alumni demands

In my 30s and 40s I went back to school for an M. Ed., and this means I am officially an alumni of 3 universities: Ryerson, OttawaU, OISE/uToronto. I am forever impressed by those in their senior years earning degrees. In the last few years I took 8/10 on-line courses for an M. A. in counselling. It kept me interested, researching, and aware. Why not keep learning? I have decided to drop the M.A. to pursue my own research - why do I need another degree?! But that is another story.

This is a fun time in my life. My 3 adult children have gone to, and finished, university. am a grandma who Skypes with her kids. They are all, thankfully, gainfully employed. The joy never ends, mind you. This is the time of year they all call the alumni and parents of same, to see if, having already contributed thousands of dollars to their coffers, you want to provide a donation to keep the lamp of learning burning. As if! I am sure they need help, but I truthfully believe that if you want a degree you should jolly well pay for it yourself! In this economic climate, with the job market the way it is, perhaps college is a better choice. (My plumber earns $65/hour!)

But I digress. On the phone, I am afraid I am curt: we're retired, broke and my own alumni associations are begging for dollars! I tell the lovely young people that, yes, my contact information is the same (you reached me by phone, didn't you?) and NO, we would not move without telling you so that you could phone me 2 -3 times a year and beg for my hard-earned pension dollars! (Severely curtailed by greedy investors who have brought the market down. Taxpayers who demand lower taxes and better services. Budgets that do not help those without means. Yes, another blog post!)

Then, in the mail, I received another offer: two a credit card offers to help support these groups. 'As if' x's 2! Two of my higher learning institutions want a percentage of my pension and spending, to help them prop up universities supported by my tax dollars. Does this make sense? They ended up in my fireplace. How is it that the credit card companies continues to bleed us dry with high interest rates for people who cannot afford nor use credit cards?