Who is picking up the tab?

It should surprise no one that one of the reasons the DCAA was formed was to raise money for the Cardinal. Many have heard that the Cardinal is struggling and find it surprising that the juggernaut of old is no longer.

"What is the financial health of the Cardinal?" is the question almost everyone asks -- or wants to ask. If it is all that bad, why should anyone consider donating?

The truth is that it is not that bad, but...

And, as always, it is the "but" that gets you. The situation requires some explanation.

The Cardinal at the turn of this century is in a much different revenue stream than in previous years. Competition is much more fierce: a competiting student daily (the only university in the nation that has this distinction), two city dailies, two weeklies and a handful of monthlies have turned that stream into a delta, at best.

The Cardinal has no real problem surviving. It can sell enough to the local advertisers to keep the shop open.

The Madison market has also changed, and not for the better. With increasing rents in the downtown, many local businesses have folded (about 25 in the past 5 years, many with 10-plus years operating in Madison). These businesses are being replaced with national chains, who do not buy ads on a local basis, but rather at the corporate, through national ad buyers.

The Cardinal faces a difficult situation there. The competing Badger Herald receives the majority of national ads and with the Onion receiving more national exposure, that revenue may not be with the Cardinal any time soon.

What the DCAA is looking to do is find means, through corporate in-kind and cash donations, foundations and individual fundraising, to improve the educational support system of the Cardinal.

Basically, any fundraising that the DCAA may do will be fund capital expenditures, such as new equipment like telephones and computers, special long term projects like the Archive Project or scholarships to keep good students at the Cardinal. Spending at the Cardinal has become a more intelligent practice: items purchased are items that can reduce recurring costs.

Finally, the DCAA is looking at things like merchandising and the possibility of low suggested donations (to make these dues tax deductible) to maintain its funding.

Funding is a necessary evil in building a stronger Cardinal. It is our hope to make it one.

-- Strategies for DCAA fundraising will be discussed on Sunday, May 9 in Grainger Hall. Anyone interested, especially those who cannot attend, should contact the DCAA (see page 12).