To the Editor:
The Executive Committee of the Alumni Association appreciates the concerns of your Editorial Board ("Alumni and democracy," Feb. 17) and recognizes these concerns may reflect the opinion of many students at the College.
More importantly, the Committee fully supports the democratic ideals as described in your Verbum Ultimum. It is our intent to move the Association into an environment that would accommodate the valued input of all 66,000 alumni, not just the few hundred who can attend meetings in Hanover.
Our Committee was elected through a democratic process in a contested election, running against a slate of candidates with opposing views, and in accordance with the Guidelines for Conduct of Meetings of the Association.
The passage of the amendment to allow all-media voting by the alumni body for amendments to the constitution is the first in a series of democratic initiatives that will greatly improve our alumni organizations. The new constitution being drafted by the Alumni Governance Task Force and the development of new communications channels to encourage additional open dialogue are two important examples.
This is a time of dramatic change, and if the perception exists that we were not crystal clear in our intentions related to the amendment or to the meeting, we will do our utmost to communicate more effectively in the future.
We respectfully disagree with your perception of the approval process as described in your Verbum Ultimum and your comment that the meeting provided little room for dissenting views. The proposal was not "rammed through." We provided over three months' notice of the special meeting and a commensurate opportunity to comment or lobby via the Association blog prior to the event. Allen Collins '53, president of the Association, described the purpose of the meeting and its rules of conduct in his opening remarks. The special meeting had been called to vote on one motion and would be restricted to this motion. The agenda allocated a commentary period of 20-25 minutes, and Collins requested that questions and comments be focused on this motion.
Collins extended the commentary period beyond the 25 minutes allotted because of the number of people who wished to speak. When, after over 40 minutes, it was finally necessary to close off the comment period so the vote could be taken, Collins provided fair warning to this limit, and allowed all attendees waiting at the microphones to comment on the motion.
The proposal passed with 86 percent (198 voters) of the vote in favor of and 14 percent (32 voters) against the amendment, more than the 75 percent approval required to pass the amendment. The voters spoke for themselves.
As graduates of Dartmouth and active supporters of the College, we believe strongly in, and support the values of, democracy. As elected members of the Executive Committee of the Association, we have worked hard to support an amendment to the constitution that extends the democratic process fairly across the alumni body.
We will continue to take steps that move the Association toward greater participation, inclusion and respect for all points of view. Our next order of business is the full discussion and vote on the final draft of the new constitution.
