It was a very nice (very mormon...baby talking girl/student). She started the spiel by saying how BYU is doing lots of 'super awesome' things. They have built a stream around part of the campus and some other things that she was 'super excited' about.

She sounded really nervous and I actually felt kind of sorry for her. I told her that I had left the church and I wouldn't give money to the church. I told her that I refuse to give to any charity that fails to make their financial records public.

She sounded relieved and said, "Oh thank you so much for not being rude...so many people I call just start yelling at me about the church". I said, "that's too bad...it's not your fault". Then she asked what it was about the church's money spending that bothered me. I told her that I didn't feel like giving money to BYU so the GA's kids could go there free (on top of their salaries). She said that she didn't think that they got paid. She had dated a GA's son and he didn't tell her about the 'perks'. She then asked if she could check on it and call me back. I told her that would be fine.

Sounds like an interesting phone call. I wonder who she's going to "check on it" with. No one from the church is going to tell her the truth. I wonder if she's getting all kinds of cog-dis with people yelling at her about the church. Let us know if she calls you back.

I've been lucky. I guess they can't find me. I graduated in 1998. I got a phone call that year asking for money. The girl on the phone said it was customary that graduates donate the amount of money in the year they graduated so I should donate $98. I was still tbm, but I was doubting, bitter about a few things, and hadn't found a job yet. I replied that if I had $98 I wouldn't donate it to BYU. She thanked me and hung up. I heard from them again in 2000. They asked the same thing: to donate $98. I said the same thing. She (a girl again) was polite and hung up. I haven't gotten a phone call since. Nor have I ever gotten the BYU magazine some grads get. They've left me totally alone for the past 11 years. I actually feel a little left out. I was a good molly mormon when I went there, they don't know that I'm now apostate. Humph.

… that she is getting yelled at on a regular basis about the church. (You are right, the church stuff isn't her fault; and it was very kind of you to say so.) It seems that there are a lot of BYU alumni who are not happy with the church; a good sign!

My guess is that as that young gal continues in that job and continues to get angry alumni on the phone, her testimony will slowly dwindle away…

It sounds like you made the call fun.

I hope to do the same thing next time they call me.

Thanks

A billion dollars in Churchco subsidies already coming from 10% of its graduates' incomes isn't enough for BYU? Now they want to fleece even more?
Pathetic.

Ask her exactly how many Brits she's met at BYU.

seriously? Is that an accurate number? I've only ever heard the stuff about the us and canada being self sufficient or whatever and that all of the other countries used more than they got.

I graduated from BYU in 1988. I had a really good friend that worked for the alumni association. She put our whole group of friends on their Do Not Contact list. And I've never received a call from BYU.

She's still a good friend, but that's the best thing she ever did for me!

Same thing happened to me, only it was a former student, by chance, who called. She offered to take me off the list, and I quickly accepted, then we got caught up with personal details, and the call ended. Haven't heard from them since.

I still get the magazines and I use my alumni email address as it is very easy to give out a simple byu.net email.

Funny that it was $98. For my graduation year they only asked for $20.06 that was matched 5x by donors. Plus my name appears somewhere in the Hinckley Alumni House.

I haven't received any calls yet, but then they don't have my phone number.

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When I did look up the charity tax records for Canada I was shocked too by how much tithing went directly to BYU too.

I'm glad you were nice. Being nice (as opposed to yelling) opens up avenues of communication such as you had with the caller. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Now I'm curious as to those alumni who got calls while you were still active in the church-how did you react? Did you just tell them you already donated to BYU via the church(ie, tithing)?

There were some people on that list that should have been taken off.

That's news to me. Is it common knowledge? If I'd heard it as a teenager, it would have backed up my doubts about the church leaders being called by God, because they were (and are) all so old. He wouldn't pick all old men, and he'd make them pay for their kids like everyone else.

OMFG those assholes called me last night. I just picked up the phone and then put it back. No way in hell they'll get any money from me, bwaa haa haa.