A new organization opposed to the ongoing Association of Alumni lawsuit against the College has endorsed a slate of candidates for the upcoming Association elections. These candidates have said they would work to end the suit.
The organization, Dartmouth Undying, has drawn criticism from opponents who believe it has engaged in "push-polling" and who speculate that it has received assistance from the College.
As a majority of the Association's executive committee originally voted to bring the suit, a new majority could vote to revoke it. The success of these candidates may represent the last chance for the suit to be withdrawn before the case goes to trial.
Dartmouth Undying was founded by the unification of two other alumni organizations -- the so-called "Dresden Eight" and Dartmouth Alumni for Open Governance, according to alumni involved. Both of these groups gained prominence over the past few years during debates surrounding a failed new alumni constitution.
The new organization is focused on electing "responsible alumni and trustee leaders," withdrawing the lawsuit, correcting misinformation and building a better partnership with the Board of Trustees, according to its founders. Several of the alumni interviewed by The Dartmouth see the organization as a way to counter perceived "outside interests" that have supported the lawsuit, which they said include The Wall Street Journal and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Dartmouth Undying lists over 100 alumni supporters on its web site, including some who have been critical of College policies in the past.
"To see a lawsuit that under these circumstances diverts so much money from the school, I think is wrong," said John Mathias '69, a candidate for president of the Association who has been endorsed by Dartmouth Undying. "It shouldn't be happening."
Dartmouth Undying has placed paid advertisements on TheDartmouth.com.
Frank Gado '58, who is listed by the Vox the Vote web site as an "independent, pro-parity petition candidate" in the upcoming elections and is not endorsed by Dartmouth Undying, said he believes the organization has been "irresponsible."
"This should be a campaign about ideas," he said. "At the center of this election are two sides -- they say it is about the lawsuit, we say it is about parity [on the Board of Trustees]."
Gado added, "They are making charges that they cannot sustain. They are saying that this lawsuit was instigated by outside interests, but they have no evidence."
Dartmouth Undying recently commissioned a survey of the alumni body to "assist us in understanding the issues of importance to alumni so that we can communicate with them effectively about those issues," Sam Ostrow '67, the organization's spokesman, said.
Ostrow would not confirm what questions were asked or what company conducted the survey. Anecdotally, several alumni reported that the survey asked about attitudes toward Dean of the Faculty Carol Folt and John MacGovern '80, founder of The Hanover Institute. The institute has often been critical of College policies and most recently supported an effort in the New Hampshire House of Representatives to give the state control over changes to the College's charter. Alumni also reported that the survey asked whether the Association should reveal who is funding its lawsuit.
Gado questioned where Dartmouth Undying got its alumni contact list for the survey, since the College in the past has refused to give such information to alumni groups.
"Not having been surveyed myself, I cannot say if this was push polling, but some of it sounds very close," J. Michael Murphy '61, an "independent" candidate for president, said in an e-mail.
Ostrow and Dartmouth Undying co-founder Doug Keare '56 dismissed such allegations. Ostrow said no push poll would be 20 minutes long, like the survey. In addition, Keare explained that Dartmouth Undying used Dartmouth class and club contact lists.
"We have not received a list from the College," Keare said. "We did not ask and are pretty sure we would not have been given one if we did ask."
Voting in the executive committee elections will begin April 28 and continue through June 5.
