To the Editor:
As we stood outside the Hanover Inn, I stole one last minute of Chairman of the Board of Trustees, William H. King '63's time and asked "would you send a letter to all the other involved Trustees to tell them that you think it is important that an undergraduate student, chosen by other undergraduates, sits on the Committee on Investor Responsibility, and CC me on that letter?" Mr. King responded very sincerely, "Yes, I will do that."
All the students who sat in Collis Commonground this past Friday afternoon learned that the Trustees of Dartmouth College stay informed of campus issues by reading The Dartmouth. I want to share with the students and the other Trustees a conversation that I had with William King after the meeting in Collis ended.
Mr. King, already 25 minutes late for his next meeting, was nice enough to speak with me as he walked over to the Hanover Inn. We spoke about the College's endowment and how important it is to the continuing operation and growth of the College. We also spoke about student voice and participation, and how important these are to the continuing operation and growth of the College.
Mr. King and I disagreed on particular investment decisions, but we both recognized that undergraduate students should have an official voice in that discussion.
I didn't have time then because Mr. King was so late already, but now I would like to publicly thank him for agreeing to send this letter. After so much discussion and mention of a wide variety of issues, it is gratifying for us to have a promise about one of them.
Mr. King's agreement to send this letter exemplifies the spirit of the day. He recognized in our private conversation the difference between "I am not opposed to an undergraduate voice" and "I actively support an undergraduate voice."
This statement is particularly important in light of the fact that the Trustees who spoke in Collis on Friday "don't know" themselves where the endowment is invested. Trustee Michael Chu '68 told those present that the money is invested by "professionals" and that we need not worry, since they are actively seeking to "maximize returns" on the investments.
I hope that when an undergraduate soon sits on the Committee on Investor Responsibility, which has no required meeting schedule, that a voice will speak to the Trustees saying that while professionals are hired to make business decisions, concerned citizens volunteer to make socially responsible decisions.
I hope that in the future student efforts toward institutional change are met with as much sincerity and action as Mr. King has shown.
