To the Board of Trustees of Goddard College:

We, the students of the Off-Campus Teacher Education and Social Ecology Programs, recognize that there is an inherent flaw in the Governance Document of Goddard College which is undermining the quality of education and our experience of Democracy and Progressive Education as espoused by John Dewey and expressed by the Mission Statement of the school. We identify this flaw as the lack of structural and operational accountability of the Board and the President to the Goddard Community and the principles on which it is based. We feel President Greene does not recognize our commitment to these Democratic ideals and therefore, he can no longer effectively lead this community. We also feel that the environment and tenor of this Residency, due to recent events, has seriously impacted the quality of our education.

As a result, we recommend that the Board accept their responsibility to uphold the Democratic ideals and principles outlined in the Mission Statement of Goddard College and thus become actively engaged in a dialogue with the Goddard Community at large, with the understanding that we, the students, have a vital role in the healthy functioning of this institution.

We want the Board to respond with an Open Forum during our next residencies. In order to facilitate the dialogue, please submit a draft of a plan of action in response to our concerns 4-6 weeks prior to next semester's residencies. This will allow the Off-Campus Coordinator time to distribute this plan to all Off-Campus students.

Respectfully-submitted,

Off-Campus Students of Goddard College

Here are a few of the concerns identified by individual students at the Forums (there are more than space here allows). Please feel free to add your own concerns to be submitted with the letter. These are individual concerns, not necessarily Universal concerns; it is not necessary to agree with all concerns voiced here in order to add your own to the list. Any and all student concerns are valid and deserve to be heard.

CONCERNS

• There is a climate of fear;

• The Governance Document is not being followed;

• Concerns about dissemination of information and communication, especially concerning the Off-Campus student body;

• Job security of current faculty and support staff;

• That the visiting Trustees from the Board will not be here during our Residency;

• Governance document needs changing to develop effective accountability process;

• There is no system of checks and balances in place in Governance!

• Why do I want to come to Goddard with this mess?