Dartmouth College Alumni Council Statement Opposing Lawsuit

>Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2007 16:02:04 -0400 (EDT)
>From: “Alumni Council”
>Reply-To:
>Subject: Call to Drop Lawsuit

Dartmouth College Alumni Council Statement Opposing Lawsuit

On October 3, 2007, 6 members of the 11-member Executive Committee of the Association of Alumni of Dartmouth College caused a lawsuit to be filed against the College in New Hampshire Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks to stop the Board of Trustees of the College from taking certain actions respecting the composition of the Board, and from making nomination to the Board by alumni more democratic. Historically, the sole responsibility of the Executive Committee of the Association of Alumni has been to run the annual meeting of the Association and related elections. In contrast, the 100-member Alumni Council is the representative body of Dartmouth’s 68,000 alumni, constitutionally charged with being the “primary forum” for discussion of issues and concerns relative to the alumni body and the College, and the “principal spokesperson” of the alumni. The Alumni Council’s purpose is to “act in the best interests of Dartmouth College.”

As the principal spokesperson for Dartmouth College’s alumni, the Alumni Council opposes and calls for the immediate voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit. While the Alumni Council is aware that Dartmouth alumni have varying opinions on the desire for “parity,” the Council believes that the lawsuit is meritless, against the will of the majority of Dartmouth’s alumni, and harmful to the interests of the College and the alumni.

In the event, the lawsuit is still pending as of the time of the Alumni Council’s Fall Meeting, November 29-December 1, 2007, the Council will consider whether any further action is appropriate based on additional consultation with the alumni body.