Dartblog

Today the lawsuit filed by the former Association of Alumni Executive Committee was voluntarily terminated by the newly elected committee. While everyone knew the stakes of the last Association of Alumni election, I confess myself bitterly disappointed at this turn of events. The end of this lawsuit can mean only one thing for the future of Dartmouth College: the institution of the board-packing scheme and the end of parity. This plan, approved by the Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees will be extremely detrimental to the future of Dartmouth College. What I find so special about Dartmouth is its uniqueness, its willingness to be different, and its leadership amongst undergraduate institutions. It has an identity all its own. Now we are following in the footsteps of other colleges, just as we did with the new financial aid program this year. More importantly, the College is setting a dangerous precedent by ignoring a contract with alumni in order to silence criticism. Reducing alumni power to eliminate debate and discussion over the direction of the College is reprehensible and I will never support it.

In typical fashion, the Office of Public Affairs was misleading in its statement on the termination. Dwelling on the opposition of the Alumni Council and the previous Association of Alumni president ignores the substantial support for the parity slate among alumni voters and among students who contributed to the letter for democracy sent during the election. These voters mobilized without the vast resources of the Dartmouth Undying slate. I can only imagine the alumni who might have been reached had access to alumni lists and funding been equal. The statement also makes no mention of the impending board-packing which will forever alter the governance of Dartmouth College. It is with a sad heart that I report these developments, but I take comfort in the knowledge that there remain numerous alumni dedicated to preserving and improving upon the excellent education and experience offered to Dartmouth students.