I personally don't like this idea at all, but if we do decide to do it, I strongly suggest that families and alumni are polled before it is seriously considered. Here are my issues:For one thing, by sending their kids to STM--a private school with a major tuition--many of the parents are already saying they're willing to pay whatever is necessary to give their kids an education. (I say "many" instead of "all" because there are families who receive financial assistance, but those aren't going to be the ones going to fund-raising galas, anyway.) High cost is kinda what private schools are all about. Uni parents don't all necessarily feel that they have that much money to spare for giving to the school; they aren't coming here knowing they'll have to pay at least $5000 each year. And okay, some parents may be high-paying professionals, but not all. This whole idea will definitely raise some eyebrows; it's definitely about elitism. Prom isn't a fair comparison; almost all schools do that traditionally, while only some private schools would throw an event like this. What if some of the alumni are put off by this idea and think it goes against the spirit of the school? That wouldn't help with fundraising. We want to make Uni seem like a place where all people are welcome, regardless of financial situation, right? But if we do this and word gets around--as it did for STM's--everyone will just think we're just another private-esque school (albeit for smart "rich kids"). That's really not what we aspire to, image-wise. Maybe we would raise some money with this kind of thing, but I don't think it can entirely "fix Uni's age-old financial situation" unless a large percentage of each class were willing to come and contribute, which is why we'd have to survey everyone first before we try this to make sure it'll work. There's no point in doing it if we're just going to hurt our image.