Sometimes in the real world you have to “pay to play”. I see no problem with giving contributions back to your alma mater, whether its for purely altruistic reasons or a possible admissions bump for your kid. If we are honest with ourselves, there are so many ways we give extra consideration for our kids, extended family members, and close friends which results in a “leg up” on everyone else through nepotism, job offers, internships, access to powerful and influential people, and other opportunities etc. Dontions are no different.
One of my friends worked on Clinton’s second term campaign and some large donors were in a meeting where each one was asked what is the one thing on their agenda that they wanted help from this campaign; one by one they went around the room and campaign aids wrote down each item and said they would try to make it happen. Whether it’s politics or business, this is how some things work, like it or not.