From the Editorial Board

Dear Fellow Alumni,

THE MAGAZINE YOU ARE HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS IS ARGUABLY THE finest alumni magazine in the country. Winner of Circle of Excellence Gold Medals in both 2001 and 2002 from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and Folio magazines award for best redesign last year, it is certainly one of the most decorated.

It is different from other general interest magazines, however. It is written for a very special community, one that shares an unusual bonding and formative experience. That's the mission of Dartmouth Alumni Magazine—to keep the bond we have with the College and each other alive. And it probably is more relevant now than ever. We live in a time when it seems particularly important to reconnect to the source of our critical thinking, the place that opened our minds.

As this is a magazine primarily for Dartmouth alumni, it is necessarily editorially independent from the College. As such, it is paid for through your class dues. We all know that the collection of such dues in a regular manner has been a challenge for class treasurers. Because of this, the magazine has been loathe to raise subscription rates as needed, instead choosing to dip into a surplus account to cover shortfalls. Unfortunately, the magazine can hold out no longer. It has been 11 years since it has raised its subscription rates and must do so now.

The Editorial Board of the magazine, as well as the Office of Alumni Relations, which oversees its publication, has analyzed this problem from every angle. We certainly don't wish to put any more burden on the classes. But because of our editorial independence, the College shouldn't be asked to make up the deficit, either. This is our magazine.

Of course, the simplistic answer would be to simply stop sending the maga zine to those who don't pay for it. This would be a disaster. Not only would it worsen the problem (the magazine needs to maintain a certain circulation to keep its advertising base), it would be a terrible blow to the community. The point of the magazine is to keep us connected, not divided. To preserve and enhance the community, not to dismantle it.

When this community is strong, we all benefit. Therefore, keeping this connection vital is the responsibility of all of us, not just the treasurers. The fact is, as a college, our dues participation is shoddy. If dues participation could be increased by 12 percent it would make an enormous difference, not just to the magazine, but to the classes as well. We're a reasonably bright group of folks with a wide variety of skills. I urge all of us to tackle the problem of dues collection, now. Pay your dues and help brainstorm ways to bring participation up. Because if this community grows weak, it will be a much larger problem to bring it back.

Chair, DAM Editorial Board hollysoren@aol.com