Ripon College Days

In the second attempt to select a senior class gift, 28 votes have declared atomic clocks the 2006 class gift.

Though the clock option garnered approximately a two to one win, only 55 students actually participated in this round of voting.

"I think this is a gift that can attract prospectives and be useful to current students," says senior Matt Nicolai, who voted for the clocks over the alternatives: a large Ripon College sign and an Evans Welcome Center stone sign.

The clock plan received final approval Friday from Interim Assistant Director of the Annual Fund Paul Neuberger and President David Joyce.

The analog clocks are 12 inches in diameter and run $50 each. According to Neuberger, they will be purchased through ambiantweather.com.

If the $2,000 senior class fundraising goal is met, a total of 40 clocks could be purchased and placed "in every main entryway and in classrooms," says Neuberger, who coordinates the gift process.

"Because of the price there will be remnants of the senior class in virtually every building on campus," says Joyce.

The clock option was made available after some seniors expressed disappointed with the first round of voting earlier this semester. Acknowledging concern over the process in which gift ideas were developed and submitted, Neuberger agreed to hold a second round of voting, which allowed for more student input.

Yet, even after allowed a greater decision-making ability in the second round of voting, only 55 out of more than 200 seniors participated in the voting process.

"I am disappointed that after giving the seniors more say in the process the second time there was a lower voter turnout," says senior Andy Kitslaar, one of the senior class fundraising officers.

According to Kitslaar, turnout the second time was far below the approximately 50 percent of seniors who voted in the initial process.

"Personally I'm happy the students reached a gift that they are happy with and support," says Neuberger. "Although not everyone chose the atomic clocks as a gift, the majority did, and I hope this appeases many people."

But some students are disappointed with the results.

"I'm truly disappointed," says senior Jen Millen, who voted for the Evans Center sign. "Don't we have a gorgeous clock tower that chimes every quarter hour? That's true Ripon College time. I set my watch to that tower, not to what the government says is the exact right time of day."

Although she didn't vote for the clocks, Millen says she still donated toward the gift.

"I donated because we as a class were going to vote for something and as a class we should all participate in making it happen," she says. "Maybe it isn't what I wanted, but it is what is going to be here from the class of 2006."

Kitslaar says he and the other senior class fundraising officers are hoping for attitudes like Millen's.

"We hope for donations to be around $3,000 to $4,000 and that class participation will be above 90 percent of the senior class," he says. "We want high participation because when we get above 60 percent the Alumni Board will start donating money themselves and more will come from them the higher our participation is."

With several donations already received, Kitslaar hopes more will come in now that the gift has been decided.

"I think that in general the atomic clocks will benefit the student body and will be good for the campus," he says.

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