<p>^^ Sure you have the option to not take it - just pay yourself or forego the program.</p>
<p>That’s ridiculous. When I accepted my school, I was told where my funding would be coming from, and it would be AccessUVA. They’ve no right to change my funding source to DuPont right in my fourth year…</p>
<p>(besides I intend to donate back to UVA at some more prosperous occasion, and not … DuPont.)</p>
<p>^^If you believe the school does not have that right then you have two main options:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Complain to the school and ask that the source of funding be changed.</p></li>
<li><p>If that fails you can refuse the funding as a protest.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you choose option 2. I’m sure you will teach a school a lesson that YOU will never forget.</p>
<p>AccessUVa is UVa’s financial aid program primarily for low and some middle income students. Your aid is still probably technically coming from AccessUva, just the grant you are getting is specifically called a DuPont grant. Why don’t you just call the financial aid office in the morning to clarify if you’re so concerned? By the way, my middle income son is a UVa grad who was full pay and had to take out $18000 in loans(which included interest) to help fund his education. Consider yourself very lucky that you are getting such great funding.You are very fortunate. If you don’t want the grant,I’m sure there are many other kids who would love to have it.</p>
<p>"I feel to deprive the big companies of their recruits wouldn’t be a mere protest – it would be a constructive action. And yes, I use things in everyday life that use DOW/DuPont/etc. plastic; I use chemicals in the lab that use such plastics, or neurochemicals… but if I had any say in it, I would choose otherwise, much like one opts for organic tofu at the grocery store. And perhaps, one day a parallel movement will occur, with a green firm competing with the big companies like an organic label competes with traditional agriculture. (I usually do not buy organic, by the way.) "</p>
<p>Yeah, good luck with that. I could tell you my little early 70’s DOW recruiting story but let’s just say youthful naivite is nothing new.</p>
<p>
Not feeling entitled or anything are you?</p>
<p>It’s your choice to accept this funding or not. If you’re so highly principled and so against Dupont then don’t accept it. March down to the finAid office and tell them you refuse to accept this particular free money and demand that they provide your free money from some other source or else you’ll no longer grace them with your presence and quit.</p>
<p>Just think of all the good things DuPont has produced, like, uh, uh, …spandex. </p>
<p>They’re ubiquitous, like it or not. Maybe you’ll help them become more greenly ubiquitous.</p>
<p>Also, it could be worse. Far, far worse. It could be Monsanto.</p>
<p>Maybe you need to stop being so self-righteous or at least reject the money. Tell me, what are you doing wrong by accepting the money? Does it mean that you show support of Dupont? But how would anyone know? I would accept any money given to me for my education, regardless of whether it was from tobacco company or whatever else. By rejecting the money you aren’t doing anyone favors.</p>
<p>It could be worse – I had a $1,000 National Merit scholarship from Dresser Industries - which later became Halliburton! Oh well.</p>
<p>
But they’re so-called ‘green’ (a loose term if there ever was one) in the sense that I bought some Monsanto formaldehyde-free insulation and installed it in my house thus reducing my energy needs and saving the earth from doom.</p>
<p>^^Hah, and do you believe their radio ads touting “sustainable agriculture” be developing “advances in crop seed” too? If so, I have some land to sell you…</p>
<p>I really have a problem with all the holier-than-thou kum-ba-ya types who villify certain industries and then go about blithely unaware of how these industries have hugely contributed towards setting their own high standard of living. </p>
<p>Try to image what your world would be like without chemicals, plastic, other engineered materials.</p>
<p>OP…I have to agree with what so many others have said (especially GladGradDad). You’ve gotten a TON of money for the past 3 years. Do you have any clue how many full pay students there are at UVA (particularly OOS kids) who don’t qualify for anything, are financially struggling, and would be so grateful to receive even a fraction of what you have been given? Seriously…talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Grow up! Get off your high horse! You’re not “entitled” to anything! You’ve been given a gift – a gift that you did nothing to earn. No one is forcing you to accept it. If you’re so morally opposed to it for goodness sake, get a job and pay for your education yourself. Gee, there’s a novel idea!</p>
<p>@OP,</p>
<p>“This feels kind of wrong”</p>
<p>If you have an ethical problem with your sponser then don’t accept the money. Otherwise, quit maligning them.</p>
<p>Kum-ba-ya</p>
<p>I would hate to see the DuPont sponsorship,grant (wherever it is coming from- the company,a DuPont family member, that is not clear) be compromised for future UVa students because of ungrateful students like the OP. UVa has made a real effort recently to make funding available to kids who could not afford or think they could attend the school in the past. Virtually all funding is need based for both instate and out of state students. The very few Jefferson Scholars are merit based but this is funded outside the university. The OP’s sense of entitlement is astounding. Hope the OP has had to fund some of their own education through work and/or loans at UVa so they at least have some skin in the game. To have AccessUVa fund it all and then to have a student malign that program and DuPont in the same breath would be very sad.</p>
<p>@PizzaGirl,</p>
<p>"It could be worse – I had a $1,000 National Merit scholarship from Dresser Industries - which later became Halliburton! Oh well. "</p>
<p>I’d like to see how long you’d still be smug without oil.</p>
<p>“They’ve no right to change my funding source to DuPont right in my fourth year” - Of course they do. Other colleges run out of funds and cut back on their scholarships. It sounds like UVA has found a way to avoid that. </p>
<p>Count your blessing. Then graduate and do good in the world. Best of luck!</p>
<p>gMT - I’ve got no problem with it. It was just an amusing anecdote in light of the conversation. Carry on.</p>
<p>GMTPlus: seriously. I’m not advocating the abolition of plastic production. Far from it. There’s a reason why I study chemistry. Polymerisation is a fascinating topic. </p>
<p>What I do however abhor are abusive industrial practices…and the prioritising of the short-term bottom line over long-term environmental costs; take the Bhopal disaster for one, and that Dow Chemical never compensated the families affected. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m not sure if you’re poking fun at your own logic? </p>
<p>When a firm enjoys monopolistic/oligopolistic power or market dominance, questions of consumer choice start to go out the window.</p>
<p>Oil is a necessity only because Americans have designed their suburban communities to be reliant on oil [contrast Europe], and I have no say in the urban layout of my communities. In fact, oil companies intentionally funded the concerted sabotage of American electrical transit systems in the mid 20th century in order to ensure that this dependence was cemented. </p>
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