To the Editors:

During the weekend of October 7–9, members of the leadership body of the Oberlin Alumni Association — the Alumni Leadership Council — were in Oberlin for meetings, to participate in the dedication of the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center and to attend the celebration of the conclusion of the Oberlin Illuminate campaign. As a current member of the ALC, who is serving as the representative of the chartered group the Oberlin Alumni Association of African Ancestry, and who had the privilege of serving as president of the [Alumni] Association during 2005–2007, I thought it might be helpful for the current student body to be provided a brief overview of the Association and the ALC. This overview is important in the current climate when the actions of the group Oberlin Alums for Campus Fairness have been described in some media as actions of the “Alumni Association.” ACF is not a group approved by the Association or by its leadership, the ALC, and no one should confuse the ACF’s actions as reflecting any policies of or endorsement by the Association.

The purpose of the Association is to support the continuing excellence of Oberlin College (Conservatory and College of Arts and Sciences) and to foster communication between the College and its alumni and among alumni. While within the mission of the Association is the support of the College in its fundraising efforts, the Association’s principal mission is to “create a community of active alumni volunteers in support (broadly defined) of the institution.” The membership of the Association is broadly inclusive, including each person who has graduated from or attended the College of Arts and Sciences or Conservatory of Oberlin College and former components of the institution (e.g. the Graduate School of Theology). This broad membership imposes a responsibility on the Association to avoid taking positions as the Association on most political or social issues. The ALC is the governing body of the Association and its members serve for set terms of office. In addition to its officers and committees, the Association’s bylaws provide for the formation and approval by the ALC of chartered groups, and those chartered groups may apply to have representatives elected to the ALC (three chartered groups may have representatives on the ALC at any given time).

The ACF is not a chartered group of the Association and that group does not speak for the Association. Its actions or views cannot in fairness be viewed as reflecting the entire alumni body or the Alumni Association of Oberlin College. The ALC reflects the actions of thousands of alumni who love Oberlin and who devote their time, talent and treasure to support current students at Oberlin and to insure that the institution maintains its excellence and is true to its progressive traditions. The Association provides valuable support to current students through alumni mentoring and career services, internships, Alumni in Service to Oberlin College (alumni returning to campus for professional presentations), financial support, etc. The College website has an alumni page and current students are strongly encouraged to visit the site to examine all the resources that the Association makes available to support the educational and personal development of Oberlin students, the developing alumni of the institution. Students, the Association is your organization too, so get to know what it and members of the alumni body can do to make your Oberlin experience wonderful.

– Wendell P. Russell, Jr.
OC ’71
ALC Member