Commentary
We will post articles, messages and other information relevant to Dartmouth interests and, for now, the election of Association officers. New postings - June 16, 2008
Voting for this election is over - See Home Page of this website for details.
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To all loyal Dartmouth Alumni – Please read an important letter to you from the Unity Slate endorsed by Dartmouth Undying
Dear Fellow Alumnus/Alumna:
We are eleven alumni elected by the Association of Alumni for election to its Executive Committee on the basis of our history of leadership and service to the College. We have diverse backgrounds and perspectives and are committed to working together with our fellow alumni on the Board of Trustees to build on Dartmouth’s strengths as the finest undergraduate college anywhere. We believe that all students, alumni, faculty and staff are equally valued members of the Dartmouth family, and we are dedicated to ensuring that Dartmouth’s traditions remain as strong as ever.
All of us have recently spent time on campus observing the excellence of Dartmouth and the incomparable experience it offers current students. The values we treasure, the bonds we formed with our peers, and the relationships we had with our teachers are present today, enhanced with more opportunities and better facilities. We want future generations of students to enjoy and benefit from their unique Dartmouth experiences as much as we did. We are for a governance process that is fair and balanced, that respects the interests of all constituencies -- students, alumni, faculty and staff -- comprising the Dartmouth family, and, most importantly, that maintains Dartmouth as a preeminent undergraduate college.
Our slate includes members who voted for petition candidates in past elections and members who voted for Alumni Council nominees; we have members who constructively engaged with the administration to save, reform, and strengthen the Greek system following the Student Life Initiative; and we have members who have at times forcefully disagreed with actions of the Board and administration. Although we are as independent as any candidates who have ever run for these offices, we decline to adopt the polarizing “independents vs. loyalists” or “independents vs. insiders” rhetoric all too often heard in recent alumni elections. We believe loyalty to Dartmouth is a good thing and that we all became lifetime “insiders” at Dartmouth the moment we matriculated.
Our opponents in this election, a petition slate receiving editorial support from The Dartmouth Review, initiated the highly divisive and costly lawsuit filed against Dartmouth last October by a bare majority of the Association of Alumni Executive Committee in the name of all alumni. Not only is this lawsuit diverting money and resources from undergraduate education, it is creating instability and disunity which will hamper Dartmouth’s ability to attract the best candidates in the upcoming search for its next President.
We believe that suing each other is no way to resolve differences of alumni opinion about college governance. We believe that the Dartmouth family can address its issues without intervention by the courts and without intervention by the New Hampshire legislature, as one of our opponents on the petition slate recently sought and failed to achieve. We pledge to build a rejuvenated and more effective partnership between the Trustees and the entire alumni body.
We do not question the good faith of alumni who have strong views about the Board decision regarding the manner in which Trustees are appointed or elected. We have strong and varied views ourselves rooted in our continued involvement in alumni affairs and engagement with the greater Dartmouth community. But, we believe that Dartmouth’s Trustees have the ultimate responsibility for making informed governance decisions after weighing the sometimes competing and sometimes complementary interests of students, alumni, faculty and staff. We also know that no qualified candidate will accept the position as Dartmouth’s next President unless the Trustee’s mandate to exercise that responsibility is absolutely clear.
Our slate is fully committed to working constructively with the Trustees to address the issue of alumni governance and “parity” in true dialogue, and not in the New Hampshire state courts or legislature. The Trustees, all of whom are fellow Dartmouth alumni except the President and the Governor of New Hampshire, welcome such dialogue. Dartmouth needs it, now more than ever.
As individuals we are committed to our beliefs. As a slate we are committed to Dartmouth.
John Mathias ‘69 - President Cheryl Bascomb ‘82 - First Vice President Doug Keare‘56 - Second Vice President David Spalding ‘76 - Secretary/TreasurerExecutive committee:
Marian Zischke Baldauf ‘84 Veree Hawkins Brown ‘93 John Engelman ‘68 Ron Harris ’71 Kaitlin Jaxheimer ‘05 Otho Kerr ‘79 Ron Schram ‘64************************
