Local Clergy Present Letter to President Kim

February 2, 2010

To President Kim and the Trustees of Dartmouth College,

We write as leaders of several faith communities whose members live and work in the communities linked to the life of the College. Many of us are also members of a faith-based community organizing project, United Valley Interfaith Project.

We want you to know that we are praying for you as you deliberate on Dartmouth’s budget crisis and make decisions about a course of action.  We are also praying for the staff who will be most affected by your difficult decisions. We are extremely concerned about the impact your decisions will have on them, their families, and the economy of the entire region.

We know that great effort has been made to think through the options and consider the impact on various parts of the Dartmouth community.  However, there are still segments of this community that do not feel that they have been meaningfully involved in these deliberations.  One such group is the hourly workers.  Because they will be most adversely affected by any layoffs, we urge you to take the time necessary to allow them to collaborate with you in meeting the College's legitimate financial needs while also minimizing layoffs.

This letter is not meant to take sides with one group or another but to raise up and witness to the principles of inclusion, compassion and justice, trusting that these same principles will be kept in clear sight in your decision making process. 

Sincerely,

The Rev. Nancy A.G. Vogele ’85, Rector

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, White River Junction, Vermont

President, United Valley Interfaith Project

802-295-5415, spcrector@gmail.com

Rev. Dee Copley, Pastor, Revival Connections, White River Junction, Vermont

Shawn M. Donovan, Hanover Friends Meeting, New Hampshire

Chris Dye, 2^nd Vice President, United Valley Interfaith Project, and member of Hanover Friends Meeting, Hanover, New Hampshire

Rev. Virginia Fryer, Pastor, Lebanon United Methodist Church, Lebanon, New Hampshire

Rev. Susan Grant-Rosen, Pastor, Charlestown Congregational Church, New Hampshire

Rev. John Gregory-Davis, Co-Pastor

Meriden Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Meriden, New Hampshire 

Rev. Susan Gregory-Davis, Co-Pastor

Meriden Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Meriden, New Hampshire 

The Rev. Beth Hilgartner, Rector, St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church, Norwich, Vermont

Rev. Lucia Jackson '84, Pastor, First Congregational Church, Hartland, Vermont

Anne Jette, 1^st Vice President, United Valley Interfaith Project, and member of Catholics for UVIP

The Rev. Bruce Johnson, Minister

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley, Norwich, Vermont

Unitarian Universalist Campus Minister, Dartmouth College

Gisela Jones, Treasurer, United Valley Interfaith Project, and member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Hanover, New Hampshire

The Rev. Susan Langle, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Claremont, New Hampshire

Secretary, United Valley Interfaith Project

The Rev. Paul S. Sawyer '89, Minister, First Universalist Society of Hartland, Vermont

The Rev. Jo Shelnutt-Melendy, Pastor

Quechee Community Church, United Church of Christ, Vermont

The Rev. Michael P. Thomas

Pastor, Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Hanover, & Lutheran Campus Pastor at Dartmouth

The Rev. Susan P. Thomas

Pastor, Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Hanover, & Lutheran Campus Pastor at Dartmouth