Almost 400 alumni from across the country arrive in Hanover today for the College's annual Class Officer Weekend. Alumni class officers and the newly elected officers of the Class of 1997 will meet to discuss current events and to maintain lines of communication.
Associate Director of Alumni Relations Jan Bent said this weekend is an opportunity for class officers to return to the College and "partake of some of the excellence on campus" while catching up on what is happening at Dartmouth.
"In my opinion, this is just a wonderful way to bring the class officers back to campus," Director of Alumni Relations Nelson Armstrong said. "They can see what the issues of the day are, and they can experience being in Hanover once again."
Class Officer Weekend, which is not a fundraising event, begins today and will conclude after lunch tomorrow, Bent said.
The role of class officers is to keep members of the class connected to Dartmouth and to promote class unity, Bent said.
"It is through the officers and their executive committees that we have such great attendance at reunions," she said.
Bent said one of this weekend's goals is to "generate ideas" for keeping up class unity. "It is interesting to see what classes do with their mini-reunions."
The Class of 1997 Executive Committee, elected this February, will attend the association meetings on Saturday "to see what their main role is and to meet with other officers -- it is a good way for them to figure out what to expect for the next five years," Bent said.
Senior Executive Committee
Class of 1997 Executive Committee President Sam Keating '97 said the committee has been meeting since the end of last term in preparation for Class Day and Commencement.
In February, the senior class elected 21 students to serve on the committee, which then chose its officers by an internal vote, Keating said. He said other offices, such as the newsletter editor, were solicited from the class.
The committee must also select a historian, an orator and marshals for Commencement, Keating said. They have already created a class logo.
Keating described the executive committee officers as the "nucleus of the class for the next five years," who will make sure the class keeps in touch with Dartmouth. A new election will be held at the class's fifth reunion.
He said the class is kept together after graduation through the alumni magazine, mini-reunions and dues, which can be used for class service projects or scholarships.
Alum Learning Experience
If the officers of an individual class want to meet during Class Officer weekend, they plan to do so ahead of time, Bent said.
Besides attending meetings, alumni will hear faculty presentations this weekend. "For some of the older alums this is a real learning experience," Bent said.
For example, one presentation on Friday will concern electronic communications, she said. Associate Director of Computer Services Randy Spydell '73 will talk about accessing the Internet, building a home page and the College's new "e-mail-for-life server," she said.
English Professor Don Pease will speak about liberal education at the College and the differences between the visions for the College of President Emeritus John Kemeny, his predecessors and current President James Freedman.
Director of the Rockefeller Center Linda Fowler will give a talk titled "Remember the Women" about the role of women in America.
Bent said another program this weekend will be a speech by Assistant Director of Career Services Anne Janeway about the work force.
Armstrong said Class Officer Weekend is the largest of the weekends sponsored by the alumni relations office.
Other weekends are for Dartmouth Club officers from different regions, the alumni council and other affiliated groups, such as the Black Alumni of Dartmouth, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
