Trisha Tanner, Executive Director of the Alum Association                                      April 1, 2025

Mount Holyoke College

50 College Street

South Hadley, MA 01075

Dear Trisha Tanner,

  As leaders and officers of the Class of 1963, we object to the name change of The Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association. We speak for ourselves but we are also considering more recent graduates who may or may not identify as exclusively female. As individuals, we are each proud to be an Alumna of Mount Holyoke College. We are proud to be women graduates of an exceptional and gender diverse women’s college.

  “Alum” is slang and sloppy. “Alum’ is a dumbing down when used as an official term.  We object that “Alum” is now the title of our association of graduates when used in any official communications. “Alum” as an abbreviation of Latin sounds ignorant. We feel uncomfortable using it and think it may cause others to ridicule us. Referring to graduates of any institution as alums in casual conversation is common. As one class leader said, “I do not get as exercised about the name change as some of our classmates do. However, I do agree that an official organization (The Alum…. Association or its publications) should not use abbreviations or slang.”

    Alumna/Alumnae words are in accord with the College's statement that those eligible for admission are "women" and "those who identify as women". Moreover, Mount Holyoke is proud to be a women’s college. We of the Class of 1963 are proud to be alumnae of Mount Holyoke, a college that excels in offering liberal arts education for women. The Association should be proud to use the correct name “Alumnae” to designate the organization of Alumnae.

   Although the Association has stated that using the name Alum Association is meant to reflect the College’s gender diversity, we think it a poor choice. Although you may consider us, the Class of 1963 as unaccepting of Mount Holyoke’s commitment to gender diversity, we are not.  Please do not assume that we would like to return to the 1960’s as far as female identity is concerned.  Gender diversity was not part of our Mount Holyoke world, nor was it a prominent part of the world around us in the early 1960’s.  However, we respect and agree and support Mount Holyoke’s identity as gender diverse. We, too, and our families have evolved as has Mount Holyoke. We support our children and grandchildren, their peers, and our extended family and friends many of whom do not identify as “traditionally female.” 

   In addition to objecting to the use of “alum” in an official title of any kind, we strongly object to the fact that alumnae were not consulted before this change was made.  We recall that many decades ago surveys went to all alumnae to request opinions about whether Mount Holyoke should become a co-educational college. Alumnae had a voice. The decision to remain a women’s college is one we and many others applauded then and we applaud it now as well.  We are sad and disappointed. We have had no voice in the decision to change the Alumnae Association’s title. It appears that neither did other alumnae did not have a voice. 

   As noted above, Mount Holyoke is open to all who are born female or identify as female. The officers of the Class of 1963 see no reason why the name of our association should not continue to reflect this fact and remain designated “The Alumnae Association”. Moreover, we object strongly to the fact that alumnae were not consulted before this change was made.     

We request reconsideration of this decision.

Another related point:

      Most graduate associations at colleges and universities that previously had been open to women only but subsequently opened to all genders have continued to use the title Alumni Association. If alternatives for naming Mount Holyoke’s Alumnae Association were to be considered, we strongly object to the word “Alumni.”  Alumni is not an appropriate term for Mount Holyoke graduates.  When used for a co-ed institution “Alumni” is meant to include women. However, “Alumni” in the Latin subsumes women.

Karel Koenig, Class President 1963 and the Class of 1963 Officers and Leaders

Cc: Danielle Holley, President, Mount Holyoke College