Ignore the inaccurate labels, focus on the issues
By Sandy Alderson, Alumni Trustee Candidate
Published on Tuesday, January 16, 2007
To the Editor:
The pomposity of Joe Malchow's letter was exceeded only by its inaccuracy ("Bring on the trustee campaign," Jan. 11).
His point seems to have been that the Alumni Council has, once again, nominated a slate of faceless, compliant trustee candidates. Malchow is flat wrong. He has apparently spent too much time with his head buried in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations to grasp that the Alumni Council has finally offered trustee candidates who, in addition to being dedicated to the College, may approach Dartmouth and its future with different attitudes and from different perspectives.
I am proof of the Council's change of direction. In 2001, I was interviewed but not nominated as a trustee candidate because I was perceived as too strong a personality and, potentially, too independent for the Board. My 35-year professional record of innovation and independence hasn't changed since 2001, but the Council's attitude toward potential trustees, propelled by the recent success of petition candidates in these elections, certainly has.
So let's honor the process by debating the issues and not labeling the candidates.