Fourth-year Pharmaceutical Sciences student Allan Rajesky had a very Canadian item on his Christmas wish list this year -- a toque.
Charged with spearheading UBC's annual Class Act campaign for his faculty, Rajesky promised to shave his head if 100 per cent of his fourth-year classmates participated by making a donation toward a faculty student project.
It seems his classmates were keen on supporting the faculty, and on seeing Rajesky hairless. The graduating class raised $2,068 with 100 per cent participation and his classmates fired up the razor. Rajesky's efforts paid off, as Pharmaceutical Sciences Dean Frank Abbott had promised to match the students' contributions two-to-one if 100 per cent participation was achieved. In addition, UBC matches contributions to any faculty with 100 per cent participation. The dean threw in an additional sum to bring the total raised to $9,000.
The money will be used to support student participation in conferences.
The faculty has set a precedent for the Class Act campaign, with an early start on a campaign that is scheduled to begin officially Feb. 2, 1998.
The campaign has taken a slightly different approach this year, asking students to make a one-time immediate contribution to a faculty project of their choice rather than splitting the gift over three years.
Class Act is one of several fund-raising appeals undertaken by the university's Development Office as part of the Annual Fund.
Another is the Alumni Appeal, which will wrap up at the end of the university's fiscal year on March 31. It is making solid progress toward its $1.18-million goal with 11,550 alumni already contributing $806,000.
The Alumni Appeal is driven by groups of student, staff and volunteer callers who work to contact alumni. Student callers from the Faculty of Medicine have held the record for the past three years for the largest amount raised by a single group.
This year, led by second-year medical student Vu Truong, 43 second-year medical students raised $36,095 from 286 alumni over three nights.
"We're always very impressed by the level of commitment shown by our alumni as well as current students," said Geraldine Dunnigan, Annual Fund manager. "It's clear that many students take away with them experiences that provide a strong and lasting connection to the university."
Other Annual Fund appeals include the Anniversary Giving, Parents, Faculty/Staff, and Wesbrook appeals.
The Faculty/Staff Appeal appears to have received a boost this year thanks to faculty and staff members who decided to designate UBC as the beneficiary of their United Way donations.
Last year's Annual Fund campaign raised nearly $1.7 million. This year's goal is $1.9 million.