Students Raise Concerns Over Athletics Day of Donors

March 7, 2023

By Melissa Crist

Geneva, NY – On February 23, Hobart and William Smith ended their 24-hour-long Athletics Day of Donors (ADOD) fundraiser upon receiving a record-breaking $1 million from their supporters. The annual event placed the college’s sports teams head-to-head to encourage the Statesmen and Herons to raise the most money. As athletes rejoice at the generosity of their donors, other students question if $1 million for a division III school is excessive.

“I think Athletics Day of Donors is a little ridiculous, as I think there should just be a donors day,” said Annelise Campino ‘25, an Art History and Greek and Roman Studies double major. As a student pursuing an art degree, Annelise suggests the colleges should broaden their focus onto other departments that could benefit from additional funding. While the Colleges provide scholarships from up to $20,000 for incoming art students like Annelise, the process is highly competitive. Those who aren’t granted the scholarship find themselves paying out of pocket for many of their supplies. Students in need of funding may feel restricted as individual classes require their own costs apart from tuition. “More donations would help artists on campus including myself to not feel so limited due to insufficient funds and backing from the department,” Annelise said.

While the Colleges have tried to provide more financial opportunities for art students, the events hosted for the art program have been incomparable to the amount of attention given to the Athletics Day of Donors. On March 2, the Provenzano Gallery located in Scandling hosted the Pop-Up Art Market, where student artists were able to sell their art for three hours. From jewelry to paintings to handmade clothing, students advertised their products to interested customers. The success of the event varies from individual students, rather than the arts program as a whole in comparison to ADOD.

Some students believe the funds towards ADOD were well deserved. “I think it’s great that they raised that much money,” stated an Architecture and Music double major (‘24) who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s their initiative that helped them. I think that money should stay with the athletics team, but there should be some kind of day of donors for students in general.” This art and music-oriented student has also commented on the piling costs that individual classes have requested from him. In one of his architecture classes, he had to pay $250 for a particular program and an additional $20 a month for Adobe Cloud Suite which he still pays for today. For music, he has had to prioritize some instruments over others since music lessons also require payment. “As I play multiple instruments, the lesson price racks up and I find that I have to choose certain instruments over the others and pay for the ones that I wish to play,” he added. The colleges supply students with a $350 grant that provides a total of 14 half-hour lessons. Students who wish to further their music education will eventually need to find additional funding on their own.

As opinions on ADOD vary among non-athlete students, those who play a sport are appreciative of the generosity of donors. Michael Gilbert ‘25, an Environmental Studies major and member of Hobart Rowing, is grateful for this year’s funding success. “Honestly it was jaw-dropping,” said the rower. “ It made me really appreciate what this team means to me and how it is clearly important to other people outside of the team whether it be alumni, family, friends, or more,” he said. During ADOD, Hobart Rowing exceeded their anticipated goal by 277%, raising a total of $207, 909 for their team and placing as one of the top finishers of the event.

Hobart Rowing 2021-2022

During the 24-hour-long donation period, HWS broadcasted a live stream video from campus to give shout-outs to donors and provide updates on the donation progress of each team. Teams were also given the opportunity to create a video to promote themselves in a creative way. This allowed sports such as Herons Volleyball to advocate for their newly welcomed program, which has no alumni to look to for support. Fortunately, they were one of the teams to win the video competition. Cynthia L. Caird, the wife of late husband James F. Caird, funded the Caird Challenge, which an extra $25,000 awarded to the top three teams with the highest percentage dollar goal, the top three teams with the best video, and the top team with the most participation.

Donations from supporters have proven to be well-spent for HWS Athletics in the past. Last year, the rowing teams welcomed their new rowing center. Other teams such as baseball and hockey require Geneva facilities to host their games and practices, which requires funds to keep the facilities open for them. While the athletics programs have utilized donations in the past to ensure stability for athletes, the question of support for other campus programs remains.