downing text 2012_Layout 1 - Downing College - University of ...

DOWNING COLLEGE ASSOCIATIONfinancial pressures, including the cost of essentials such as books. Using moneyraised primarily from the sale of Association merchandise at alumni events andonline, the Fund now provides grants which are normally between £50 and£250, but can occasionally be as much as £500, and last year helped 44 students.Most grants are for books or travel to support fieldwork or to attendconferences, but money can also be provided to fund any specific need that willenable a student to pursue their studies more effectively.All grants are approved by the tutors who regard the support which theFund gives to students as extremely important. Senior Tutor, Graham Virgo,remarks that “All the applications from students are carefully considered to ensure thatthe student concerned is facing real financial hardship and that their applications arefor resources which are essential to their academic studies.”The Fund is not only one of the means by which the Association fulfils oneof its four objects, “to facilitate united action in any matter concerning the welfare ofthe College and its members”, but also provides a real and immediate way in whichalumni can, through the Association, make a real difference to the lives ofcurrent students in this increasingly difficult financial climate.As one current undergraduate recently wrote:“I have been able to do my work with peace of mind, knowing thatDowning is supporting me fully and I can make better and moreevocative models and drawings as a result. I do not know what Iwould do without this grant and it has truly made the difference tomy degree so far. Thank you very much for all the support.”How does the Alumni Student Fund differ from College student support funds?The Alumni Student Fund is separate from, but complementary to, funds raisedby the College in the current Catalysis Campaign. Funds raised from alumni inthe Catalysis Campaign which are designated for student support are endowedfunds meaning the corpus remains invested and the annual interest supportsstudents facing general financial hardship. The strategy behind this, as with allendowments at any college or university, is to secure a more stable long termfinancial underpinning to support students in the future. All of the AlumniStudent Fund is for immediate use making an instant impact on the lives ofstudents today. It provides immediate help to pay for specific items essential tothe studies of individual students. In this way The Alumni Student Fund andthe funds raised in the Catalysis Campaign are the perfect complement to eachother – to help students right now and to help them far in the future.12