled stunts like that with government contracts. If a certain shop needed a fresh coat of paint, the management looked through the various projects there were to see where they could take a bit of cash to pay for it. Yes, it was fraud and, when the government reps found out, they blew a head gasket.
Similar to my u of sask ask. Done so done. No dollars from me.
Maybe, just maybe they will get message, but not holding breath.
Screw the whole woke and victim etal crew. DONE, so done.
If they say they’re on unceded indigenous land then they should leave BC.
The “education system” from kindergarten to PhD needs to be defunded by at least 50%.
Perhaps class action lawsuits from former suckers, like whatever “studies” majors, would help since they’re getting such poor returns on our “investments”…
I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to change the name of your school, and your province for that matter. Queen Victoria, in cruelty, named British Columbia in 1858 as a colony. I can’t abide colonialism.
In fact, I’m going to have to nix the use of the term “British” full stop. It was created in ancient times by the Greeks, who exhausted their resources causing them to colonize across the Mediterranean. We cannot allow colonialists to enforce their culture on the rest of us.
I’m sure you understand.
Didn’t the so called First Nations colonize the Americas by emigrating from Korea? Or was it Russia?
Good on u Robert! I used to give a lot to the University of Ottawa feeling that they gave a lot to a young me.
However their ignorance on Glo-bull warming was too much and I stopped giving about 12 years ago.
However there needs to be a lot more grumpy old guys & gals like us before the woke pr!cks will wake up.
l got two alma mater Brock is St Catharines and
McMaster about 11 years later.
the first sure as shyt aint getting anything l still resent my newly minterboss declared all vacation must be book week at a time by march.
whereas up till then the moment l found out a test or exam date l wd swap whoever wanted my shift otherwise vaycay a day at a time. which meant NO actual vacation for some 6 years.
l soon figured he didnt want a subordinate higher qualification than him; the courses couldnt have been more related to my line of work. a previous boss thaught one couse and the director of the department another l HAD TO do well and did!!!
then the one l nicknamed ootc aka ‘originator of t .
compounding it NO ONE intervened despite l was passing courses had the arraignment almost aince l started.
nope. “change of emphasis” l was told be M Cindy P.
so one nite the overnite shift was looming so l walked away. smartest thing l did if l had stayed the business machine l would have worked on was scrapped before by career as a consultant wrapped.
l had a lot of fun, one day l taped signs of the office doors F103B treat it as a hexadecimal then show the decimal equivalent. a prof joked they might be on the exam.
gawd help me l still remember the main switch board 6885550
Robert … UCB … UC Berkeley … the new bastion of the WAR against Free Speech … my Alma mater begs me for $$$ constantly. I give generously … but NEVER to them. Ever.
I attended UC Berkeley during the Mario Savio era … when students fought for Free Speech … not speech policing. Not cancel culture. How far we’ve fallen
Attended the U of Life myself and glad of it
I had a relative who purchased his doctorate from a broom closet photocopier “university”. I’m sure his “alma mater” never pestered him for alumni money.
And I respect you more than any of my classmates.
As Steely Dan accurately sang …
You been tellin’ me you’re a genius since you were seventeen
In all the time I’ve known you I still don’t know what you mean
The weekend in the college didn’t turn out like you planned
The things that pass for knowledge I can’t understand
https://youtu.be/2WTh_IEyU1w?si=ca7aQLEe-gBrbCIZ
Denny Diaz, my man!
Soooooo, not a fan then?
The great ‘walking away’ continues apace.
I’m not generally a cruel guy, but some of the very desperate blegs for money from places I used to willingly give are delicious.
When I broke from Thug Fraud’s Progressive ‘Conservative’ Party, an old friend called and meekly asked why…but he knew and just gave me a respectful pause, thank you and hung up.
The conservation ones pushing All Climate Change, All the Time were hard at first because I do love me some wetlands…but it got easier the preachier they got.
Unfortunately, as you know of course…taxpayers will have to make up some of this.
L- Currently, the most poignant response from a publicly funded university in these times of
woke; as they aim to destroy the same Western Civilization that created universities, may be
something like:
As per your request for a donation, the post-secondary academy that is most worthy of my
support is the new Peterson Academy. The quality of the faculty and courses is world class and surpasses that of my Alma Mater. The yearly tuition is $600/yr and may go lower.
Having grown to over 40 thousand enrolment after only 6 months of operation. I believe
it is a return to the tradition of an inspired faculty run institution of learning, rather than the
current fashion of empires of totalitarian minded administration.
if you are truly in dire need of revenue, you might consider grazing sheep on the university
grounds. Best Regards, your alumnus
UVic has finally stopped asking me for money after 10 years of me sending similar messages back to them. Cesspool of crap – even when I was there in the 80s. No money from me, ever!
The University of Alberta Alumni Association must have a hell of an intelligence capability. After 50 years of moving between a couple different provinces and a half dozen different cities and a dozen different addresses they have not lost contact. Mind you, I have periodically ordered transcripts for continuing studies. Somehow, on their own, they tied me to my wife who is also a graduate and we only get one set of panhandling literature. I have paid a shitload of taxes to support government so I am not pleased with begging for more so all the senior administrators can add an extra 200 grand to their salaries.
Call the Alumni Association office and ask to have your name removed from the mailing list.
During an annual beg-a-thon a dozen or so years ago, I told the munchkin on the other end of the telephone line that I hated being pestered. I was given the option of not being contacted again and the U of A complied.
I was left alone for several years when someone called me. This was after my father had died and I received my inheritance, so I’m not sure if that was entirely coincidence. “Nice try,” I thought and I reminded my alma mater to go forth and multiply. It’s been dead silence since then, but, it’s nearly that time of year when the “we’re a poor university” calls are usually made, so here’s hoping they remember.
About the only reason I kept my Alumni Association membership in the past was to receive the alumni rag. That’s been available on-line for several years, so why bother renewing?
If you really want to cringe, try looking for the U of A’s sunshine list. I believe it mentions who earns over $100,000, particularly administrators. Nice work if you can get it.
Also a UBC grad (early 80s), I used to give money during that era. But then UBC changed and became a place of compelled restricted speech and officially climate alarmist. So I stopped giving. Then I used to get phoned by enthusiastic young students asking for a donation. When I politely explained that I wouldn’t be giving and why they stopped bothering me. No more phone calls.
As I get naturally nearer the time when I too must take my permanent departure, I’m thinking more about what to do with my leftover money since my kids don’t need it. All three of my Canadian alma mater universities are off the list for the morally and intellectually corrupt institutions they have become.
I’m in a similar situation to what you describe in your second paragraph. In my case, I don’t have a family and the only immediate relative I have left is in her mid-90s.
My alma mater is also off my list as it certainly doesn’t need–or deserve–any more money from me. My stockbroker’s been pestering me about what I should do with it. Maybe he’s scared that I won’t name his firm as the estate managers and he doesn’t get his cut.
I went to college, paid for an education and left. Why would I give them any more money after that? That’s like deciding to have dinner at your favorite restaurant then paying the grocery store as well just for the hell of it.
I used to make donations as a way of thanking my alma mater. But, when it became a money-harvesting machine, I stopped. I can’t even remember the last time I sent it a cheque.
C’mon – if you had actually graduated from UBC, you would know that you can’t be an alumni – either an alumnus or if you have yer get-up on for Drag Queen Bingo, then we could assume yer an alumnae – with all yer girlies, alumna. But surely garbage bag collecting all those empties on Wreck Beach to return to Fogg n’ Suds for some Yellow Can Beer to go, you could afford some coins for the poor misunderstood TurdBirds!