My eleven years on the Alumni Board (“AB”) teach me
that each alumni chapter gains from sitting on AB, and both other AB members
and college staff have much to gain from having experienced representatives of
every chapter at AB meetings, commenting on plans under discussion (and finding
local volunteers!). It is no surprise
that so many chapter chairs, alumni board presidents, and other
alumni leaders (even former staff) oppose these changes.
The amendments were not needed
to solve any real problem, except “streamlining” the AB (while ignoring alternate approaches) and one illegitimate concern — an effort to
keep central control over selecting the AB members in the hands of an unelected
few, instead of allowing mere alumni association members (in chapters) to
participate in the selection. Indeed,
although the original justification for eliminating full chapter representation
was to ensure that AB membership was synced to the college’s staff’s
priorities, alumni often have priorities that differ from college
staff.
Finally, a drafting error
that resulted from a final rush to pass these changes means that the
AB will have no chapter
representation for the first 18 months if these amendments are adopted.
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