There are few institutions that have played as significant a role in transforming Barbados as the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI). The rise of this country’s middle class can be credited in large measure to the campus’ provision of low-cost but quality education.
However, the gratitude that ought to be shown for the benefits derived clearly has not been forthcoming from thousands whose pathway to success started on the hill. So it must be frustrating to UWI Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Harris to ask constantly, with little gain, those graduates who often flaunt their success – with money and new status – to reach out to help the university.
The excuse posited by many for this culture of selfishness is that we do not have a tradition of “giving back” but rather see everything as an entitlement.
An education at Cave Hill or any of the other campuses of UWI should have shown the beneficiaries the value of critical thinking. More importantly, it should have exposed them to the importance of giving and showing compassion for those less privileged.
Sometimes it is important to look to other people and cultures to appreciate and adapt the good things in life. In North America and across Europe there is an established culture of giving, whether it be to education, the arts, health or science and technology.
Often, much of this is done without fanfare.
The creation of family foundations has been a good vehicle by which many people have made grants to worthwhile causes. There are several reasons why we need to encourage this type of non-profit initiative in Barbados. You do not have to be a millionaire to have such a foundation.
Tax breaks make the charitable route appealing, and also allow the philanthropists greater control over their giving.
As Barbados grapples with a challenging economic crisis that is having a negative impact on the Cave Hill Campus, its graduates need to act and not just talk.
The campus’ administration and its guild of graduates must do much more in developing that sense of pride and responsibility among the thousands of recipients of the generosity of taxpayers.
Fifty years after the establishment of Cave Hill, there should be an expansive list of benefactors. The well paid staff there too must help to engender a habit of gift-giving. Having received, now is the time for those UWI graduates, many of whom fondly reflect on that part of their life’s journey and the good it has brought to them, to give back.
This situation cannot be just about bragging rights.Loyal sons and daughters all must do the right and decent thing – help someone else make the journey.
