Last Semester’s Protests Will Cost The University Of Missouri Millions In Alumni Donations
If the University of Missouri football team forfeited their Nov. 14 game against BYU, it would’ve cost the university $1 million. Instead, Mizzou is going to lose out on about $2 million.
In the wake of racially-charged student protests at Mizzou last semester, Mizzou Vice Chancellor of Advancement Tom Hiles told student newspaper The Maneater that alumni have been calling in from all over, pulling donations left and right.
From The Maneater:
‘Currently Mizzou has lost $2 million in gifts,’ Hiles said. ‘The pledges were made, and now donors are saying that they’re not giving the money.’
Hiles said the reasons for pulled donations varied from the build-up of controversial events last fall, including controversies over MU’s affiliation with Planned Parenthood and the Concerned Student 1950 movement. Between five and 10 larger donors are zipping up their wallets.
‘We track these calls on a heat app, and even though they’re split up between controversies, the most were concerning the student strikers,’ Hiles said.
…
Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations Todd McCubbin said the pace of annual donations fell by 19 percent in December.‘We definitely took a bump,’ McCubbin said. ‘The overall mood of our alumni indicated how we fell in December. After the issues on campus, they’re unsure and uncertain.’
Woof. It’s not exactly time to say the sky is falling, but it’s sure as hell looking grey at the moment. A major university isn’t going to sink or swim off $2 million, but various alumni are pulling money and big spenders are being described as “confused and upset” over the university’s handling of everything. Not the most comforting of settings.
And brighter days don’t appear to be right around the corner. The university received 941 fewer freshman applications this year, it’s still trying to figure out what to do with communications professor Melissa “Muscle” Click and a lackluster football team isn’t helping matters.
Maybe Mizzou, a publicly-funded university, can reach out to lawmakers for a financial lifeline. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) is looking to increase the university’s funding by $26.8 million for the 2017 fiscal year, but Republican legislators aren’t being so generous.
From The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
At a press conference Thursday, Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, used just one word to describe the university’s relations with legislators.
‘Terrible,’ Richard said. ‘Every time they show up (to the Capitol), it gets worse. I suggest they don’t show up.’
Whelp, I don’t know what to tell you. Why don’t you see if Jonathan Butler’s family wants to fork over some of their millions? .
[via The Maneater, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Image via Shutterstock
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”
10 years ago at 3:17 pmAnd feeds your scholarships
10 years ago at 3:37 pmMizzu needs to blow it up and rebuild from the ground up.
10 years ago at 3:22 pmSurprised it’s not worse
10 years ago at 3:23 pmOnly read the headline and won’t read the article, but my only thought on it is “good”.
10 years ago at 3:43 pmI work in the Missouri Legislature as a Intern, and Senator Richard’s advice was spot on. Mizzou has come into our office twice, once was a lobbyist, once was the chancellor, and both times they got screamed at for being incompetent pussies who wouldn’t step up against a bunch of students going to school on tax payer money (football players & protesters scholarships) and how they no longer represent this state as a university. They are under a lot of scrutiny for the way they have spent state money the last several years and if things stay the same as they are right now then Mizzou is going to get its budget cut like a dogs nuts, leaving them without the ability to do certain things that aren’t crucial to survival.
10 years ago at 3:52 pmGood, I’m glad someone stood up to the PC destroyers of America. I hope every person in the state house told them the same thing.
10 years ago at 3:55 pmA slight correction, football scholarships aren’t paid for by tax payer money. The athletic department is self-sufficient. But I’m glad they’re getting railed by the legislatures.
10 years ago at 7:25 pm^Thats my bad. As an intern I don’t get to see any financial budgeting stuff, but had heard several legislators say that about the football program.
10 years ago at 8:43 pmYeah they were just wrong about that (which is really embarrassing on their part because it takes like 8 seconds to research). The creepy blonde guy whose name I forgot was the one who was really big on that (wrong) point.
10 years ago at 10:19 pm“Trying to figure out what to do with Click” maybe fire her and save some of that money it sounds like they desperately need?
10 years ago at 4:26 pmFuck Jay Nixon.
10 years ago at 4:31 pmI find great joy in reading this.
10 years ago at 4:45 pmExcellent idea. Punish students and faculty, not to mention the thousands of people who helped build this school into a respectable institution all because of some weak leaders, who are now mostly gone, and a few pieces of shit. Allowing Mizzou (or any school) to decline out of petty spite in this age of “I’m offended” is a bigger bitch move than the fucks who started this. Also, Missouri republicans are nearly all well documented psychopaths. That’s why out of staters can’t name one besides Harry T.
10 years ago at 5:13 pmYou are obviously being downvoted to a “safe space”
10 years ago at 6:35 pmThese are deserved consequences. The bad administrators are gone but the group making outrageous demands and constantly protesting is still around (as is Melissa Click), and still VERY active. The school needs to see what the consequences are when they wildly mishandle simple situations and cave to bad publicity.
10 years ago at 7:31 pm” Missouri Republicans are all well documented psychopaths”…… Do you even know what psychopath means? I work around these people everyday and they are just typical people trying to get their state back on track after the constant embarrassments & tragedies we have suffered lately. Ferguson, Mizzou, and the winter floods have wrecked havoc on our state, so if they say something in the heat of the moment that sets wrong with you then I’m sorry but they have a lot on their plate and a group of democrats who try their best to completely halt the gears of democracy to push their agenda down the throats of people who don’t want it.
10 years ago at 8:51 pm