by Anonymous
About a week ago, I walked into my morning class in Young Hall dreading the hour to come. Not because of the class itself (though I was definitely regretting taking something so outside my major), but because I knew that, by the time class dismissed, I’d be soaked in sweat and hating life, just like everyone else across campus. I’d heard about the old, broken HVAC system from friends and work advisors. I knew the whole thing was old, that parts were difficult to find, and that the whole thing would need to be replaced sooner than later. Most of all, I knew Centre was scrambling to find the money to do anything about it. My professor opened the class with a few words: “I’m sorry. We’re trying to fix the HVAC, but you know how it is. Nobody wants to donate if they can’t put their name on it.”
As the heat waves across Centre’s campus and talk about Centre’s air conditioning system have started to die down, I haven’t stopped thinking about those words. At first, I was furious. Are the donors that shallow? They can’t do something if they don’t get a pat on the head and a cutesy little ceremony about it? Just slap the plaque somewhere and fix it.
Quickly, it became a joke. My coworkers offered their firstborn to anyone who’d fix the AC. My friends proposed a yearly celebration in honor of the benevolent soul who’d make temperatures livable again. My roommates wanted a club branded after the hypothetical savior of the HVAC, or maybe a dedicated cult. Clearly, if any donors did do something about the HVAC system, the students of Centre College were willing to give them all the acclaim they could want.
While I’d still gladly write a very thankful letter to or worship at the (fully air conditioned) shrine of whichever saint does fix the HVAC system, I don’t think that addresses the bigger issue here. Since my first week at Centre over three years ago, there have been dozens of little, quality-of-life things that go unaddressed. Maybe the shower isn’t caulked, or a dorm door doesn’t lock properly, or the windows aren’t properly sealed and there’s a draft. Maybe, like in Breck, there’s only two washers and dryers for a whole dorm of people, or there’s a worry that all the water that drips through the basement windows in Cheek-Evans and Yerkes might cause mold. All these little things that could be a simple fix stay in a perpetual state of ‘If I ignore it, maybe it’ll go away.’ All these tiny problems that, nevertheless, will keep growing until they can’t be ignored.
I fully understand how difficult and expensive it is to make all these fixes. I understand that, sometimes, kicking the can down the road is all you can do. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder how many of these things could’ve been dealt with if the donors or the alumni saw these things as something big and flashy that they’d get to plaster their name on. The college is full of the names and donations of former alumni: their names are on big plaques in every academic building and above every dormitory’s front door, their collections proudly on display in Crounse and Young. Centre College’s gorgeous campus is built on and by the many alumni who came before us, and I’m thankful for everything they’ve done. The campus is beautiful, and the HVAC still needs to be replaced.
As I prepare to graduate and become and alum myself, I want to speak to the alumni before me. I understand that there is no glory in fixing a washing machine or replacing caulk in a bathroom. It’s hard to feel like a donation is doing anything without a shiny plaque or a fancy new building to show for it. It feels silly to send a donation for window repair. But I want you to know that it has an impact. Something as small as updating an HVAC system, replacing old books in the library, or updating old electrical wiring means whole generations of students can go to class without being nauseous from heat stroke, do the research they need for an important project, and sleep safely in their dorms without worrying about blackouts or electrical fires. Basic maintenance is what allows us to keep Centre College beautiful and functional every day.
If a donor wants a plaque, a tree, an annual celebration, or even a cult in their honor, I’ll be the first one to sign up for it. Alumni donors are a huge part of the Centre ecosystem. All I ask is that, if you ever do wish to donate to Centre College, consider all the little, invisible things that made your college life possible.