The Bowdoin Alpha Delta Phi Society Alumni Association
Annual Meeting
The Chapter House, Brunswick, Maine
August 7, 2010 // 11:00 AM
ROLL CALL
Zoë Reifsnyder, 2012
Lauren Ackerman, 2009
David Sheff, 1984
Peter Kester, 1987
David Clodfelter, 1989
John Howland, 1987
David Howe, 1992
Jeff Zeman, 1992
Charlton Wilbur, 1995
David Ragsdale, 2006
Mark Wanner, 1986
Barbara Foster, 1996
Thomas Clark, 1999
Nessa Burns Reifsnyder, 1986
Craig Cheslog, 1993
Peter Goldstein, BRN 2008
Brother President Thomas Clark brought the meeting to order at 11:10. Craig Cheslog, President of the Alpha Delta Phi Society, joins us via Skype from California.
REPORTS
LITERARY/PRESIDENT
It has been a wonderful and interesting year, both for alumni of the Bowdoin chapter and for members of the Alpha Delta Phi Society at large. At this year’s reunion, we have 40 confirmed attendees, which is quite a strong turnout. The President thanks all in attendance.
REUNION/VICE PRESIDENT
Reunion planning has proven a challenging task in the past year. As such, Vice President Nessa Reifsnyder recommends expanding the Reunion Planning Committee from its current size of two members.
ARCHIVIST
The Bowdoin historica1 archives are maintained in excellent state at the Middletown Chapter. President Clark has pictures, available to members who are interested. Members are encouraged to scan and send in any pictures or other documents they wish to have preserved. In addition, several older composites, from 1965 through 1967, are in attendance at this year’s reunion.
TREASURER
This has been a costly year, but fees received recovered all but $800 of expenses. Between bank accounts and money stored at the McKelvey fund, we managed a net gain of $761 on the year. To put this in perspective, the chapter has $2,988 in its checking account and about $47,000 in the McKelvey fund. One major expense is our chapter’s contribution of $750 for the Society’s insurance, which covers Directors’ and Operator’s insurance. Donations to the chapter should be made out to ‘ADPS Bowdoin Chapter.’
On behalf of the treasurer, David Clodfelter moves to transfer $2,000 from the McKelvey fund to the chapter’s checking account. The motion is seconded and passes.
David Clodfelter moves to accept the treasurer’s report. David Howe seconds and the motion passes.
Treasurer Jen Clodfelter will be stepping down after this meeting and Vice President Nessa Reifsnyder moves to thank Jen for ten years of service to the chapter in this capacity.
FOUNDATION
The Samuel Eells Literary and Educational Foundation runs an annual literary competition. This year, every Society chapter and affiliate participated. Returns will be announced at the Fraternity Convention next weekend. The SELEF also provides the need-based Seward scholarships, for which donations to SELEF are appreciated. Additionally, SELEF houses the Chamberlain Fund, a tax-deductible Society-purposed fund as well as a separate fund for the Bowdoin chapter. Members are encouraged to make donations to the Chamberlain fund, whose need is greater than the Bowdoin fund at the present time. SELEF meet on a semi-annual basis, in the third week of April and October in Manhattan, New York. Should members wish to sit their meeting, President Clark can arrange for an invitation.
SOCIETY
The Society continues to flourish, meeting important goals set at prior conventions. One such goal is to improve communications with members. You can now hear from us via Facebook, Twitter, our e-newsletter or at our website, www.adps.org.
Another goal on which we have seen great progress this past year is expansion. Granite, at The University of New Hampshire, is now a full chapter. We have established new affiliates at Harvard and Penn this year and continue to provide support to students there. Expansion to Penn caused a stir in the Fraternity, partly because the school is not inside New England or New York. Because of this geographic condition, we must submit a formal request to the Fraternity in order to use the name ‘Alpha Delta Phi’ for the Penn affiliate. They will decide on this waiver at the Fraternity convention next weekend. Anyone with relatives or friends who wish to found chapters of their own should get in touch with Thom Clark.
A third goal for the Society national is to enhance the lifelong aspect of our Alpha Delta Phi experience. We are currently establishing an annual literary competition for graduates. Regional graduate organizations in Boston, Washington D.C., New York City, San Francisco and Seattle have hosted gatherings of graduates throughout the year. Lauren Ackerman is founding a new RGO in the Chicago area, which is developing apace.
The relationship between the Society and the Fraternity is improving, with the majority of the Fraternity board interested in working more closely with us. While we have hit political snags in the past year, a sense of goodwill between us is strengthening. Craig Cheslog will attend their convention next weekend, in the hopes of winning hearts and minds in advance of voting on our Penn name waiver.
The Society’s ‘1832 Club’ of monthly donors of $18.32 is growing healthily. When it reaches 100 members, the Society’s annual costs will be met.
David Ragsdale moves to buy a reunion t-shirt for Craig. Lauren Ackerman seconds, motion passes.
CONVENTION
This year’s Society Convention played host to a many meetings, some of them fun, and at least six Peters. While Bowdoin’s concerns differ from the risk management needs of undergraduate parties, the experience proved educational. A Fraternity brother presented a new song about Samuel Eells’ life to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody. Fraternity President John Tuttle has made an official invitation for any Society member to visit any of their chapters. Additionally, the Fraternity’s Chapter Service Consultants made informative speeches and provided an oft-distant perspective. This year’s convention saw the consequences of the Trees Are Beautiful resolution. We consumed far less paper this year by using electronic copies of our convention materials.
DECISIONS
SOCIETY CONVENTION REPRESENTATIVES
Thom Clark moves that Zoë Reifsnyder be the chapter’s delegate to the 2011 Convention at Stanford. David Howe seconds and the motion passes.
David Howe moves that Matt Schechter be the chapter’s alternate delegate to the 2011 Convention at Stanford. John Howland seconds and the motion passes.
LITERARY FUND PLANS AND PROPOSAL
When the chapter sold its house a decade ago, half the money went into a fund for literary scholarships at Bowdoin. Members established this fund under the condition that its payout would be managed by a committee of 7 persons, 4 being members of the Alpha Delta Phi Society chapter. At the present time, the college wishes to take full control of the fund. The opinion of present members is solicited as to how we should proceed.
After a lengthy discussion, the consensus is that we should attempt to maintain majority control over the fund’s payout. However, we are willing to concede that a single point of contact might be more versatile than a 4-person part of a committee. As such, rather than acquiesce to the college’s request that they decide and notify us on payouts from the fund, they must seek our approval.
David Howe moves that we allow a committee, composed of President Clark, Craig Cheslog and a lawyer to be selected by the committee, to go forward with negotiations with the college.
Peter Kester moves to amend the motion to include the wording “making certain that we (the alumni board) must maintain control over expenditure.” David Sheff seconds. The amendment carries. The main motion carries.
DISCUSSIONS
FUTURE REUNIONS
The assembly discuss general plans for coming reunions. Members voice support for bringing an author, scholar or other speaker of note for the Saturday afternoon. This or other educational activities, such as touring the museum or attending a campus theatrical, could be funded from SELEF.
In the interests of consistency and ease of planning, the assembly recommends holding the reunion on the same weekend next year. Opinions on this subject were diverse, but this opinion was the most common. President Clark notes that an early submission of dates, March at the latest, is preferred by Bowdoin’s Summer Events Office.
President Clark and Vice President Reifsnyder have toiled ceaselessly to bring us this wonderful weekend. In order to ensure that future weekends are so successful, we are charged to volunteer, so as to better distribute the load. Especially if we wish to bring a speaker or host other events during reunion, more organizational help is needed.
General opinions are positive toward a possible 2016 Society Convention at Bowdoin coinciding with the 175th Anniversary of the Chapter's founding.
LIFELONG EXPERIENCE – RECONNECTING LOST ALUMNI
The Society database of alumni addresses is woefully inaccurate. Members are charged to take responsibility for updating their own information. In addition, there are at least 200 alumni for which the chapter does not have contact information. The assembly discussed ways to encourage older alumni to return at next year’s reunion. David Howe recommends reunion-year-based activities, as well as a class agent deputized to rally their cohort. David Clodfelter recommends making a formal invitation to undergraduate chapters to come to the reunion. Lauren Ackerman suggests a two-tiered reunion cost scheme, in which undergraduates and young alumni pay a lower price.
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
David Howe moves to accept the financial report, submitted in writing by Thomas Clark. David Clodfelter seconds and the motion passes.
SUPPORTING SOCIETY AFFILIATES
There are now several undergraduate affiliates with no alumni. For fully-established chapters, alumni pay the way of undergraduate alternate delegates going to convention. The assembly discusses whether to pay the way of alternate delegates for one or more of these affiliates. David Clodfelter moves to channel monies from SELEF, through the Chamberlain Fund, in an amount to exceed neither $1,500 nor the annual interest on the Bowdoin SELEF fund, to pay for alternate delegates from affiliates. David Sheff seconds and the motion passes.
CHAPTER WEBSITE
The assembly congratulates President Clark and President Cheslog on an excellent website.
NOMINATIONS FOR INITIATION
Lauren Ackerman moves to extend a bid to Willis Reifsnyder. David Howe seconds and the motion passes. Lauren will deliver the bid and Mark Wanner will serve as the pledgemaster.
NEW BUSINESS
John Howland moves to establish ‘The 1841 Club,’ a donor list to the Bowdoin chapter who donate at least $8.41 a month to the chapter. David Howe seconds and the motion carries.
ELECTION OF TREASURER
President Clark nominates David Clodfelter, with a second from Lauren Ackerman. David Howe moves to accept the nominee. John Howland seconds and the motion carries.
ELECTION OF NEW BOARD
OFFICERS
President: Thomas M. Clark '99
Vice President: Nessa Burns Reifsnyder '86
Treasurer: David Clodfelter '89
Secretary: Pamela Smith '92
Archivist: Patricia Triplett '00
BOARD MEMBERS
Derrick Alderman '96
Kevin Cassidy ’85
Craig Cheney '83
Craig Cheslog '93
Jeannie Coltart '99
Peter Kester '87
Ching-Ping Lin '95
Kim Schneider Lloyd '00
Matthew Schechter '91
David Sheff '84
Johannes Tromp ’63
Mark Waltz '89
Brett Zalkan '87
David Clodfelter moves to approve the new board. David Howe seconds and the motion passes.
ADJOURN
Peter Kester moves to adjourn. David Clodfelter seconds and the motion carries.
“There being more members in attendance than wish to be, I move to adjourn”
President Clark dissolved the meeting to a more social capacity.
