Pete Bleyler's Page
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Dartmouth
Class of 1961 Pete Bleyler's Page |
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Dear
Classmates, Our
only source of income is class dues, and for the current year (July 2001
through June 2002), 297 classmates have each paid $61 for total
year-to-date revenue of $18,117. We
are essentially operating on a balanced budget, as expenditures will be
approximately $18,000 this year on student
outreach programs ($5,000) and class
communications ($13,000). However,
changes will have to be made for next year if we are to maintain a
balanced budget. Currently
under Student Outreach, the
class provides the following: §
$1,000
to the athletic sponsors program. Our
student athlete this year is Nicholas Peay, a pitcher on the baseball
team. Our contribution
allowed the college to bring Nick to campus on a recruiting trip. §
$1,000
to honors-thesis and pre-med student Hannah Yu. Our contribution is assisting her in her thesis research in
biology, and she spoke to our class during our Homecoming weekend dinner. §
$1,000
to the Class of 61 Arts Initiative Fund student Rich MacDonald.
Rich’s project involves the use of computer in photography, and
he spoke to our class during the Itzhak Perlman concert weekend on April
19 – 21. §
$1,000
to the Fayerweather Dorms. Last
year our funds purchased a ping pong table, and this year the funds are
going for study lamps in the common areas, a new microwave for their
kitchen, etc. §
$1,000
for the cost of providing brunch to all Fayerweather dorm students during
Homecoming weekend and for several students to attend our class dinner. The
major expense (approximately $8,200) under Class
Communications is the subscription for all classmates and widows to
the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. The
remainder goes to paying for the class newsletter, sending out dues
notices, and letters such as the one you’re reading right now. Next
year our expenses will increase by $3,300 due to a 40% increase in the
subscription cost for the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine (DAM).
This will be the first increase in 11 years, and the DAM is not
only facing increasing costs, but dwindling advertising revenue.
(We just received word about that increase; it’s beyond the scope
of this letter to explain fully the reasons for a 40% increase in the
subscription cost.) Additionally,
the Executive Committee recently approved the expenditure of $2,000 for
our Performing Arts Legacy endowment fund, with the expectation that we
will continue this level of contribution for the next several years.
This year’s contribution has been taken from our reserve of
approximately $25,000 that has built up over the years. Thus,
unless we want to eat into our cash reserve, we have to cut programs or
increase revenue. Class
Treasurer Ivar Jozus feels strongly that the Class should maintain a
reserve for “unforeseen circumstances,”
and the Executive Committee agrees. For example, last year the
class Treasury subsidized our 40th reunion yearbook by $18,000
since contributions and advertisements didn’t reach the $30,000 cost. In
order to balance next year’s budget, we can do one or a combination of
the following: 1.
Reduce
Student Outreach Programs. The
$3,000 we spent this year for students in athletics, academics, and the
arts, was approved by the Class at our meeting during the 40th
reunion. Obviously, we could
eliminate these programs and come close to meeting the increased cost of
the DAM. Also, we could cut
back on our support for the Fayerweather dorms, a support that goes back
at least 10 years. 2.
Reduce
class communications. We
could reduce the number of class newsletters and I could eliminate future
“President’s letters.” 3.
The class
could stop paying for the DAM subscription for non-dues-paying classmates.
This idea was presented to the Class last June, but the proposal
was overwhelmingly defeated (actually, the motion was tabled).
Those present at the meeting felt strongly that we needed to keep
the lines of communication open to all classmates. 4.
Increase
class dues. A $11 increase
would pay for the added DAM subscription cost, if 297 classmates continue
to pay dues. A $18 increase
would pay for the DAM increase and the $2,000 expenditure to the
Performing Arts endowment. Of
course, a further increase might convince come dues-paying classmates to
stop paying dues and subsidizing the DAM subscription for the others. 5.
Get more
classmates to pay class dues of $61.
If we got 54 more classmates to pay tax-deductible dues, we’d
cover the increase in DAM subscription costs.
If an additional 87 pay dues, we’d also cover the endowment
contribution. If 200 more
classmates contributed, we’d cover all of our current obligations and be
able to expand our programs, as appropriate. Of
the five alternatives outlined above, the Executive Committee believes the
last is by far the best approach. Therefore,
before considering other options, we want to see if we can induce the more
than 300 of you non-payers to pay dues for this and future years. The
form on the following page can be used to indicate your intentions.
Please mail the form and a check (if you are so inclined) to Ivar
Jozus at 73 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457.
If you have any feedback for me, my email address is pete.bleyler@valley.net,
or call me at 603-795-9912. Sincerely,
Pete
Bleyler |
