Stand
Up, Speak Out!
It's not too late to save the 'Gate!
Letters from Alumni of Colgate University
Tim Sanford '58 to Rebecca
Chopp
“Like the frog that is desensitized by moderate increases
in heat to slowly boil to death, today’s Colgate students are compromised
by Colgate’s continued infringement of their civil rights, the taking
of personal property under threats, and the disdain for those who dare
to question the judgment of such actions.”
Richard Andriole
Jr., '94 letter to Rebecca Chopp
“Once the University owns the chapter houses, I have no
doubt that the end of the fraternity and sorority chapters at Colgate
is inevitable. … the education of nearly three thousand intelligent
students is being held hostage by the demands of those radical professors
at Colgate who see their ultra-liberal agendas as taking priority over
discussion, debate, or dissent. An illustrative anecdote: during my junior
year at Colgate, one my professors informed the class that we would investigate
the ways in which fraternities were similar to the Nazi party of Germany.
Colgate is no longer worthy of my financial support.”
Eric Aschenbrenner
’70 to ATO leadership
“I frankly do not trust the current University Administration
and believe that the acquisition would be a guise for and major step in
the University abolishing both ATO and the entire fraternity/sorority
system at Colgate.”
Kenneth
Avanzino '58 to Rebecca Chopp
“You detailed the effort to undertake heavy-handed tactics
to confiscate the property of the “Greek-letter organizations”
based on spurious conclusions promulgated by a two-year student performed
by a “campus culture task force.” As a member of the Presidents’
Club (in Perpetuity), I respectfully request that my name be withdrawn
until you and your lot have advanced to greater causes than to break down
the traditions of Colgate, which have survived since 1819.”
Mindy Barry '91 to
Colgate Development Officers
“I am so disappointed with Colgate’s “New
Vision” that I am choosing to donate nothing. I believe that Colgate’s
efforts to obtain jurisdiction over the Greek houses at Colgate is a misguided
solution that will cause greater harm to the character of Colgate graduates
than it will benefit those individuals while they are Colgate students”
Lee Carter '60 letter
to John Golden
“If some amicable compromise cannot be reached between the University
and the Greek houses that want retain their individuality and rights of
association, I will cease any further contributions”
Rufus Collea ’89
to Dean Weinberg and Administration
“I, and several alumni, have withdrawn support and
allegiance to our alma mater, Colgate University. Due to its atrocious
handling of the fraternity system…the administration has chosen
a pathway of ignorance and self-righteousness that borders on contempt
for its students and alumni.”
Jason Corrigan '95
letter to John Golden
“It is clear that the University’s motive is
to eradicate Greek Letter Houses from Colgate. To achieve this goal the
University is engaging in, at best underhanded activity, and in my opinion,
unlawful behavior.”
Mickey East '63 to Trustees
“Universities for decades have been taking advantage
of the services Greeks have provided to the University without ever providing
them with a proportional amount of resources to do their jobs well or
better. The University should NOT be able to get this windfall after such
irresponsible behavior.”
Katherine
Eberly '06 to Rebecca Chopp
“These programs are designed to look good in a prospective
college catalogue, not actually function efficiently on a living, working
campus - which makes me wonder if all of this is for us, the students,
or to justify our "liberalness" in the race to top the U.S.
News rankings.”
Peter
Hobstetter '68 letter to Trustees
“If this action succeeds the result will be the end
of any personal or financial support for the university on my behalf.”
Jonathan Klarfeld‘60
letter to John Golden
“…if the current unlawful and unethical seizure of the
fraternity/sorority property succeeds, I can only wish that I had given
more money to Colgate in the past, so as to emphasize my determination
to provide no contributions in the future.”
Stephen Leonard '78
to Administration
“The actions taken by the my liberal University sounds
more like the purges of Stalinist Russia when even allies were exterminated
because of suspicion.”
Eric Miller '93 to John
Golden
“Because fraternity life was such an important part
of my Colgate experience, I do not know whether I can continue to recommend
the school to others in the future or to continue to provide financial
support.”
Stephen Murphy
'62 letter to John Golden
“What, precisely, will the University be able to accomplish
with ownership, over and above the present plenary powers to mandate compliance
with standards, withdraw recognition, impose restrictions, and so forth?
Where is the transparency we have come to expect?”
Steven D. Murphy letter
to Atty Gen Eliott Spitzer
“... it involves realty uniquely situated relative
to the academic campus- real economic values are the subject of a monopolistic
taking…”
James Muzzy '67 to Colgate
Alumni
“Colgate is so full of political correctness now that
I don't recognize the place any more. My fraternity was founded by Jewish
and black students… The person I am today could not have occurred
without that experience. Because my house is gone I have no vote except
to withhold financial support. …former member of the President's
Club.”
William Noble '88 letter
to John Golden
“Many of my most significant leadership lessons came
from my involvement in my fraternity. I continue to be disappointed at
the inability of the University to recognize the immense value of this”
Arthur Oldham '67 to
Rebecca Chopp
“You neglect to go on to say that those organizations that do
not accept the university offers will be forced to close and the members,
on pain of expulsion, forbidden to continue as any kind of social organization.
If this is in fact the university’s stance, it hardly constitutes
an “offer”, it is a coercive ultimatum.”
W.J. Pashley, Jr '55
DKE to Rebecca Chopp
“It is well known in academia that the Greek system
is under attack from liberal administrators and faculty who want to eliminate
it… Much good is promoted by Greek societies, including (but not
limited to) scholarship assistance, employment assistance and personal
involvement with schools, alumni and other Greek houses.”
Jeffrey Price '06 letter
to John Golden
“Greek members possess two important traits. They have the highest
GPA on campus and they strongly resent the administration. Therefore,
if GPA and dollars earned after college have any correlation, Colgate
will soon see a dramatic decrease in their already miniscule endowment.”
Edward Ross '50 to Trustees
“To create what has to be called an administration/faculty
"dictatorship of fraternal choice" is unacceptable.”
Edward
Ross '50 to Rebecca Chopp
“What assurance will you personally give in writing
to each Greek organization that their future on campus is assured, without
legal mumbo-jumbo and excessive interference or restrictions in managing
their Greek business?”
Jim Rowe (a parent) to
Tim Sanford
“This fall, Andy found himself deferred from a graduate
program in general education because he had taken no math or science courses
at Colgate which satisfied very minimum requisites at the University of
Southern Maine. Our $150,000+, decent grades, a degree from a prestigious
school like Colgate, and scoring at or near the top on an entrance exam
couldn't get him into a local branch of a state university? So, it's more
undergrad courses this fall- to finish the job that we believe Colgate's
core curriculum should have accomplished. This begs your question, "What
exactly is Colgate preparing a student for?"
Stephen
Scammell '73 letter to Trustees
“My fraternity brothers were what gave Colgate the
soul I attribute to Colgate. In fact it is my friends from Theta Chi that
really are the reason I love Colgate so much… I had been a member
of the President's Club. I dropped my annual contribution last year to
$50 in protest, but now will probably drop down to $5, again in protest.”
Robert
J. Snell letter to ACLU
“…it is the sense of Congress that no student attending
an institution of higher education on a full- or part-time basis should,
on the basis of participation in protected speech or protected association,
be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected
to discrimination or official sanction under an education program, activity,
or division of the institution directly or indirectly receiving financial
assistance under the Higher Education Act of 1965.”
Richard Sotell
'75 to Colgate Administration
“I have just resigned from the President's Club and
the Willow Society. It was within the DKE house that I learned the concepts
of duty and charitable fulfillment. The friendships created there that
exist to this day have served to reinforce my positive feelings toward
Colgate and the desire to assist the current undergraduates in their pursuit
of careers. Colgate will be removed this week from both The Sotell Family
Charitable Trust and the New England Life insurance policies with Colgate
as the beneficiary.”
John Stewart '67 to
Rebecca Chopp
“I managed to attend Colgate with the Core curriculum
then and not take a single mathematics course. I believe that this was
a deficiency then and from what I hear, the deficiency still exists…
The attitude of the almost self-appointed Board of Trustees and University
Administration to Greek Letter Alumni Corporation ownership of the houses
boarders on criminal extortion.”
John W Stewart
'67 to Rebecca Chopp/John Golden
“If the University (The Administration and the Board of
Trustees) were sincere, well intentioned individuals they would have accepted
the reasonable responsibility for their actions and offered to purchase
the properties at replacement value. Instead, the University had used
the threat of extinction to wrest from the Alumni something of value.
It certainly is the moral equivalent of felonious extortion. I believe
it would have been more honest of the University to pull out a firearm
and say: "Stick 'em up’”.
Richard Swanson '80
letter to John Golden
“I read with great disappointment your most recent
letter regarding the university’s plans to fundamentally redefine
the purpose and existence of Colgate’s fraternities and sororities.
I cannot help but feel that it is excessive.”
Jay Tate '60 to Rebecca
Chopp
“Despite the flowering words, you are trying to expropriate
private property. If you need additional dormitories – build them.
It may set back your timetable but it is preferable to extorting the fraternities.”
Robert Williams '68
to Alumni
“One of the lessons I learned a long time ago was that you should
stand up to bullies, not capitulate to them. Frankly, I haven't seen a
shake down like this since I was on the playground when I was 13. Tthe
next time someone from the university calls to ask for your contribution,
tell them that you don't surrender your lunch money to bullies.”
Kent Zelle '00 letter
to Sanford
“The Residential Plan "information session" in NYC
(and many other localities) was the most highly attended off-campus alumni
event in history. The audience was clearly predominately against the fraternity
component of the new Residential plan… The Board's refusal to negotiate
in good faith only confirms to me that we are experiencing a clear abuse
of power.”