I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis twice: first in 1993 from the College of Arts and Sciences and again in 1996 from the School of Law. I loved my time as an undergrad at Wash U.  I don’t know many people who loved law school.  I made some great friends over the seven years I spent on the campus. I am still friends with a few of them, but sadly I’ve lost touch with most of them. I had such fun in my first four years there, including some nights I don’t fully remember.  I learned a great deal about myself during these years.  I cannot speak fondly enough about my time at Wash U.

As much as I loved my undergrad years, my law school experience somewhat tarnished my opinion of the university as a whole. It was a case of one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch. Because of my feelings about the School of Law, I was not an active alumnus.  I felt that as Wash U got full tuition from me (more specifically, from my family) for seven years, I didn’t feel the need to keep giving money.  However, I did make gifts to the athletic department with the condition that it went to the cheerleading squad (yes, I was a cheerleader in college) but that was it. Over time, I realized what I received from Wash U and began to donate to the University and the College of Arts and Sciences.

A few weeks ago, something happened to make me decided to stop giving to any part of the University. Ethan received his copy of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine’s bulletin. On the cover I saw something about Wash U, so I opened it to the article. What I read horrified me. I learned that Washington University School of Medicine still has students learning to intubate using live cats. This article went on to explain that Washington University School of Medicine is THE ONLY civilian pediatrics program in the country that still does this.  All other schools now use “purpose-designed infant and neonatal simulators, which mimic the airway of a low birth weight premature newborn.”  There is no need to continue this barbaric practice.  I have always had a problem with animals being used as test subjects. Even as a child it didn’t make sense to me that showing the effects of something on a non-human animal would correlate to an identical reaction in a human being. We are completely different species.  Before I finished the first sentence in the article, I knew I had written my last check to my alma mater.  Even though my donations never went to the School of Medicine, I could not continue to give money to an institution that knowingly and intentionally allows this torture to continue. I even joined the virtual rally to stop this abuse.

I truly believe that we vote with our wallets.  It is simple: we must support the companies and organizations that strive to do good and are in line with our values, and not give money to those that support and promote things we oppose.  As soon as Blackfish came out, support for Sea World crumbled, its stock prices fell, scheduled performers cancelled upcoming shows and attendance dropped. We have to power to change the world for the better. We cannot and must not be afraid to use it.  As Colleen Patrick-Goudreau says, “don’t do nothing just because you can’t do everything.  Do something.  Anything”

My decision to no longer donate to Wash U may not change its policies immediately, but every time I get a call asking for a donation, I will explain why I am refusing to give. I will also share this information with my classmates and ask them to consider no longer giving until such a time as Wash U reverses it’s barbaric policy of testing on live cats. Perhaps some of my friends will stop donating as well, or at least will think about it before simply writing their next donation check.  I am hopeful that the School of Medicine will stop the practice of torturing live cats.  When it does, I will gladly resume donating to the University. But for now, thanks for the memories Wash U.