F r o n t l i n e Capital Campaign Tracks by Lindy Blevins In an attempt to gain inside information about the world of the BOV and the Capital Campaign, I ran into an amazingly complex maze. Like an experimental guinea pig, I trekked through the Rotunda hitting barriers left and right. Surprisingly, at a university where self-governance is of utmost importance, I found the staff quite unwilling to provide insight or information. After explaining my purpose and leaving my name and number, I realized that no one knew much of anything about the priorities of the Capital Campaign. I received many aesthetically pleasing pamphlets that lacked a concrete breakdown of the campaign's major contributors and priorities. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the most helpful information that I could uncover about the future of U.Va. came from the U.Va. homepage and six overly optimistic pamphlets. As the most competitive state university in the country, U.Va. prides itself on the caliber of students, faculty, and resources available in a small community atmosphere. In the past few years, though, U.Va. has found itself relying more on contributions from corporations and individuals for support rather than money from the state. In 1990 the university ambitiously set a goal to raise $750 million in only a decade to cover the loss of money from the state of Virginia, catapulting President Casteen into the role of primary fundraiser. Underlying the overwhelming dollar figures and verbose language is the fact that at a university receiving minimal state funding, the most powerful body in the university is appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth. President Casteen slowly became the alienated leader-turned-fundraiser of the school where he influences major decisions on Grounds without contact with a majority of the student body. The brochure of the capital campaign states that their goal is to receive aid for the university from "those who care for it most deeply: alumni, parents, corporations, and foundations." We ask: What about the students? Where are we in that list? Do we become important only when we can contribute monetarily to the university campaigns? The answers to these questions remain nebulous. Although a student is appointed every year to attend BOV meetings, this representative holds little influence in the grand scheme of university plans. While seemingly democratic, the male-dominated BOV ultimately hands down fiscal and legislative decisions concerning the future of the university. After an unproductive song-and-dance trying to gain a personal interview on U.Va.'s priorities, I resorted to the sugar-coated brochures. Apparently the university as a whole raises money to offer scholarships, maintain professors of merit, and to restore buildings and the Grounds. In addition to this, each college conducts its own campaign to offer special scholarships for faculty and students, curriculum development, and facility enhancements. Using these individual rankings, the BOV decides which repairs or adjustments take top priority. In the most recent campaign statement, $157,950,000 will eventually go to the buildings and Grounds Department for projects to acquire new facilities, maintain and upgrade existing ones, and preserve historical buildings on Grounds. Faculty support is to receive $117,300,000 under the Capital Campaign, with $133,500,000 earmarked for Student Support and scholarships, $100,050,000 for the "Academic Mission," and $19,500,000 for Public Service. Although these figures give us a breakdown of the Capital Campaign, they do not reveal the methodology of priority in which incoming funds are assigned and then delegated to the university. Extremely overwhelmed by this information of unimaginable monetary figures, I developed a sense of idealistic democracy in our community. When President Casteen was relegated to the role of fundraiser, he was even further removed from a direct relationship with students. Kristine La Londe is the student-appointed member of the BOV; her name and address can be found on the U.Va. homepage. I encourage each and every person concerned with the future and priorities of this institution to contact her. She is positioned structurally as the liaison between the student body and the Board. In this technologically-advanced world, you can even reach the BOV from the comfort of your own room by e-mailing Mr. Alexander Gilliam, its chairman, at agg@virginia.edu to voice your concerns about the campaign's priorities. As the size of the university grows, we have to take more active efforts to influence our surroundings. Our generation has been defined as apathetic and defenseless. But we do have a voice and we should not simply roll over and be taken advantage of. If we want to be included in that list of people who care most deeply for the university, we must voice our opinions.

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