Statement of objection by James Kahan '64

My objection to the proposed Alumni Association (AA) constitutional changes is informed by my highly active volunteer participation, including service on the Alumni Board of Directors (ABD).  I helped write the group statement in opposition, and here add further objections.

The self-perpetuation of the ABD solely through the closely-selected Nominating Committee is anti-democratic; instead, the AA as a whole should choose its representatives in as transparent and democratic a manner as possible.  A way to accomplish this is to use modern communications technology to hold an annual ranked-choice election for:

·        One alumni trustee to serve a four-year term,

·        One member of the ABD Executive Committee to serve a four-year term, and

·        Five at-large members of the ABD, each to serve a three-year term.

Alumni wishing to serve would submit a short statement of why they wish to do so; they might possibly also be asked to name up to ten people who endorse their candidacy.

“Alignment of interests”—used to justify the proposed changes—should be accomplished by coordination of bottom-up ideas instead of top-down diktats. Indeed, to be faithful to the AA’s mission, such coordination should be the primary function of the ABD.

James Kahan, ‘64