Shop at Amazon and help fund an architecture student
Amidst the budget cuts that are forcing US universities to reduce staff, cancel classes and raise student fees, an architecture student has devised a fundraising idea that will hopefully diminish a loan that, by the end of his studies, will have reached $80,000.
Josh Arnold, a graduate student at the School of Architecture at Andrews University Michigan, is currently in his fourth year, married with a young child and feeling the strain of the ever-mounting costs of funding a college education. To cope with this he has set up adoptagradstudent.com, a website describing his current circumstances and asking strangers, as well as friends and family, for their help. Instead of asking for direct donations, however, Josh has approached Amazon and organised a deal whereby in exchange for sending people to Amazon via a link on his own site, Amazon will donate 4% of every purchase made to help pay off Josh's loan. Josh’s website also allows people to pay money directly into his college fund via the St Andrews University website.
When asked what response he has had to the website, Josh said: “So far I have got nothing but great feedback on what I'm trying to do with this site. For me the most exciting part is when I hear from other students that want to create a similar website. People love the idea of helping a student out without giving up their own money or time. So far it's made a big difference for me. At this point the website is making enough to keep the interest at 0 every month and it is still growing. The cost of education shouldn't hold you back from doing what you want to do. So this is my attempt to fight back.”
To donate to Josh’s college fund, visit www.adoptagradstudent.com
Laura Paton
Editorial
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