Although it is too early to see the long-term effects of the revolutionary residential and social life initiative, the College has yet to see substantial declines in alumni donations, according to Stan Colla, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations.
Colla told The Dartmouth that out of thousands of alumni contributors, only between eight and ten had actually rescinded their contributions since last Wednesday's announcement, and denied campus rumors that major donations had been rescinded.
He said that as of Friday, the alumni office had only received 29 messages from alumni who had made donations to the College, and of these, about two-thirds said they were unhappy with the decision.
Colla said even most alumni who are unhappy with the decision are hesitant to immediately withdraw financial support.
"It's really pretty early in the discussion here," Colla said. "A lot of older alums ... would spend more time gathering information about what's going on before coming to a decision."
Waiting for the College's next step before actually rescinding donations seems to be the most common position among alumni interviewed by The Dartmouth last night.
Kristin Kellogg '95, who said she is not a supporter of the Greek system even though she was affiliated while at Dartmouth, said she disapproves of the way the administration and the Board of Trustees have gone about making their decision.
When asked if she would consider withdrawing her contributions to the college, Kellogg said, "I guess it would depend on how they continue. If the administration proceeds in a more cooperative manner, then I would not withdraw funding. It almost seems like a barrage of decisions have been made without any consultation."
In response to threats of revoking donations, the Alumni Relations Office has maintained that Dartmouth has no concrete plan to eliminate any aspect of the Greek system.
"This is only a beginning and NOT a done deal," was the response to one alumnus from Associate Director of the Alumni Fund Cornelia Purcell.
In another e-mail, Assistant Director of the Alumni Fund Christopher Boffoli told a worried alumnus last week, "The accounts you may have read in the media have been distorted and misrepresented. President Wright and the Trustees have no plans to eliminate the Greek system. In fact, the College wouldn't even have the right to touch the national houses as they are in private hands."
Both College President James Wright and Trustee Chairman Stephen Bosworth told The Dartmouth last week the historic initiative would mean an end to the Greek system "as we know it."
Wright told the audience of the town meeting Monday night the administration would not be swayed by losses in alumni donations.
"I hope you don't think that I sort of get my day to day patterns of what I'm doing with you, and what I'm trying to do with this community based on whether or not somebody might withdraw a check or make a contribution," he said.
As soon as Chase Arnold, Scott Rupp and Warren Valdmanis, all '95s, heard about the College's decision, they set to work creating "Dartmouth Undying" as a third-party website which will provide an interactive place where alumni can share their opinions.
"The main purpose of Dartmouth Undying is to give the opportunity for alumni to log on their views to an independent body, so there's some ability to monitor and react," Valdmanis said. "We want to add a little transparency--to make it clear how people are reacting to this."
Arnold is currently collecting e-mail responses to the new policy.
"There have been several hundred responses," he said. "Only one that I have read has supported the decision."
He said Dartmouth Undying is not biased by nature -- it is an open forum for discussion.
Despite the organization's self-professed neutrality, its founders believe that the college's decision is not just.
"I want to remain involved with this college," Valdmanis said. "But if they make serious decisions without consulting the alumni, I may have to reconsider ... To hear about decisions having been made through the USA Today, through the Boston Globe, through the New York Times is insulting. There's clearly a problem here in communication."
The three founders of Dartmouth Undying said they contacted the administration and the Board members to express their disapproval of the initiative and to report their intentions of revoking contributions if the College does not consider the voices of alumni and students.
They are just a few of the many people who have expressed concern directly to the College.
When Bill Levin '90 threatened not to send in his yearly contribution, Cornelia Purcell, Associate Director of the Alumni Fund said in her response, "The recent announcement by the President and Trustees of Dartmouth ... is something that has certainly kept my e-mail in box full during the past day or so."
