My Marquette career has been filled with many great memories. Like many of my fellow graduating seniors, when I look back on my four years here there are several experiences that stand out: Running down Wisconsin Avenue to the lakefront after we beat Kentucky, driving to New Orleans for the Final Four and many nights spent drinking at Angelo's, the Gloc, Hagerty's, Murphy's and Caffrey's.

While these experiences were shared with many of my classmates, I also had one experience that is not as commonplace: my job of four years at the Marquette Phonathon. This job has not only given me many great memories, but it has also given me the opportunity to identify more with the Marquette mission and the importance of fundraising for the university to help achieve this mission. It is also through this job that I have become involved with the Senior Challenge and is why I am one of the members of the Senior Challenge Committee.

For those of you who don't know about Senior Challenge, it is a fundraising effort by the senior class to give something back to Marquette as a thank you for all of the great memories and opportunities that were given to us as part of a Marquette education. I know that it sounds a little bad to be asking students who have just paid in the upwards of $80,000 for the education to give back, but it is a really good cause that goes to help give more students the opportunity to attend Marquette by raising money for student scholarships. As a committee we went before the Marquette National Alumni Board and solicited $20,000 from them as a challenge to get 50 percent of the senior class to donate anywhere from $4 to $20.04 to Senior Challenge, which was a lofty goal considering previous years had trouble receiving donations from 15 percent of their class.

As a recipient of scholarships and financial aid I was more than willing to donate $20.04.

In addition to donating, the committee and myself have been working for the past month to solicit donations from our friends and classmates. As of right now, we are closing in 300 donations from members of the senior class. Hopefully, with a push during finals and senior week, we will be able to reach our 50 percent goal.

Even though this year's Senior Challenge is turning out to be more successful than any in the past, there are still many seniors who have yet to donate. One of the most difficult factos of seniors not giving has been that several of our class's most prominent students have refused giving out of what one prominent senior leader has described as "principle."

If these senior class leaders stand for the mission of the university, they should easily identify with the goals of Senior Challenge. To say the least this is disappointing and it also casts a shadow on the so-called values that these supposed senior leaders stand for.

Despite these disappointing refusals to give, Senior Challenge is still moving forward. I would also like to thank all of the seniors who have already given to senior challenge, especially two Greek organizations — Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Omega Epsilon — that have already had 100 percent participation in Senior Challenge by all of its senior members. I would also like to thank the bands that performed at the Senior Challenge Band Showcase this past Friday.

I would also encourage any senior who has not donated yet to do so. You can drop off your donation at the Annual Support office on the 6th floor of the 1212 building, or to look for the Senior Challenge table in the Raynor Lobby during finals week.

Kramer is a senior operations and supply chain management & marketing major.

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