Attached is a modification to the current Statement to the Community.

I feel it is important to send this additional statement to the community since there were several areas omitted or inappropriately presented in the original one. In particular, the overall tone was a problem to many of us, placing most of the blame for the current situation on faculty and students. There was also a lack of clarity about what would be helpful to bring the community together and learn from the current situation.

I hope you will feel that the new statement reflects your opinion about the current situation. If you need additional information about what is happening, please call me.

Peter Lazus


Amended Statement to the Community
A Minority Opinion of the
Goddard College Board of Trustees
May 6, 1996


We are Board Members who would like to modify the recent-statement directed toward the community by the majority of the Goddard Board. While we agree with the rest of the Board that our community's energy should be best spent in finding ways to address finance and educational reforms rather than in requesting President Greene's resignation, we nonetheless had hoped for a somewhat different statement.

Our statement would have included a specific plea to President Greene, as well as to the faculty, students and other administrators, to rethink his approach toward achieving reforms in these areas. We strongly believe that reforms are mandated at this time for Goddard. However, we believe that the President as well as the faculty and students, need to adopt an open and collaborative approach toward achieving these ends. We regret that the recent statement did not adequately recognize the validity of the concerns which have led some of the faculty and students to direct several letters and petitions to the Board, It is our hope that at our June meeting, the Board will have an opportunity to learn more specifically about these concerns.

Finally, we had suggested that the Board's statement incorporate a specific invitation to community members to present us with constructive recommendations for reform in the areas of finance and education during our June meeting. It is our hope that the Board might also take an active role in initiating a process of mediation between President Greene and the rest of the community, This could begin either at the June Board meeting or preferably earlier, at the proposed retreat. By initiating such a process it is our hope that all segments of our community would become more open to hearing different visions about these reforms, and open as well to compromise and collaboration to achieve them.