If you recently got a letter from the College, youve heard all about our efforts to support Wilson as a college for women and to urge the PA Department of Education to deny the Colleges application to make fundamental changes in the charter and mission of the College. The College continues to describe us as a small group, so it seems like a good time to review the numbers. They show that the various alumnae and friends, as we are proud to include Peace College and Chatham University alumnae in our ranks, who have come together under the Wilson College Women mantle comprise the largest, most passionate, most dedicated, most generous, and most diverse alumnae group of the College. No regional club or class is as active and involved as we have been and remain today, almost two years into our struggle to preserve, protect and promote the historic mission of our alma mater. Lets look at the numbers. 952 of us have signed the Daisies Can Tell Pledge to support Wilson with all our might should she remain a college for women. 1,066 of us have signed the change.org petition demanding that the Board of Trustees reverse the coeducation decision. 1,425 of us are members of the private Wild Wilson Women Facebook page, and 463 of us are members of this public page. More than 40 of us filed protests with the PA Department of Education, while not a single letter of support for the Colleges application to make fundamental changes in the articles of incorporation was filed. Close to 100 of us attended the Department of Education hearing in Harrisburg on June 16th, compared to a handful of alumnae who attended in support the current leadership. The current Board chair and a couple of others attended, but the majority of the current Board of Trustees didnt attend. Alumnae in our groups have revived and administered the Aunt Sarah Program; created the Amazon shopping link that benefited student activities; created, funded and administered the new annual tradition of providing a free box of Girl Scout Cookies to every student and every child in the Women With Children Program; sent hand-made Valentines Day cards to every student; sent congratulations cards to every graduating senior; volunteered and assisted with Food for Finals and the Silver & Blue Line at Commencement; assisted students who have asked for our help finding internships; assisted new graduates in their job searches; created a network called Wilson College Equestriennes who offer free boarding and other support and assistance to each other; and created and maintained the Daisies Can Tell website, which makes available to everyone information that the College has not shared with alumnae, including the red-lined articles of incorporation, all of the testimony that the College filed with the Department of Education, as well as its rebuttal to our testimony. We are hiding nothing. We trust Wilson Women to review the evidence and make their own decisions. We do not tell people what they should think. We have run two successful silent auctions and a sweepstakes, and we have sent regular emails to alumnae to keep you apprised of our work and important developments in this controversy, such as the top rankings for financial health that the College received from Forbes Magazine and the Chronicle of Higher Ed at the same time that the College was claiming that the fiscal situation was dire. Every step of the way, we have told the truth and shared the documents that support our claims and show what is really going on at the College. I believe we have done this in a respectful and appropriate way, but I understand that some believe that the current leadership of the College should not be questioned or criticized, and they are angry at us. If you are one of those people, I hope you will take a moment to look at the documents we have made public here: daisiescantell/pages/documents If you are one of those people, I hope you will take a moment to consider that womens colleges are not all failing and destined to close. Many womens colleges in our region are thriving and they are not that different from Wilson -- except in one important way: their leadership believes in their mission. They embrace their alumnae, market themselves with passion and confidence, and they are willing to do the hard work to make their colleges succeed. If you are one of those people, I hope you will ask the College to release enrollment (not application) numbers so that we can all know whether the changes at Wilson are succeeding in strengthening the College. If you are one of those people, I hope you will remember who I am. You might have first met me when I was a student in 1979. You might have attended one of the many presentations I made at Wilson over the years or heard my commencement address in 2009. You might have served with me on the Board of Trustees or on the Commission for Shaping the Future of Wilson College. You know that I have always been devoted to Wilson and committed to her success. You know that I have worked tirelessly to strengthen the College and to support her students, faculty, and staff. You know that I believe we prevailed in 1979, when no other group before or since has ever been able to reverse a colleges decision to close, because our Honor Principle guided everything we did, so you know that the Honor Principle continues to guide me today. You know that I will talk with you, meet with you, answer your questions, and provide whatever information you need. We are hiding nothing and we trust that when you review the evidence, you will understand why we are here. If you would like to join us, you know you are welcome. Our journey is not over and our love of Wilson -- clear-eyed, smart, dedicated, principled, and informed -- endures. Gretchen Van Ness, 80 gofundme/awe1hs
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 14:10:24 +0000
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