[lbo-talk] categories

[Jim Westrich]

The income list does not come close to even income categories even for Yale
("category bias" is well known surveying technique used to skew results in a
certain direction--setting up the set of choices so to get people to answer
disproportionately a particular way). My humbler alma mater does the same thing
on a much more subdued scale than Yale. There is also a bias toward thinking of
"proving yourself" to Yale by answering as if the information was to be made
public.

There may be some university PR benefit if they can advertise to prospective
students that x% make x kajillion.  There may be an indirect benefit to
development appeals (ok, I said I made 500K so I better send them a few bucks).
There also may be some direct benefit for the commercial appeal of the directory
itself if they can say this a upper income marketing gold mine (maybe they can
offer 24k gold skulls with diamond encrusted eyes).

Peace,

Jim

"Now you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And there's a mighty judgement coming, but I may be wrong
You see, you hear these funny voices
In the Tower of Song"

     -Leonard Cohen

Quoting Matthew Snyder <mwsnyder at gmail.com>:


> Presumably they also use the information to determine which alumni to
> target with pleas for big donations.  I bet if Doug told them he was
> in one of the highest income brackets, he could score at least a free
> lunch courtesy of the Development office.
>
> > Doug Henwood wrote:
> >
> > > Yale is publishing a new alumni directory and I was just asked to
> > > update my info in their database. I'm used to filling out demographic
> > > forms with income ranges - usually the top category is $100,000+ or,
> > > on business-related sites, $250,000+ Not Yale. Here are the categories:
> > >
> > >            $0-49,999
> > >       $50,000-99,999
> > >     $100,000-249,999
> > >     $250,000-749,999
> > >   $750,000-1,499,999
> > > $1,500,000-2,999,999
> > >           $3,000,000+


>