As a UMass graduate (Class of 1956), I read Alumni
Association president John Goodrich's letter in the March 15 issue
of the Chronicle with dismay, on two counts. First, instead of
expressing concern about the impact of the budget cuts on the
educational role of the University he plugged 1-A football. As
an alumnus I have never been asked by the Alumni Association where
I would place football among the priorities for my alma mater.
But I do know that among my classmates of the 1950s there are
few who would endorse his letter if they knew what was happening
to academics on this campus under the current crisis.
The second cause for my dismay is that my association
has yet to give alumni the figures on the magnitude of the budget
and personnel cuts or to tell them about the academic consequences.
As an alumnus I receive all the mailings and e-mails sent by the
association. While individual academic departments are contacting
their graduates, the Alumni Association has been mum. I am informed
by a member of the association board that President Bulger closed
down organized alumni contacts with legislators as soon as he
took office. That strategy is now seen to have been a grave mistake.
We need the support of alumni more than ever, but they can hardly
be expected to respond effectively if they continue to be kept
in the dark.
At graduation the members of the Class of 2002 will
be asked by an association representative to become lifetime supporters
of UMass through membership in the association. I hope that well
before then the association will have demonstrated that it met
its responsibility to alert the alumni.
JOSEPH S.LARSON
professor emeritus,
Natural Resources Conservation
Robert M. Goodhue, special assistant to the president
for Alumni Affairs, replies:
I must set the record straight in regard to a point
made in Joseph Larson's letter. At the time that President Bulger
became president of the University, I was vice president of the
UMass Amherst Alumni Association. I became president of the Alumni
Association in June 1997. President Bulger never asked the Alumni
Association to refrain from advocacy on behalf of the University.
In fact, he encouraged our efforts.
As a matter of fact, president Michael W. Morris,
numerous other alumni and I lobbied at the State House during
the 1996 and 1997 budget cycles. Prior to one of these lobbying
sessions, we all met at the President's Office. Be-fore we headed
up the hill to the State House, President Bulger addressed us.
He encouraged our efforts and gave us some helpful pointers. During
one of those budget cycles, president Morris and I met with Speaker
Finneran who clearly understood the value of the University to
Massachusetts. This effort was enthusiastically supported by President
Bulger.
Shortly after I became alumni president, I had breakfast
with President Bulger to obtain his blessing and guidance in regard
to the Alumni Association's advocacy efforts. President Bulger
gave his full support to our advocacy on behalf of the University.
He did deliver some advice. He told me that we should conduct
our advocacy with the civility and dignity that our great University
deserves. The president warned about the "in your face"
antics that had so severely injured the University's advocacy
efforts in the past.
Although I now work professionally for the University,
prior to my employment here I spent hundreds of hours as a volunteer
advocating for the University at the State House, in my representative's
and senator's district offices, at countless fund-raisers, and
throughout the state and the country.
I think that I have earned the right to give a little
advice of my own, "Don't confuse noise for advocacy."
It is outrageous that, during these times of severe
budget difficulties, the University has hired a comedian to write
the headlines in The Campus Chronicle. How else to explain the
front page of the March 8 issue: "State revenues down 12.3%
during February," "No paychecks this week," and
"Williams tells faculty not to lose heart?"
J. HOROWITZ
professor,
Mathematics and Statistics
