Dear Editor,
I am writing to encourage my peers to support the Tufts Student Fund, a student-driven initiative to provide one Tufts student with financial aid so that they may remain at Tufts despite current economic hardships.
I was skeptical at first when approached to join the Student Fund Committee. Why should current tuition-paying students be asked to contribute more money to the school, particularly in a time of such financial uncertainty? It very quickly became apparent, however, that the Student Fund is more than a simple fundraiser; it is an opportunity for our community to rise to the occasion in support of one of our own.
The words of President Kennedy come to mind when considering the significance of the Student Fund: "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country." This fund provides us all with an opportunity to demonstrate profound altruism. Indeed, the Tufts Student Fund is not about money: It is about sacrifice. It is about forgoing your Monday morning coffee once; deferring a small personal expense; yielding to the greater good. In our collective sacrifice, we grow stronger as a community.
It is for this reason that I humbly ask my friends, acquaintances, classmates and peers to join me in support of the Tufts Student Fund. Join me in demonstrating that we as a community are greater than the sum of our constituent parts.
Sincerely,
Dan Slate
Class of 2011
