O’Donnell Coordinates with DALA? Surely Not.

DALA sent out a blitz to its affiliated alumni Friday morning, trotting out the right-wing conspiracy angle once more. They touch on most of the same things as Katy O’Donnell‘s recent article in the Daily D, but their appearance on the same day is surely just coincidental.

The e-mail from the Dartmouth Association of Latino Alumni, under the fold.

From: DALA
Date: Fri, May 23, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Subject: DALA urges you to VOTE – your vote mattes
To:

Dear DALA Members:

By now you have all received your ballot for the election of the Executive
Committee of the Dartmouth Association of Alumni (AoA) and for an amendment
to the AoA Constitution.

This is a pivotal time in Dartmouth’s history. It is important that we make
our voices heard. Whether your time at Dartmouth was outstanding or best
forgtotten, you are a part of the history of our college and this is your
opportunity to help define Dartmouth’s future. Dartmouth does not belong to
one sole group – but to all of us. We have left our laughter, sweat and
tears on the grounds of this College on the Hill. Please take a few minutes
from your day and vote. Vote for yourselves, but also for the hijas and
hijos of Dartmouth that have come after us and will continue to come. Help
make Dartmouth a place where Latino students will thrive, not just survive.
This election matters – your vote is vital. Take the time now – VOTE.

Sincerely,
The DALA Executive Board

The board of DALA strongly urges you to vote for all of the candidates
forming the UNITY SLATE, and for no other candidates, and to vote YES on the
nominating committee amendment, and to contact your friends urging them to
do so. The Unity Slate includes:

President – John H. Mathias Jr. ’69
First Vice President – Cheryl A. Bascomb ’82
Second Vice President – Douglas H. Keare ’56, TU/TH ’57
Secretary/Treasurer – David P. Spalding ’76

Executive Committee Members:

Marian Zischke Baldauf ’84
Veree Hawkins Brown ’93
John S. Engelman ’68
Ronald G. Harris ’71
Kaitlin Jaxheimer ’05
Otho E. Kerr, III ’79
Ronald B. Schram ’64

For more information about the candidates, or for a sample ballot, see
http://dartmouthundying.com/

The members of the Unity Slate are committed to maintaining and developing
the relationship between the alumni and the College by cooperation and
collaboration, and OPPOSE THE LAWSUIT that has been initiated by an activist
bloc that has shown itself to be secretive, divisive, deceitful, and
bigoted.

The lawsuit and the attack on the College’s self-governance in the New
Hampshire Legislature have already cost the College millions of dollars that
could have better been used to continue to enhance the educational, social
and moral life of the Dartmouth community. The lawsuit has been fostered in
secret, and supported and partly funded by the right-wing “Center for
Excellence in Higher Education” (see
http://www.cehe.org/pressroom/PR20080205.html and
http://dartmouthaoa.blogspot.com/2008/02/lawsuit-funding.html) — though the
identity of other donors has been hidden.

The costs of the lawsuit extend beyond the short-term financial cost to the
chilling effect it is likely to have on alumni giving, on the recruitment of
the best students for upcoming classes, and on the candidate pool for
Dartmouth’s next President.

The comic strip, “BlarFlex,” that ran in The Dartmouth on April 24th gives a
window to the view of the College the lawsuit backers love and wish to
preserve: written and drawn by two members of the Phrygian Society (see
http://thedartmouth.com/2007/03/07/news/secret/), student supporters of the
lawsuit, it is a concentrated dose of racism, sexism, and homophobia. (A
copy is attached, including commentary and opposition by an alliance of
campus organizations.)

In contrast, the Unity Slate supports a vision of an inclusive and excellent
College that can be loved by, and extend its embrace to, its diverse
community.

This election can put a halt to the about-face in progress that has gripped
the College for the last few years. The DALA board urges you to vote, using
your paper ballot or electronically, for ONLY the Unity Slate, and to vote
YES on the amendment, and to contact your alumni friends urging them to do
so.

DALA would like to thank David Eichman and DGALA, Andrew Chu and
DAPAAA, and Natalie Herring and BADA for their leadership and their guidance
on this important issue.