Illustration by Kelly Lac
Excessive fundraisers show two sides of a coin (con)
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There is no end to the fundraisers at San Gabriel High School (SGHS). It is a disappointment that schools are using different methods to raise money out of students’ wallets. Pressuring students to go to funds to receive extra credit or persuading students to run outside in the hot sun for jogathon money is certainly not the least of it. Excessive fundraising should be stopped immediately and we should reflect on the consequences we might encounter with the overload of funds.
As a Title I school, we receive certain funding mainly due to the high number of low-income families at SGHS. On the other hand, clubs create fundraisers for students to participate in so they can be financially stable, but the types of fundraisers are getting too redundant. Considering Country Meats and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, they are mostly the same every year and provide little variety when fundraising season arrives. Instead of holding the same fundraisers, we should do different fundraisers from business that are around our school.
At some point, emotions can be spread around during fundraising, and guilt-tripping how some take advantage. For instance, consumers may purchase a certain product because they are pressured to better their prom if they buy this or that. It can cause uneasiness within students.
Generally, teachers would provide extra credit opportunities to students if they participate in fundraisers. That is poor accommodation. Sometimes students do not have the cash to buy certain foods or drinks. Students’ mindsets are being manipulated to see how they can use money to buy their grade or some extra credit. If a student’s family is financially unstable, are parents responsible for not earning enough money for their kids to purchase a few points of their grade? That is unacceptable and unfair to low-income families. A student’s grade is earned by his or her hard work and dedication to a subject, not by how many dollars they have in their pocket. For that reason, participation in fundraisers should not tie in to academics and these actions should be reconsidered.
The only motive for students to attend school is to learn. It is understandable that students are devoted to their beloved club or sport they are in to fundraise, but money problems should be in the hands of adults, not on the backs of students that are receiving education. Yes, gaining communication skills or business knowledge through fundraising could be a valid justification, but when comparing fundraisers and education side by side, fundraising money seems like a distraction from a proper education. Therefore, fundraiser policies should change for the better to make students focus more on learning rather than counting the amount of profit earned.
