Student groups frequently go to great lengths to secure funding from alums, often creating or relying on alumni associations for assistance with fundraising and advice on how to handle certain problems or obstacles. But occasionally, this practice can be taken too far by some overzealous alums.
Take, for example, an incident that befell the Yale Literary Magazine 30 years ago. Andrei Navrozov, a former editor of the magazine, attempted to continue overseeing the publication following his graduation, according to an Oct. 22 Yale Daily News article. Navrozov remained involved with the magazine for nearly a decade after graduating, current Yale Literary Magazine Co-Editor-in-Chief Jordan Jacks told The Herald. Jacks said Navrozov "took control of a loophole and severed all connections to the undergraduate community." After a prolonged legal battle that ended in 1987, Yale succeeded in wresting control of the magazine from Navrozov, Jacks said.
The case of the Yale Literary Magazine is an extreme example of alums continuing their involvement with student groups they belonged to as undergraduates. On campuses across the country, many alums remain involved in student groups in some way or another. Alumni involvement in student organizations is usually helpful, with the Yale Literary Magazine case serving as the one major blot on the record of alumni contributions to student groups, Jacks said.
For the most part, there are only benefits to alumni involvement with student groups, the biggest being the financial contributions that are typically forthcoming from alums of student groups. At Yale, the Association of Yale Alumni does not directly support student groups, but support comes from a variety of other sources, Executive Director of the AYA Mark Dollhopf told The Herald.
The first place Yale student organizations turn to obtain financial support is the dean of the college. But if that support does not suffice, student organizations can go to a variety of interest groups, including specific alumni groups or organizations, Dollhopf said.
In cases where these alumni associations do not already exist, the AYA steps in to help create them, Dollhopf said, naming the Yale Debate Association as an example. The debate group didn't have an alumni association to turn to for the funding of its 100th anniversary celebration. In that instance, the student group went to the AYA and Dollhopf worked with alums and the students in order to create an association, he said.
The AYA is "not a bank that dispenses money, but supports the alumni associations to help the student organizations. The AYA is not in the business of fundraising," Dollhopf said.
With so many student groups relying on alumni funding, the question becomes, "Who's running the show: alumni or students?" Dollhopf said. Though Dollhopf said he had not heard of the Yale Literary Magazine incident, he maintained that undergraduates should always have some control in alumni organizations.
At Brown, Director of Student Activities Ricky Gresh said when alumni are passionate about their former organizations, there can be a fine line between wanting to maintain connections to the group and becoming too involved in the inner workings of the organization.
Gresh said that Brown alums are mostly used "for advice and support to make sure the students are getting the most out of the organizations that they can." Normally, there isn't a problem with alums trying to exert too much pressure on organizations, Gresh said, but "student organizations are for students, and we need to make sure the students set the direction for the future they want."
A good example of a student group with appropriate alumni support is Brown Student Radio, Gresh said.
Jenny Weissbourd '08, general manager of BSR, told The Herald that the structure of BSR doesn't allow alumni control over the organization. The executive board "is made up of students and has the power in the structure of the organization," and there is an advisory board, which has alumni participation, Weissbourd said.
Since the advisory board doesn't have direct power or control over the station's activities, there is "no control over the organization exerted by alumni," she said.
Weissbourd said the main benefit of alumni support is that "a lot of them have jobs related to radio and it's useful to use their feedback in a professional capacity."
Although BSR receives some financial support from alumni, she said that "it is not enough to shape any of our decision-making." She said that the money they do receive from alums is for specific projects or improvement of the station.
Weissbourd said alums do not interfere in the central workings of BSR because "their experience was as students and they see it is imperative for current students to have no alumni influence in the decision-making."
