Overview of alumnae efforts during 2012 and 2013
Recommendation to the Wilson College Board of Trustees
In preparation for the Board of Trustees vote on the Commission’s suggestions, scheduled for December 1, 2012, alumnae wrote a four-point recommendation for the future of Wilson College. The recommendation incorporated many of the Commission’s suggestions that could be implemented in alignment with the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan and Wilson’s mission as a women’s college. Alumnae, students, faculty, and friends of the College supported the recommendation.
AAWC Special Meeting & Task Forces
After the Board of Trustees postponed their vote on the Commission’s suggestions, the Alumnae Association of Wilson College held a special meeting on January 5, 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to identify ways alumnae could help the College with fundraising, marketing, recruitment, and retention—all core aspects of the AAWC’s mission. Ad hoc task forces focused on these four areas were created and charged with developing and implementing the ideas outlined during the special meeting. The task forces were dissolved following the BOT’s vote.
Double It! Matching Fund
Double It! was a 25-day, grassroots fundraising campaign originated by a group of Wilson alumnae. Double It!, which concluded just prior to the Board of Trustee’s vote in January of 2013, raised $81,708 from 242 donors from 63 classes; many of the donors had never made donations to Wilson before or had not made donations recently. The aim of the campaign was to demonstrate, in a show of good faith, that alumnae would give generously to support Wilson as a women’s college.
Come Home to Wilson on January 13, 2013
On January 13, 2013, dozens of alumnae made the trip to campus to be a visible reminder of our support for Wilson remaining a women’ college. Arriving early in the morning, they gathered in Lenfest Commons with other members of the Wilson College community to await the results of the Trustees’ vote regarding coeducation. Excluded from the meeting in which the decision was announced, alumnae read the press release from their phones before convening for an off-campus dinner.
Change.org Petition
After the Board of Trustees voted to eliminate Wilson’s mission as a women’s college, Wilson College Women drafted a petition in an effort to convince the Trustees to reverse the co-ed decision. The petition highlights three reasons the decision should be reversed:
- 1) the process by which the decision was reached was flawed,
- 2) the decision was fueled by an exaggerated sense of crisis, and
- 3) women’s colleges are relevant.
Supporters continue to sign the petition, sharing their experiences at Wilson and other women’s colleges in eloquent and moving comments.
Rebuttal to President Mistick’s Letter to Alumnae
In March of 2013, President Barbara Mistick sent a letter to all alumnae in an attempt to “clarify” misunderstandings about the Commission process and the Board of Trustee’s subsequent vote. This alumnae rebuttal refutes many of the misstated “facts” and statistics and asks questions about the Wilson Today plan. No response was received to this rebuttal.
Demand Letter
In April 2013, attorney Eileen Finucane, acting on behalf of a group of alumnae, served the officers of the Wilson College Board of Trustees with a demand letter stating that Trustees had “abandoned the core mission of the College without prudent, reasonable due diligence,” and that the Board of Trustees must revisit the flawed decision-making process that started with the work of the Commission. Shortly after the demand letter was sent, Gretchen Van Ness ’80, who practices law in Massachusetts, compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and corresponding answers to explain issues in the demand letter.
Four Trustees Resign Following Spring ’13 BOT Meeting
At their meeting in May of 2013, the Board of Trustees voted to change the Articles of Incorporation of the College, striking “its purpose set forth in the original charter, to operate a College for Women, which offers residential opportunity.” This vote took place several months after the College implemented actions to recruit traditional-aged male undergraduate students for the residential program. Four trustees resigned from the BOT following the meeting. Alumna Trustee Amy Allen Boyce ‘73 made her resignation letter public and it is shared here.
Yellow Folder
In order to share the basic arguments and concerns of the Wilson College Women who opposed the co-ed decision, a packet of information was compiled from documents, letters, and survey results. An excellent tool for explaining many discrepancies in the College’s actions; it became known as the “Yellow Folder.” Wilson College Women shared these folders with alumnae at Reunion 2013, with the media, and with PA Department of Education.
AAWC Resolution
At the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Alumnae Association of Wilson College, Jenni Rodda Loory ’78 read a prepared resolution into the minutes. Lively discussion on the question to “ask Trustees to reverse their decision and instruct the President to cease immediately all actions to make the undergraduate, residential college coeducational” ensued amongst the alumnae assembled in the chapel. After a hand count was deemed too close to call, a second vote was taken—improperly—via paper ballot; the motion failed by a narrow margin.
Alumnae Call Center
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PA Dept. of Education Hearing
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