Student’s Appeal Lacks It : Plea for College Funds Is Greeted by More Disdain Than Cash

The student body president at Whittier College was only hoping to raise some cash when he sent out a mass mailing that appeals for help in paying this year’s tuition.

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Instead, 21-year-old JaMarr Brown is raising hackles.

“Get a job,” sniff classmates. “Get a loan,” complain business owners in Whittier. “Get a scholarship,” grumble college administrators.

But Brown is unapologetic about the donations of $25 and $30 that are arriving at his college dorm. Without outsiders’ help in meeting his $23,000 tuition and room-and-board costs, he said, he is in danger of dropping out.

“My education is top priority for me. I’ll do what I have to do to continue my education,” said the senior business administration major.

The unusual solicitation has been mailed to friends and acquaintances in his hometown of San Diego and to merchants in Whittier.

“Being that I am now student body president, I will be unable to work for the remainder of the 1994-95 academic year,” states the letter.

“As a result, my financial need has increased to more than $8,000. . . . I am asking that you extend a helping hand and make an investment in this college student’s education and in the future.”

Brown declined to say how much the appeal has raised. But a portion of his tuition “is still not covered,” he said.

The charity-style solicitation has angered many of the college’s 1,300 students.

“If he wants to go to a private school, he should cut back his activities and get a job,” said 21-year-old Ken Persing, a senior social studies major who is financing his tuition with a scholarship and with money raised by summer jobs.

Psychology student John Chier, 23, said the student body presidency term ends in January. That leaves Brown with plenty of time to hustle up a springtime job if he wants to, according to Chier--who is paying for college with his personal savings, coupled with loans and a school grant.

Some Whittier business owners are irritated by the solicitation. They say Brown’s appeal is far different from those they often receive from campus groups.

“It’s ridiculous--it kind of disgusts me personally,” said Ivan Schultz, owner of Whittier Lumber Co. “We support the college all year long. But I just don’t buy that kind of request.”

Monte Wicker, a former Whittier mayor and co-owner of Monte’s Camera Shop, said Brown should seek a student loan. “Money’s available--I give the college money. I feel they know better which students need it than I do,” Wicker said.

College officials said Brown’s mass mailing has embarrassed them. They said numerous scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid are available to students.

And it was wrong for Brown to “go to the same people who are already supporting the institution,” said Jonathan Meer, executive assistant to the college president.

“What ended up is people thought his letter was sanctioned or approved by the college. It wasn’t. We’ve heard from about a dozen people concerned about how their names and addresses got out.”

Brown said the Whittier mailing was arranged by friends in San Diego who obtained a membership list from the Chamber of Commerce.

“A year ago, I found that income from my summer work and assistance from my parents wasn’t going to be enough,” Brown said. “So we talked to our church pastor and he said write a letter so he could approach his board for a donation.”

Impressed by the letter--which outlined Brown’s campus accomplishments and his years of work as a volunteer reading tutor in San Diego--the minister suggested he send it to other churches. After that, Brown’s father, a shipping clerk, mailed copies to his acquaintances and extra copies were mailed out by other volunteers at the Reading Is Fundamental program.

Brown said members of the tutorial group had the idea of extending the mass mailing to Whittier.

“I got no negative comments from San Diego, whether I got money from people there or not,” Brown said. “I was surprised that people here reacted as they did.”

Not everyone has reacted negatively, however. “JaMarr’s basically selling himself--that’s what they say to do when you apply for a scholarship,” said Aurelio Alba, a 21-year-old senior English major.

Brown’s mass mailing idea, he hinted, may find mass appeal among students in the future.