The College is adding a seventh designation to the Alumni Fund called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). In conjunction with this expansion, an anonymous alumni donor will donate an additional $100 to the DEI designation for every donation given to the Alumni Fund between October 5 and 11. The College is calling this initiative the “Ripple Effect” challenge.

Unlike funds such as the temporary COVID-19 Response fund, DEI will be a permanent designation within the Alumni Fund.

“The College’s commitment to work related to antiracism and social justice is ongoing, not temporary,” wrote Scott Meiklejohn, senior vice president for development and alumni relations, in an email to the Orient.

Alumni and friends of the College are able to donate to specific areas within the Alumni Fund. The other six designations are comprehensive aid, financial aid, academics, student life, environmental stewardship and arts and culture.

There is no cap on how many alumni can participate in the challenge, nor is there a cap on how much the anonymous alum is willing to donate to the DEI fund.

The fund will be used to support the College’s efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion and will potentially be used by Student Activities, Alumni Relations, Career Exploration and Development and the Office of Inclusion and Diversity,.

According to Meiklejohn, the College will use the fund for some short-term initiatives, including educating the community about race, establishing and launching the “Difference, Power, and Identity” distribution requirement and bolstering resources for academic departments.