Each year, students are asked to work at the phonathon. Students are told they’re helping out the college by raising money for scholarships and the like and that it’s a great opportunity for some on-campus employment. The event raises more than $100,000 each year to support the college and its mission to educate young people.

The callers contact alumni from all over the country, but those calls also include parents of current students.

Many of these parents are already paying Simpson thousands of dollars to send their children to school here. Others have co-signed on student loan applications. They should not be expected to give even more money on top of that.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise if they get a little irritated by a phone call asking them to donate more money to the college. It’s bound to rub some parents the wrong way. Those of us who have worked the phonathon have experienced this first hand.

We think it’s great that the college is working so hard to help us out. We depend on that scholarship money each year so that we can continue to further our education here, but asking our parents for even more money is not the answer.

It reminds us of when we were in junior high, hitting up our parents for money every weekend, only to be reminded that we already receive an allowance. On occasion we’d get lucky, and dad would pull out his wallet. But more often we’d get that lecture about spending our money wisely.

Don’t get us wrong. We want to support Simpson, and our parents probably do to. Just at least let us graduate first.