Baylor Alumni Association

Baylor Line

Between the Lines

One Bear Place #97116
Waco, Texas 76798
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Phone: (254) 710-1121
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Responses in Support of the Alumni Association's Independence

October 17, 2009

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To send you own comments, e-mail BaylorLine@BaylorAlumniAssociation.com.

I am writing from New Hampshire, the state famous for its "Live free or die" motto, to add my voice to those of other alumni. I think that the Baylor Alumni Association should remain independent. I say this after some reflection, knowing that we all fear change, and an alumni association that is unified with Baylor would be a change. My wish for the association to remain independent is more than just comfort with the status quo. One unified voice and an end to the bickering of the past few years is not a good enough reason for this type of change.

I want the Baylor Line to remain the independent voice of Baylor it has been for so many years. Being so far from Texas, the Baylor Line is the main resource I use to stay connected with Baylor, and I want this publication to be able to give me the viewpoints I would not necessarily hear from the university. This is one of the publication’s main assets and part of the reason it has won so many awards. I have seen other alumni magazines, and frankly they are Board of Regentsing and predictable, just the type of stuff you would expect an institution of higher learning to produce. I have not been back to Waco in over eighteen years, and without the Baylor Line I don't think I would still be a "card carrying" alumna of the university.
Patricia Etheredge MacFarlane ’85
Hancock, New Hampshire

The last two presidents of Baylor who understood our mission and heritage, Abner McCall and Herbert Reynolds, stood solidly behind the alumni association and spoke publicly in its behalf. I share their sentiments. We should welcome, not fear an independent association that does so much good for the university we all love.
Dr. Paul Powell '56
Tyler

As a life member of the alumni association, a past member of the Development Council, and current member of the Endowed Scholarship Society, I strongly urge you to reject the Board of Regents' recent proposal to take over the BAA. The independence of the association is critical to maintaining the checks and balances. I urge the board of directors of the BAA to reject this proposal unanimously. Please feel free to contact me if I can serve on any board or team that is tasked with reviewing this proposal.
Trey Kendrick ’83

Stay strong and stay independent!
Mark S. Knapp ’72, JD ’73
Waco

I was on the Baylor campus this past week for the first time in many years. I organized a mini reunion of our classmates from the Baylor class of 1959. Some of the eighteen in our group are Texas natives and some, like myself, traveled a rather long distance for our first gathering of our total group. We braved the weather and even sat in the rain for a while in Baylor Stadium. It brought back many wonderful memories and reminded me of the first time I set foot in what was at that time the largest stadium I had ever been in.

During our weekend together, some of our group discussed the administration's attempt to take over the BAA. We value the independent voice of the BAA. We truly hope that you and the BAA board will not capitulate and allow the administration to bully you into allowing them to take over the organization. If you maintain your independence, I intend to increase the level of support to BAA. If the administration is successful in absorbing or taking over the alumni association and thereby silencing your voice, it will be a sad day for all of us.
Philip C. Chinn '59
Walnut, California

What's the point of taking over the BAA by the university administration? The university already HAS a public relations department, but is that department so inept that it can't “stay on message” for fear of an alumni group? Seems the Board of Regents is paranoid. This is just plain embarrassing, but I don't see the embarrassment as the fault of the BAA.

My son just entered University of North Texas as a freshman this year. He is a talented cellist and placed first chair among all entering freshman cellists in Denton. Not only a cellist, he is a fine, state-ranked bass singer and was active in church youth activities. He would have been a wonderful addition to the student body at Baylor School of Music, and I tried to steer him to audition in Waco, but he did not want to. Now with the hammer coming down from the administration like this on an alumni group, I have some feelings that I did the right thing by not pushing him to follow a legacy. Doesn't the university have more important things to do than become embroiled in such as this?

While at family weekend recently in Denton at UNT, I had the opportunity to meet the young director of the UNT alumni association and enter into a detailed conversation. The group there is independent of the university as are, this young man said, most of the associations at major universities in Texas. He didn't come out and say it, but I gathered he and other university alumni directors in the state are disheartened by this kind of internal strife at a fellow Texas campus.

In the end, as is the case with things like this over the years, the university administration will win out. I suppose it is within the "right" of the administration to do this. But I would repeat to Baylor that old adage regarding good and smart relationship skills in married life: "You can be right, or you can be happy." Baylor will probably take the former. Last year I aggressively, happily, and proudly represented my alma mater at a multi-high school, multi-county college night at a convention center here in northwest Arkansas. Among more than one hundred colleges and military representatives, my Baylor table was one of the most heavily visited and my response card stack was thicker than any others turned in. Surely part of the reason for the response was because Baylor was one of few Texas schools represented there,

I arrived early and was the last to leave the event, talking up the school non-stop. I have covered many business trade shows in my career, but never had I worked so hard in such a setting as that night, as I am sure many Baylor alums have done elsewhere. When/if I get the call to do so this coming year, I don't know if my heart will be in it so much. I say that not with spite or a mean spirit but with a certain kind of "what's the point of all this" malaise akin to quietly avoiding a great aunt at a family reunion who always brings up contentious family issues. If the university moves with this and gets what "they" want, I think the rhetoric will go away on both sides, but also what will go away, quietly, is the support of many alumni.
Ted Talley '72
Bentonville, Arkansas

Please maintain the independence of the Baylor Alumni Association. Since I graduated from both college and law school at Baylor, please count my vote twice!!
Rob Ammons ’85, JD ’88
Houston

Tell the administration that they can keep their money and to leave the alumni association independent. We should raise our own money and then we can make 100 percent of the decisions. I would be willing to change my monthly pledge to the alumni association from directly to Baylor if that is what it would take to stay independent.
George P. Lake ‘75
Houston

As a long-time life member of the Baylor Alumni Association and as an academic of more than forty years, I urge you to retain BAA's independence from the university. A group that acted as aggressively as the Baylor board and interim president did in relation to their proposal to the BAA can have nothing but "no good" at the root of their actions. As alumni we must maintain an independent posture so that we can ward off the efforts of uncontrolled, self-perpetuating boards and university administrations from destroying the academic integrity of a great university. We can only do this if we stand together and stand alone.
Dr. D. Jack Davis ’59, MA ‘61
Denton

I do NOT support the proposal for the Baylor Alumni Association to become part of Baylor's Office of Development. As a life member of the BAA, I think it is important for the alumni association to maintain its independence in APPEARANCE and in FACT. If the BAA were to be a part of Baylor's Office of Development, my voice would be lost. At a minimum, this should be put to a vote of the members of the BAA.
Pam Wright Porter ’85
Dallas

Remain independent by all means! How else can decisions be truly objective?
Margaret Davis Bishop ‘69
Bedford

I'm a proud BAA lifetime member and supporter of its mission as a SEPARATE and INDEPENDENT entity apart from Baylor University, yet honored to represent those who once attended Texas’ oldest and best institution of higher learning!
Robert Watts ‘06
Buda

Our votes are NO! We do not feel that the BAA should agree to the Board of Regents’ request. Remain independent!
Chris ’92 and Kim Stewart Hudson ‘91
Atlanta, Georgia

I strongly support the BAA and all that it stands for. It needs to remain independent and be a voice of its own. I am a fourth-generation alumna and so proud to say so and hope my grandchildren will be sixth-generation alumni in twenty years. Please know we are in total agreement with the BAA.
Carol Jamison Hildebrand ’65, MA ‘68
Dallas

Thanks for keeping the alumni informed.

The proposed request sounds like an order being given to the BAA. This is the first negative on the part of the Board of Regents. The BAA could serve as advisors and still be independent of the Board of Regents, if the regents did not want to be the ruler or emperor of Baylor.

The rudeness of the Board of Regents to demand that their presence be honored to present their DEMANDS at a previously scheduled meeting of the BAA indicates how the BAA would be treated if it became an advisory board. This requested presence, after several BAA requests to defer the discussion until another time, indicates that the association would not have any mutual support or respect by the Board of Regents in restoring unity and moving Baylor forward. If the Board of Regents is fearful of being observed or watched maybe they need to be watched by the BAA.

Only two years ago, the Board of Regents and the BAA agreed to a commitment for the BAA to remain independent. Perhaps Mr. Garland sees things that might hinder his emperorship of Baylor.

I believe the percentages shown, whereby, the BAA membership and non-member alumni support the BAA’s independence should be an indicator of the feelings of the alumni. The review of the many comments from the alumni indicates that the independent feeling is still present.

I hope the correct decision can be made, and I believe the decision should be “TO STAY INDEPENDENT.”
Jack Chamblee ‘58
DeSoto

Given recent history, why would the Baylor Alumni Association even consider a proposal to disband? Absolutely the worst idea since Ford's Edsel. Don't misunderstand me. I'm sure the new administration is making this offer in good faith; however, it is about as tenable as the alumni association asking to take over "ALL" alumni-related activities. Both the administration and the association have Baylor's best interest at heart, but who will stand up when one or the other runs amuck?
Dr. Sam Hull ’67
Lake Forest, Illinois

I have read the proposal from the Baylor regents and the editorial and information sent by Baylor interim president David Garland, and I appreciate their point of view. However, I respectfully disagree with the Board of Regents and Baylor administration. I do not see how the BAA being an independent entity will keep Baylor from becoming a top tier university. Frankly, I feel the proposal overall is a little self-serving.

The editorial independence of the BAA cannot be understated in my opinion. I also feel that the BAA must remain true to the charter that established the BAA and do all that is possible to expand the number of alumni members and the availability of activities for all alumni.
Wayne Colson ’80
College Station

The separation of power between the administration of Baylor and its historically supportive but independent alumni association is an important tradition that should be maintained. I appreciate the effort of the alumni association and its directors to continue this legacy. I sincerely hope that President Garland and the Board of Regents will have the integrity to rethink their position and work to restore the healthy relationship between the administration and its alumni association. The future of Baylor will be much brighter with the historic relationship restored.
Lisa McCracken Lacy '76, MA '00
Waco

I fully support BAA and its desire for independence. It gives those of us who've been around a long time as well as those recently graduated a voice in activities and projects promoted by the BAA. I've been a life member since the very beginning and love my alma mater and all she stands for. I've seen so many changes over the years. Some I didn't like, and some I backed whole-heartedly. Whatever the outcome, I pray we will be united and all disagreements will end. Baylor and its alumni association are two great organizations and need to live in harmony, but I do hope we stay independent.
Martha Whiteman Rogers '57
Houston

I absolutely oppose the proposal to terminate the Baylor Alumni Association's independent status, cease the editorial independence of the Baylor Line magazine, and become part of Baylor’s Division of University Development! Furthermore, I am incensed and frustrated with the Baylor administration to even propose such a thing! In recent years, I have been disappointed with many things that Baylor has done administratively, and although my husband and I are both Baylor alumni, with both of us coming from generations of Baylor alumni, I am seriously considering not sending my own three children to this institution because of representative power and control issues such as these.

I am sickened by the continued bickering over the editorial and independent status of the BAA from those in the administration. I'm tired of seeing plays from the Southern Baptist playbook of power, control, and manipulation continually being used even to this day. I want to see my Christian institution start acting like one! Enough!
Tim ’90, MSEd ’92, and Anita Brock Bryant ‘90
Young Harris, Georgia

This is what I treasure about the BAA:

"We hope you will take the time to read the opinions shared by hundreds of alumni. These opinions do not represent the official position of the BAA. They are the real voices of alumni. Some encourage the BAA to maintain its historical independence. Others encourage the BAA to accept the proposal. We invite you to respond as well, and soon. Your voice is important."

This is what I fear will be lost.
Randy Stevens '80, JD ’83
Dallas

I support the Baylor Alumni Association remaining intact as the historical independent voice of Baylor alumni. I always enjoy and benefit from the communications sent from the BAA. I also benefit from communications sent from the university. There is value in both, and they do not need to be blended together. I believe that the two should remain separate and work in partnership!
Darlene Wolfe Clark ‘69
Athens

Remain firm in independence!!!!
William H. (Bill) Malone ‘57
Midland

I am a non-Baptist graduate of Baylor University who left Waco rather immediately after graduation and lived all over the country prior to returning to Waco in 2001. I returned to Waco shortly after Dr. Sloan rode into town with his "vision" and was amazed at the construction and utterly dismayed with his agenda.

I was so disgusted by Dr. Sloan and some on his Board of Regents that when the time came for me to receive my Golden Fifty-year Diploma, I passed up the opportunity to receive it in person when I discovered Dr. Sloan would be handing them out and opted to have it mailed.

When Dr. Sloan rode off into the sunset, I thought things would surely get better. Was I ever wrong.

Don't get me wrong—I have always been proud of Baylor and came a great distance each time when we played in the Cotton Bowl and when we played UCLA (I believe for the first time). It distresses me to see what is being done to Baylor, and I feel the only hope is for the alumni association to stand firm and not become their puppet. When this comes to pass, I will start contributing again.
Ruth Thomas Thompson ‘54
Waco

I strongly believe BAA should remain independent from the university. This allows the organization to remain focused on the alumni and to consider, from a different, more global position, what is in the best interest of the alumni.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Cathy Cundiff Pennington ‘73
Houston

I would like to see the alumni association remain a separate organization associated with the university!
Suzanne Jameson Parker ‘57
Houston

I felt blindsided by the university’s sudden request to surrender a long history of supportive independence. They stressed the point that “everybody else’s” associations are part and parcel of the their universities. That argument represents bland homogenization, and I am offended by it. I will continue to be guided by the wishes of a true gentleman and Christian, Abner V. McCall, who vouched for a robust, supportive, but independent alumni.

I am saddened that we are in this argument, but our traditions and presence should prevail.
Dave Little ’80
Bellaire

I am strongly against the BAA becoming part of the university. I do not agree with the way Baylor is being run at this time and many of the decisions being made by the regents. I would not want the same group of individuals running the alumni association.
Name Withheld

If it ain't broke, why fix it? Leave the independent status alone. The issue is money and control, both harmful to the human spirit. The independent status actually helps the character and development of Baylor. For heaven's sake, allow this issue to go away!!
Larry Larsen '58, MA '59
Andover, Massachusetts

I want to add my voice to those supporting the continued independence of the Baylor Alumni Association. I believe it is important for the association to stand fast in its efforts to remain free of university control. The alumni need the independent voice that the association provides.

Thank you for keeping us informed on this important issue.
Maurice Walton ‘73, JD ‘75
Granbury

I can think of no good that would ever come from the BAA becoming part of the university. Same basic concept as big centralized government with little or no voice from the people.

Political strategists and propaganda mongers have a way, through clever use of words, to change the connotation of words to suit their purposes. Words like uniqueness, freedom, and independence will always have a POSITIVE connotation (especially to those who think for themselves) when used in reference to BAA. The Baylor Alumni Association must remain independent and free!!!!
Michael Meeks '63
Center

Other than the excuse that "it’s how everyone else does it," I do not see any justification from the university as to why this is necessary. I can see no reason other than to dissipate any voice that the BAA has in Baylor’s direction. While the BAA must understand that it is not in a position to run Baylor, it is the only way that the great masses of alumni have to express our opinions on the school’s direction, in a way that will be heard. Most of us are not wealthy or politically situated to be on the Board of Regents. Yet, we do care and have opinions on the present and future of Baylor. I see absolutely no harm to the continued existence of the Baylor Alumni Association.

While I, as are many others, tired of some of the ongoing squabbles between the various factions at Baylor (and I include the university, Board of Regents, BAA, faculty, to name a few), ALL are responsible for this, and ALL should work toward some level of harmony. But harmony does not mean capitulation to the desires of another. And, I, for one, am happy to be a member of an independent Baylor Alumni Association.
John P. Cahill Jr. ’83, JD ’84
Houston

I think it would be a grave mistake to give the regents and the university power over the BAA. Editorial independence enables the alumni association to express views that may not coincide with the governing administration's fiscal, political, and religious policies. The regents govern the university, and to give them control of the BAA might alienate alumni members who do not agree with the regents’ policies or actions. I also think it would have an adverse effect on the ability of the BAA to raise funds for the university.
Name Withheld

Please add my name to those who which to reject the regents'/interim president's proposal.
Bill Hillis ’53
Waco

While it is not possible for me to understand all of the facts and circumstances behind the regent’s position (but having a general understanding of the circumstances and history), my preference is that the BAA continue to be independent and not accept the proposal. I believe the parties have been able to get along in the past for the good of Baylor, and they should be able to do so again. Having an independent voice of the alumni seems like a good idea to keep the regents and administration responsive to the alumni point of view. This should be done applying Christian principles, including conflict resolution if conflicts are to arise. The regents must admit that they have made mistakes in the past—of course they have; they are a human institution. To be able to receive valuable input from a well intentioned and aligned third party would seem to be a plus, not a negative.
Greg Turner ’81, JD ’84
Dallas

My vote is for independence. We can be just as helpful as an independent organization, and IF and WHEN the alumni need to take an independent view FOR THE GOOD OF OUR INSTITUTION, we have the organization to do so.

I don’t see a downside to being independent. We love Baylor and are invested in her well being for the future.
Dr. Marilyn Barnard Escobedo ‘66
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

I am against the dissolution of the BAA. Do we not live in the United States of America and hold our flag and freedom high? Do we not believe in our constitution and the checks and balances in our government?

Do we not cherish our own Baylor line through the years? Do we not honor our 150 years of tradition? What has happened that would make a group of "leaders" want to dissolve such an institution as the BAA? What motivates them to destroy 150 years of tradition? Greed? Power? Ego? Money?
David Eakin '78
Killeen

I do believe both entities could co-operate in a more efficient way for everyone concerned. However, I also believe that having a checks and balance system in place is consistent with our way of life in this country, so I encourage separation to remain in place. Therefore I say “No” to Baylor’s offer to the BAA.
Price Mathieson ’58, MS ’63
Abilene

A year ago, I would have agreed to Baylor University's proposal. However, we still have one child attending Baylor. Because of this, I have discovered recent policy changes that I feel are not in the students' or their parents' best interest. The alumni association appeared not to be aware of the changes either, and maybe the regents are also unaware of the changes. Accordingly, I feel that the alumni association should remain independent not only as a voice of the alumni but as a voice to assist the regents.
Dr. David Riddel ’74
Dallas

I am in favor of rejecting the proposal by the Board of Regents and remaining independent. Thanks.
Shane Pryor ’07
Liberty

I will continue to support an independent alumni association. Accountability is a good thing!
Kristine Zeman ’86
Atlanta, Georgia

I've read the material about the Baylor Regents blitz to shut down the BAA. Here is my opinion:

This is a new battle in an old war. The vision for Baylor that was advanced by Abner McCall and Herbert Reynolds for several decades—a vision that brought growth and strength to Baylor—was set aside several years ago. The new vision comes from people who want a Baylor reduced by a theology that is at war with all a university is about.
A university is a place where all ideas can be explored, examined, entertained. The present battle is about control of information. The BAA sometimes questions regents and administration. If the BAA comes under the control of the administration, questions that should have been raised about the direction of Baylor will never be asked. A debate about our vision will cease. There will only be one "approved" source of information, the administration.
Baylor was meant to be larger than the vision our regents hold for her. Truth is not static; it is enlarging and changing. Sometimes there is an arrogance in the pronouncements that come from our regents. One would think they know the mind of God. The Apostle Paul "saw through a glass darkly" (I Cor. 13:12). Since all of our knowledge is "partial," it follows that regents need all the help they can get as they guide our school. There is a high-handedness and a close-mindedness about their work that reminds me of my meetings with Fundamentalists twenty-five years ago. Baylor does not need that.
I have read the Baylor Line for more than fifty years. Not once have I questioned that the BAA wanted the best for Baylor. In good humor, usually with good sense, the articles promoted the advancement of Baylor and encouraged us to support the school. The suggestion that the BAA is opposed to the good for Baylor is propaganda designed to mislead the uninformed.
Baylor is a better school today than it was when I graduated in 1950. The seal of Baylor pledges to support church and Texas. She does that is a remarkably faithful way. We don't need to go backward. The restricted vision of our regents, though propped with all kinds of religious language, is out of step with the freedom to think and examine that was part of the original Baptist vision. Real Baptists are not afraid to enter into civil discussion. Our ideas are not so fragile that they need be protected. That the regents refuse to sit down with the leadership of BAA is no credit to the regents. They say they serve all of us, but they will only talk with their kind. Baylor is bigger than these people.
Baylor needs the BAA. The on-going contest over the kind of school Baylor will be is not over. Small people with a small theology threaten Baylor's future. As I see it, BAA has a better grasp of the way Baylor ought to go than the regents do. I want BAA to live.

Cecil E. Sherman ’50
Richmond, Virginia

STAY INDEPENDANT.
Jim L. Rogers, Class of ‘61
Rome, Georgia

If Baylor will allow this group to be independent and not start one of its own, then I believe the separation has more freedom.

Example: Football is a driving financial reward for schools (University of MI, USC, Notre Dame, etc.), and Baylor just does not believe that academics and football and religion can co-exist!
Brit Carpenter ’51
North Las Vegas, Nevada

Of course this is heartbreaking to see this, but I do not feel that the BAA is responsible for the problems. I believe Baylor needs to get its act together FIRST before talking to the BAA. It seems that Baylor should work on its problems with the Board of Regents and their inability to find and keep a president before worrying about the BAA. Is this just a ploy to get the $1.8 million? I'm sure if Baylor could decide whether they want to be a Southern Baptist Christian school or a secular school would help. I feel they seem to flounder in this area. Is it possible that most of the alumni prefer the BAA to be separate because they feel the "old" Baylor they knew is more a part of the BAA rather than Baylor? My heart breaks to see this squabble. I love the Baylor that I graduated from and am glad that my son (class of 2010) loves Baylor dearly, but I pray for the leadership of Baylor and the BAA to get on its knees before the Lord and seek his wisdom. My opinion for now is to stay separate and be firm, BAA!
Brenda Ford Rogers '82
College Station

I believe that the independence of the Baylor Alumni Association is essential to protect Baylor University's standing as a world-class institution of learning.

Baylor benefits from having diverse views freely expressed. Yet, at various points in Baylor's history, the university's administration has encouraged those within its sphere of influence to toe the party line. I think that we do Baylor a disservice if we put ourselves in a position where the university has more influence over our organization and over its ability to communicate among our members and out in the bigger world.

So many times, the alumni association is in agreement with the university's administration, and it really doesn't matter that we're independent. But there are times when the Board of Regents or the administration takes a dangerous swerve off course, putting special interests above the interests of the student body at large, the faculty at large, and/or the university as a whole and its ability to provide world-class education, not only about substantive information but also about how to learn, to question, and to explore. Those "swervy" times are the moments when the alumni association fosters the kind of dialogue that Baylor needs. It's not the position the association ultimately takes that is the critical step—the critical step is the conversation for which the association provides a forum. All our voices are heard because the alumni association remains independent. Baylor is a better university because the alumni association remains independent.

The idea that "the Baylor Alumni Association should be brought under the auspices of Baylor University's administration because that's what other universities do" seems to be directly in conflict with Baylor's attitude that we're not like other universities. And, quite honestly, we're not like other universities. We struggle constantly with the tension between some of the most conservative religious philosophies held by members of the board and administration, on the one hand, and the need to teach a broad variety of perspectives in order to maintain our standards as an institution of higher learning, on the other. Each side struggles against compromise; both sides (yes, both) desperately need compromise to temper extremes that don't serve anyone well. I have long admired Baylor for its ability to strike the right balance, sometimes after long periods of dissent and disagreement. The independence of the Baylor Alumni Association, and the open dialogue it demands and provides, is a crucial force in the constant battle to reach that balance. I pray that the association remains independent and continues its mission to support Baylor, even when that means raising voices in disagreement with the administration and hearing what everyone has to say.

Thank you, BAA, for all you have done and will continue to do, to support Baylor University as a whole and to strive to keep Baylor a wonderful, living, vibrant educational experience for generations to come.
Kirsten Castañeda ’91
Dallas

Sadly, in our fortieth year since Baylor graduation, we see that almost all of the communications my wife and I have ever received from Baylor have been requests for donations and expressions of excitement and honor about those who have donated. The other communications were related to our son's tuition when he was at Baylor and the occasional updates from the schools within Baylor we attended. Particularly in the past two decades, Baylor-funded communications have been increasingly attuned to market only the positive, only the beneficial, and only the photogenic about the university. But, as with any organization where crucial decisions are made, not all of the news was positive, beneficial to a certain constituency, or photogenic. Independent voices about the operation and direction of the university have come from the BAA. I do not think Baylor's board and administration can allow independent thinking when communications are within their control. And I certainly am unwilling to consider funding such an organization. I read the proposals and responses to date, and am not swayed: stay independent, BAA.
Jim Elkins ’69
San Antonio

In recent years, the Board of Regents has been heavy-handed in many of its ambitions. Consider for a moment that the elimination of funding and all references to the BAA from the public face of the university spites not only the association but its constituents as well. As for Mr. Beauchamp’s repeated assertion that the BAA is underperforming with respect to donations, I cannot speak on behalf of others but am willing to explain my own actions. There are many reasons why people opt against donation, but to saddle the association with complete responsibility is a little narrow-minded.

While I am a life member of the BAA, it is true that I have not been a university donor. One of Dr. Sloan’s early initiatives resulted in edits to my degree program that essentially made it impossible to graduate on schedule. Limitations on extending my financial aid nearly made it impossible to graduate at all. Had it not been for the extraordinary efforts of Dean Kelley, I would have been forced to wait a full semester for the required courses to be offered or transfer out to finish my senior year. I admit that, while I greatly appreciated everything the ECS staff had done for me, the university as a whole had left me in something less than a donating frame of mind, and their actions in the decade since have yet to change that.

As a matter of general principle, I fail to understand the discord between the board and the BAA. At the end of the day, both institutions ought to inherently seek to foster ideologies and implement change that is consistent with the greater good of the university. That being the case, the substance of any such debate should be centered around the means rather than the end. The fact that it does not belies a much larger issue. I, for one, applaud the BAA for publicizing responses on not one but both sides of the matter. I do not completely agree with all that has transpired on either side of the table; however, I in no way believe that the solution involves unilaterally enforcing a position by summarily eliminating the dissident voice.
Bryan S. Brandt ’99
Alexandria, Virginia

I think the proposal from the Board of Regents is not in the best interests of Baylor. In fact, the proposal is just plain puzzling.

No doubt, the events at Baylor over the last few weeks provide good evidence of why the Baylor Alumni Association should remain independent. In this day and age when most information is created, slanted, and spun, I appreciate the credibility of the even-handed information provided to Baylor alumni by the BAA. I see no logical reason for the leadership of the Board of Regents and the current administration to fear that information flow. It seems odd that they wouldn’t embrace it.

In my opinion, there is no legitimate reason why the current Baylor administration/Board of Regents and the Baylor Alumni Association cannot work together to promote the university under the contractual agreements set out in 1993 and 2004.
Charles D. Jones ’75, JD ‘78
Waco

Stay independent. The big boys want to have their way with Baylor, and the BAA is in their way. We can't give them a clear path to do whatever they want. There has to be another voice out there that they do not control. Sic 'em, Bears!
Dr. Sharon G. Walker '68
Conroe

I strongly support the independence of the BAA from the University. Our strategy—Sic 'em.
James L. Bowden '79
Pensacola, Florida

I’m looking “through the rear view mirror” as Paul W. Powell, former Dean of Truett Seminary, cites in a recent book of his.

Fifty years ago I graduated from this great institution of higher learning. I have returned year after year for the glorious Homecoming parade, football game, Pigskin, Singspiration, Cabaret, and a nostalgic visit to the Bear Pit. All spell reunion of the values and faces that mean much to me. I have been added to the Baylor Heritage Club. I have enjoyed coming through the beautiful alumni building.

So, what’s happening? I think, as Kipling said in his poem “If,” we are in a world where people are into head problems “losing theirs and blaming it on you.” Take a backward glance with me, won’t you? What has the Baylor alum group been up to for the last 150 dazzling years? In 1946 they published a magazine, the Baylor Line, for alumni. It lists previous alumni, their whereabouts, travels, accomplishments, and, deaths. The magazine spotlights activities, organizations, academia and scholarships, sports, and distinguished alumni.

In addition to the Baylor Line, I want to call attention to three huge markers, Board of Regents, out of the alumni association: First, the Homecoming parade, the largest university parade in the U.S.; the Heritage Club, inducting graduates of fifty years; and the Distinguished Alumni awards. Why do you think the alums built the alumni building on the campus? To be there, as the support team, and to give Baylor exes current awareness, involving them in present-day Baylor and leading them toward establishing endowments. They could have built the alumni building across town, but the supporting limbs operate best with the body, wouldn’t you agree?

A noted support organization, Alcoholics Anonymous, is built on the support group concept—loving truth to offset self-delusion. AA has remained a separate, active, vital force for the community. They have never been attached to a civic group, formed a league, or melted into any denomination. Their support is free, independent, and heralded. The Baylor Alumni Association has for 150 years been the supporting arm of Baylor University. The Baylor Board of Regents does not want an independent support group? Why is control so essential today by governance?

I, and many other alums, find the evaluation of the regent’s position untenable. I cannot follow the thinking of the regents as expressed by Dr. Garland and the chairman of the Board of Regents, Dary Stone. "Give them total control of our people, our magazine, our building, and we would not have problems." Who has problems, and what is gained?

Another solution would be to listen to the alums who have nothing to lose except a legacy of wholesome support and dedication to something in which they have invested much and continue to do so with their legacies. Is conformity to alumni organizations of other Big 12 schools the reason the regents seek our dissolution of the alumni association? Isn’t our uniqueness the one value for which Baylor is most recognized?
Reita Rea Hawthorne ’58
Waco

By joining with Baylor as a department, you will never be able to constructively criticize the university. Baylor's effort to disband the BAA is nothing short of censorship. I also wonder how much of this is about the money the BAA is able to raise and wanting to control how it's spent.
June Tinsley Cody '71
Georgetown

The Board of Regents should be the overseer of the Baylor educational domain—its students, its faculty, and its assets. While we are without a president, it seems to me that the board should be overseeing the finances, fund raising, and the search committee to ensure we are in good shape in all of those areas. Do they not have anything better to do than to keep stirring up those of us who love our Baylor heritage and are members of the BAA?

Yes, we should stay independent and always be cognizant of those who came before us and started this association, and those who are keeping it the viable organization that it is today. We need to always have a voice in what our children and grandchildren see as they look at our university—and that voice only comes out of the BAA.
Barbara Jean Lee Brown ’63
Houston

Having been at Baylor during the late '70s and early ‘80s when forces were at play to try to change what Baylor was and what it stood for, I am aware of how we came to where we are today. The steps that Abner McCall and Herb Reynolds took at that time, along with other visionaries in the university’s leadership, to protect the independence and the standing of Baylor as well as its heritage of education and mission, were intended to foster and keep those principles alive and vibrant. It appears that today’s Board of Regents has decided to accomplish what a generation of leaders, faculty, and students worked so hard to avoid—an oligarchy that will not tolerate independence, open debate, or dissent.

As a graduate and life member of the alumni association, I urge that the proposal be rejected and that both the BAA and the Board of Regents establish a standing committee to foster communication and cooperation. It would appear that Abraham Lincoln’s words now apply to the Baylor family: “As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide.” For only we could do this to ourselves; we would never tolerate an outside force attempting to do this to us.
William E. Russell ’82
El Paso

I firmly believe that the Baylor Alumni Association should remain separate from the university. I think the interactions of the alumni around the world have led the Baylor Alumni Association to be more progressive and forward thinking than the university, and as an independent voice we can be sure that our input and feelings about the direction of Baylor University will be heard.

Although I know that there are a few on the Baylor Board of Regents that have the alumni associations best interest in mind with this proposal, I believe there are many more regents that support this proposal in order to control the alumni association’s forward thinking and to provide additional financial benefits to the university.

I think these points are best illustrated when you look at the makeup of the board of regents in comparison to the makeup of the leadership team and various groups of the alumni association. Both young and old, men and women, as well as majority and minority groups are well in the alumni association versus token membership and involvement from various groups in the Baylor Board of Regents.

It is clear to me that the alumni association has made a conscious effort to reach out to and include a diverse group of Baylor alums, and I think under the university's direction this mission of inclusion and growth will be squelched and replaced by the mission of fundraising, development, and other self-serving activities of the university. At the end of the day, it is important for the BAA to serve the alums and by doing that well it will provide the best possible service to the university, because alums will be more willing to give, serve and support Baylor.

If this organization comes under Baylor University control, I believe in the near future it will be consumed by the infighting and administrative "distractions" that are taking place on campus, as well as the less progressive mindset that the "Baylor Bubble" still struggles with frequently.
Jerome Rose ’97
Addison

The university's request is momentous at the least. That we should give up our 150 year history simply to do what we have always been called to do (and continue to do, even with one hand bound behind us) does not make immediate sense. What good is served by such a move? What good is lost? What is the motive for such a request, and is it transparent? Wall Street thought it need not answer those questions, and look what happened. May our memory and our purpose be better than that!
Bob Morrison ‘60
San Antonio

Although this is a bit late, I still wanted to write and express my opinion to you. I love Baylor with all my heart, and I miss it deeply sometimes. I joined the BAA as a life member shortly after I left Waco. I truly look forward to getting the Baylor Line and seeing what is going on with my university.

Because I love Baylor, however, I have learned that those who serve in leadership over her, sometimes forget their duty to her and her students. The request of Baylor to dissolve the BAA makes me very nervous, and I am against it. Since there is no president at this time, this request seems ill-timed and sinister to me. The BAA must continue to be a voice that is independent from the university itself. It must be the safeguard to protect all that we hold dear about Baylor and those who love her. Do not be afraid to stand proudly and strong against the voice of Baylor leadership. Do not let them forget their duty to Baylor University and her alumni!
C. Daniel Clark ’98
Edmond, Oklahoma

I disagree with the university proposal to bring the Baylor Alumni Association under the direct control of Baylor University. I will oppose any such loss of independence by the alumni association if allowed to vote on such matters. I also feel another "house organ” of the university will be less effective than a independent entity (or is that the true goal of the university)?
Melissa Franks ‘58
Counce, Tennessee

Please reject the "proposal" to dissolve the BAA. The timing and the handling of the request by the regents is deplorable.
Dee W. Dilts '68, JD '70
Richardson

The BAA has always been the independent voice of alumni, so what is with the pressure to change now? In a culture where “Change Now” has been a theme used in many venues, the traditions of Baylor and the character with which the alumni association has conducted itself should not be placed under the scrutiny and then direction of the Baylor administration. Let’s continue to use our voices to effect change when and where it is needed. This is not the time for a change like this. This is a proposal that should be rejected.

Keep it up!
Jerry Cronan
New Caney

I would encourage the BAA to remain independent and to stand fast in opposition to the regents’ proposal. I appreciate the independence of the BAA and would be discomforted by the alumni organization’s being one with the university. I am the son of a Baylor graduate, the brother of a Baylor graduate, the father of a Baylor graduate, and have grandsons leaning toward Baylor (not to mention numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins that are Baylor graduates), and I have enjoyed the sometimes independent stance taken by the BAA.

I am truly the member of a Baylor family, with a love for the university, but its views are not always my views. I have taken comfort in the thought that the BAA would consider my views, when I have thought at the same time that the university would not.

Stand fast. Please add my name to the list of alumni opposing the dissolution of the independent alumni organization.
Joe L. Thomas ’66
Houston

Do NOT even think about giving up our independent voice!! Stay the course!!
Ronald ’54, MD ’57, and Carolyn Williams Goelzer ‘53
El Campo

I'm a card-carrying life member of the Baylor Alumni Association and proud of it! Please, stay independent from Baylor University—tell the university no.
Kelly Adams ‘95
Topeka, Kansas

The regents' labeling of their proposal to the BAA as an "invitation" to become part of the university's development department is merely lipstick on the pig of a hostile takeover. Baylor alumni are too smart to fall for such a ploy, and they know an attempt to silence them and deprive them of a trusted and unbiased source of information (the Baylor Line), when they see it. What are the regents so afraid of?
Bette McCall Miller ‘67
Pittsburg

I am writing to express my support for the alumni association and my strong opposition to the recent demand by the Board of Regents that the association in essence dissolve itself into the public relations department of the university.

In fact, I find the behavior of the board in this present situation incredible. I urge the alumni association to maintain its historic arrangement and long-standing policies and functions.
Jim Slatton ‘54
Richmond, Virginia

The Board of Regents and their presidents come and go, but the BAA is forever. I wasn't aware that the BAA was a "watchdog." I guess I missed that. I consider the BAA more like the protector of Baylor tradition, a constant in a sea of change. The last Baylor presidents that I really respected were Judge McCall and President Reynolds. If a separate BAA was OK with them, it should be OK today. The BAA magazine has always and I suspect will continue to be better than the one the university produces. The BAA survived the withdrawal of university monetary (if not spiritual) support while still providing the services beloved by alumni. I feel like the Board of Regents couldn't smother the baby, so now they are trying to adopt it, but based on past actions, I don't think they love it and still want to kill it. Respectfully decline their offer. If it isn't broken, why fix it?
Ivan Phinney ‘72
San Antonio

By all means, keep the BAA separate from the university.
Dorothy Shaw Peterson '48
Missoula, Montana

If Baylor reformed the way the Board of Regents are selected and implemented open meeting rules such as required by state institutions, we would all be a lot better off, and I wouldn’t worry about having an independent alumni association. But as it is, with closed meetings and proposals such as this, the university needs an independent voice that is best provided by the BAA. Like another alumnus stated, I do not plan to steer my dollars or my children to Baylor. I would happily reconsider if the board were to adopt transparent governance and regent selection with input by the people who are Baylor: its faculty, alumni, and students.
Brian Ferrell ‘97
Dallas

I was appalled to read of the regents' request for a divorce from BAA. I think "divorce" is the right word. A divorce causes suffering which includes family and friends.

That the regents want assets is akin to wanting the rings back, all family albums, property, i.e., pretending the marriage never existed, insulting and callous.
David C. Marx '64
San Antonio

Kick ’em and sic ’em. Kick Baylor regents away and keep up the good work, BAA.
Jim Autenreith ‘02
Houston

It is encouraging to see such a large number of alumni expressing their thoughts with so much passion as they respond to the proposal from the Board of Regents. Perhaps the Board of Regents has unwittingly provided the stimulus for a new era of growth and support for the Baylor Alumni Association. Now, more than ever, Baylor University needs a strong and independent BAA.
Robert Lloyd '43
Houston

It is critically important to keep the Baylor Alumni Association independent. That independent voice is the last remaining check or balance on the power of the self-perpetuating Board of Regents of Baylor University. A responsible university board should not feel threatened by the prospect of continuing to operate in an open environment where free discourse and critical opinion may be present.
Douglas Yeiser '86
San Antonio

I am against the BAA giving up independence. Why change something that has worked for years? Who are the regents?! There are some regents that are not even alumni of Baylor (which I have never understood how or why that has occurred through the years). How could they possibly have the same loyalty that we as grads have experienced? Baylor is very dear to me, and I am very saddened that some of our leaders now and in the past have tried to change so much and have succeeded in dividing the Baylor family. Somewhere it has to stop. I cast my vote to leave the BAA as an independent entity. It is the voice of the alumni and needs to continue to be that voice.
Pat Gardner Hines '56
Itasca

We just read the regent's proposal and their attachments. Based upon what we understand it to say and represent, we have to completely reject it based upon the false representation on page 3, paragraph 3 that:

We have conducted a review of many top tier schools around the country to determine what governance models they use for their alumni associations. While it is common for the alumni associations of public institutions to have a separate legal status for tax, lobbying, or other regulatory· purposes, among private top tier schools, it appears unique only to Baylor to have such a limited reporting structure to the university. We have included the results of our research in an attachment to this proposal. In our proposal we are asking that Baylor adopt a model used by most other top tier private schools in the country.

If you will review the chart on page 11 of the proposal labeled: "Top Tier Schools,” the following is observed:

There are twenty-four schools on the chart; of those nineteen are private and five are public. Of the twenty-four schools, five report to the alumni and nineteen to the university, which translates to 20.83% of the schools listed report to the alumni (not counting the one that reports to both university and alumni).

Of the nineteen private schools, which the paragraph I quote above speaks to, of the nineteen private schools listed, three report to the Alumni, which translates to 15.79 percent. 15.79 percent of the private schools reporting to the alumni rather than the university does not support the statement "it appears unique only to Baylor to have such a limited reporting structure to the university."

Misleading statements of this type are abhorrent to us; they purport to show superior knowledge because they have studied it and we should take their word for it; throw in a chart that they hope no one reads; and, hope for the best. We hoped that this type of "hard sell" the province of politicians, not the leaders of our university. It also concerns us that this was such a limited study (only twenty-four top tier schools?), which smells of manipulation.

We sincerely hope that we are wrong about this being an intentional misrepresentation of the facts; but, at this moment, we are actually offended.
Keith ‘76, JD ’78, and Pamela Jo (P. J.) Grantham Lemons ‘76
Fort Worth

My vote would be no. I like it the way it has always been.
Jim Moore ‘54
Arlington

The BAA should refuse the Board of Regents request! The alumni association needs to remain an independent entity and voice the issues and concerns of its membership. The moment the BAA becomes part of the university, it will cease to have a relevant opinion and will become nothing more than a mouthpiece for whichever special interest is currently wielding power within the board. Independent groups all working toward the goal of maintaining and improving Baylor give us multiple options from which to choose; removing independent groups from the mix results in decision-making done in a vacuum.
Randal Eymann ‘93
San Francisco, California

There is a lot to be said for an independent organization. It is somewhat akin to checks and balances. If you ever lose your independence, you will never get it back. The continued independence of the BAA is healthy for the future of Baylor. Do not give up the fight!
Dick Kettler ’67, JD ’70
Robinson

My husband and I are proud, second-generation Baylor alums, and we are proud that our son is currently a junior at Baylor. I was concerned upon seeing the proposal for the regent board to take over the BAA. I am an alum of a number of groups in which I was a past member, and I have yet to see a situation in which the alumnae group is not separate—it just doesn't seem healthy. Let's keep the healthy check and balance that the BAA offers its loyal members.
Holly Myers DiTallo '87
Scottsdale, Arizona

Sadly, I knew that Baylor's administration was changing, and not for the better, when they sold off the wonderful camp property on the Bosque (or Brazos) which my father worked so very hard to found. One of the camp's wonderful functions was to create the children of alumni as Baylor fans and possibly to attend the university, as my two children did. I realized back then that getting high achievers to attend Baylor (not from Texas and therefore unlikely to stay here and support Baylor forever) was more important to the administration then than Texas alums who would support the university often.

What the university wants now seems to be to take over everything and eliminate all forms of opinions that might be different than those of the Baylor administration and regents. I vote for the association's independence. I am so sad at the fact that Baylor wants to be like the state schools and not like that Christian school it has always been, and independent factor among universities.
Mary Linda Russell Letbetter ‘62
Houston

As a life member of the BAA, I am in favor of the association maintaining its independence from the university regents and administration.
Carol Hastings Walton ‘74
Granbury

I regret that the Board of Regents fails to recognize the value of an independent alumni association. It keeps us all honest by reporting the unbiased story—the truth. The truth is the Board of Regents' best friend, or its worst enemy. When the Board of Regents claims Baylor University's reputation is threatened by the BAA's independence, it is disappointing—and alarming.

Keep up the good work by keeping us informed and by reporting the truth.

Anything for Baylor!
Fred Norton Jr. ’80, JD ‘83
Texarkana

I believe you are doing the right thing by treating the university's proposal very cautiously. I am not sure what they are up to, but I would feel just fine having the BAA remain independent, particularly with the hostile takeover approach by the administration.
Rusty Dean ‘71

As much as I love Baylor, I know that you have to have checks and balances. Giving the university all control only means we lose the checks and balances. We need an independent voice to give us a balanced look at what is going on at Baylor.
Heather Freeman ‘90
Rollling Hills, California

I am a lifetime BAA member. I do not think the BAA should accept the proposal. The Board of Regents would demonstrate a much better standard of leadership if they worked with the different factions (the faculty and BAA) rather than trying to control them.
Richard Sullins ‘76
Richardson

I look forward to every issue of the Baylor Line, and the latest issue is the most interesting and important one yet. I cannot imagine what the magazine would look like if it were controlled by the university. How would we get both sides of the debates? Who would dare disagree with the university? The Baylor Alumni Association should stand tall and strong for independence, constructive criticism and a free press. Baylor University will not only survive, it will improve, grow, and prosper.
Cary Hilliard ‘67
Canton

I feel strongly that BAA should be a free-standing association. This is better for Baylor and the BAA.
Charles R. Hurst '54
Tyler

I have read the information about the current proposal by the administration and Board of Regents.

I would suggest accepting the proposal, with the stipulation that the new alumni association of the university elect a significant percentage of the Board of Regents. It is totally unreasonable that the alumni association has no elected voice within the Board of Regents. The best-case scenario would be for the new alumni association to take over the portion (25 percent) of the regents that are currently elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. If that is not workable, the board should reduce the amount of the members that it elects itself to 50 percent to allow the alumni association to have a significant voice (25 percent) within the Board of Regents. A negotiated combination of the above would also work.

This proposal gives the alumni a voice in the governance of the university and brings the two organizations together as one.

As long as the alumni association has no directly elected voice on the Board of Regents, we will strongly desire an independent association. This alternative proposal gives us material representation on the Board of Regents, so we will no longer have the need an independent association.
Kendall Quisenberry '89
Plano

Count me as skeptical of Baylor’s offer to the Baylor Alumni Association to end its independent status and merge with Baylor.

The speed and manor in which this proposal was dropped in the BAA’s lap makes me suspicious at best. Why do it in public? Why not make the offer to the BAA board in private?

Interim president David Garland told the Waco Tribune-Herald, “We can’t have conflicting messages. The alumni association cannot be the district attorney.” I don’t think the BAA actually wants to serve as district attorney. But without an independent voice—and let’s not kid ourselves that there would be “independence” under the Baylor umbrella—there are few outlets for alumni to raise concerns about a university for which we all care about.

I refuse to give any money to Baylor University until its administration shows it can act like a world-class administration for a world-class university. This type of surprise action, complete with a full-court-press PR campaign, does nothing to disabuse me of the belief that Baylor simply wants to maintain control of everything from professors’ spiritual lives to alumni communications.

The Baylor proposal says the university “needs a vibrant, non-political, supportive alumni organization communicating with its alumni around the world.” Amazingly enough, Baylor alumni already have an organization like that. If anything, former President Sloan’s hasty creation of the Baylor Network and Baylor Magazine added confusion and fueled the politicization of the alumni association.

The proposal also says, “Our goal is not to silence anyone. In fact, we encourage free expression and debate and will work to address any concerns our alumni may have with our great university.” I suspect that dealing with wayward alumni who are concerned with the direction of the university will be accomplished in a much more private way than the offer to the BAA to dissolve and join the university.

I’m sorry, but I don’t buy it. Should the BAA merge with Baylor, the new version of the alumni association will be there to serve Baylor University and its communication goals, not alumni. I think it’s healthy not to pretend that everything is wonderful and copasetic at Baylor. When one buries emotions and feelings, it creates further problem down the road. I think that’s a role that the BAA serves—to discuss problems when they surface, and not bury them deep as Baylor typically does. I believe our university would be a much different place had the BAA not been there asking questions about Baylor 2012 and the Sloan administration. For that, I’m eternally grateful to the BAA. But I also know that the BAA wants to get past the Sloan era and move forward to support the new president when it can and ask questions whenever the need arises.

Of the two parties, it is Baylor University that has acted like the spoiled child. If the university truly wanted to work toward a solution that benefitted both parties, and more importantly, the university and its alumni, it wouldn’t be doing petulant things such as removing the association from its Web site, e-mail, and toll-free telephone system.

I do believe that the proposal deserves consideration, and that Baylor responds to any questions the BAA board asks with honesty and transparency. Ultimately, though, I think the alumni are best served by an independent alumni association.
Lisa Miller ’93, MA ‘98
Arlington, Virginia

Just want to go on record as being very much opposed to the BAA giving up its independent status.
Katherine Ray Wallin '66
Round Rock

We are life members of BAA. We were beginning students during the administration of Dr. W. R. White, and both of us have earned degrees from Baylor. Since 1979 we have served in varied capacities—Dick in an administrative area and Dodie in both support and executive staff roles—under the administrations of Dr. Abner V. McCall, Dr. Herbert H. Reynolds, and Dr. Robert B. Sloan. We are now Baylor retirees, and all three of our sons have earned Baylor degrees.

We have personally been a part of Baylor’s flourishing growth for nearly fifty years. We believe in and support the independence of BAA. There is good evidence of the value of this independence as Baylor continues to stand as a bastion of freedom and responsibility to remain true to the founding principles.

Please count us with those in favor of BAA independence.

May God Bless America and Baylor University.
Richard H. '65 and Dora Smith Jackson '89
Waco

I firmly believe that the independent status of the alumni association and its publication should be maintained, both for the sake of the association and for the sake of Baylor University. Any institution that has an “outside voice” of committed friends who critique its actions out of respect and affection for its primary purposes is a stronger entity.
Daniel G. Bagby ‘62, MS '64
Class President, Former Baylor Trustee
Richmond, Virginia

Any time someone wants to do things to "help me," I get nervous. Baylor's administration has a long history of missteps. Do not allow Baylor to take over the alumni association!!!
Greg Gilbert '87
Charleston, South Carolina

We are opposed to the Baylor Alumni Association surrendering its independent status and coming under the control of the university and Baylor Board of Regents. This situation has worked well for 150 years, and we see no reason to change it.

In our opinion, a private university, such as Baylor, which is affiliated with a church, is especially benefitted by an independent voice that provides a perspective on issues with which the university must deal. This creates a healthier and more open environment in which the university makes decisions.

The Baylor Alumni Association, from our viewpoint, is composed of individuals who love Baylor and are committed to the entire university community. We find it troubling that some of the current regents find it difficult to work with the existing arrangement. It makes us question whether their ultimate goals are to squelch any opinions other than their own.
Mike ‘70 and Barbara Watkins Davidson ‘72
Dripping Springs

Having a voice that is not a part of the university is an important part of checks and balances that all large institutions need. Please stay independent.
Nancy Edwards Cottril ‘60
Topeka, Kansas

Only a truly independent alumni association can be trusted to honestly support Baylor. I don’t love my church, state, or country because the powers that be told me to; I love them because I want to. I want to join with other individuals that love Baylor in an independent association that is free to express its opinion. What is it about freedom, honesty, and independence that scares the Baylor administration?
David Duncan ‘73
Austin

My distrust of the Baylor Board of Trustees has been reinforced again. I see no upside to the BAA merging with Baylor University. The only benefactor would be the controlling trustees as it would eliminate a potential thorn in their side.

I have a brother and two sisters who also attended Baylor as well as many other relatives, but the actions of the trustees make it very difficult to recommend Baylor if it weren't for the great teaching departments.

I attended Baylor when all girls had to wear dresses on campus and there was no co-ed anything—at least there wasn't supposed to be. We all did fine and had a great experience at Baylor. I hope that continues for its students in the future. After reading the requirements for the new president, I have grave concerns for the future of Baylor University.

Keep BAA separate. If the trustees try to run it like they are trying to run the university, it will lose its membership. It will lose mine as a life member.
Ken Bain '66
Katy

I believe it is in the best interest of the Baylor community for our alumni association to remain independent.
Richard Rose ‘84
Huntsville

I strongly support the position of the BAA to remain a strong and independent voice for Baylor. Based on the morass of the previous Baylor presidency and how the Board of Regents handled that, I certainly do not wish to see our alumni association under their control. Keep it independent!
Walt Shields ‘66
Tucson, Arizona

As someone who is still a student, I ask that any part of this that may be reproduced be done so without my name and any identify factors other than current student.

At age twenty-two, I am nearing graduation in just a few months. It is then that I will join the BAA just as both my parents did when they graduated. I can only hope that it remain the same great organization that it is now and was then—an independent and separate organization. I believe this to be the strongest and most influential way for the BAA to interact with Baylor. Once the BAA joins with Baylor and loses independence, it will be silenced by those powers above it. It is already apparent that there are certain parties that wish to snuff out anything that does not shine Baylor in the best light.

As a student and third-generation Baylor bear, it concerns me that the Baylor we all love and I currently attend may not be the same school when I bring my children for Homecoming years from now. It concerns me that after just having a failed president that was presented to us out of nowhere, we once again have a panel of regents who are traveling around in search of what they think will be best for the school.

The only way for us to ensure Baylor stays the great school it is, is to have an association of people who love Baylor and can fully voice there opinions of the schools operations whether positive or negative.

With this being said, I would love to see Baylor and the BAA be restored to a symbiotic relationship. I feel the two parties need to come together and come to some sort of terms. I am very suspicious of an institution that claims they want peace among the parties and then sends a list of terms and conditions to the other party.
Name Withheld

As a proud graduate of Baylor, I strongly endorse the independence of the Baylor Alumni Association. I cannot understand why the regents have made this a priority on their agenda. Surely there are more important things to occupy their time—like faculty and facility upgrades, attracting new students, financial matters, and, for one "minor" thing, finding a new president to lead Baylor into the next generation. With all of this important work to be done, how and why have they spent this much time trying to fix something that is not broken? Maybe I am just not smart enough to figure that one out!

The BAA does a great job of keeping Baylor grads in touch with our past and our heritage, as well as the new and good things that are happening at Baylor. I think most alumni would miss the quality of what the BAA does if they became just another part of the university. And somewhere, I think freedom of the press has to come into play.

Again, regents, focus on what Baylor needs to continue to be a great university. Leave the BAA alone.
N. Rex Jennings ‘66
Dallas

I find it disingenuous for the Baylor administration and Baylor Board of Regents to endorse a policy of non-independence for an organization of its graduates. This flies in the face of soul freedom and fierce independence treasured by Baptists and Texans and the very foundation of Baylor principles “pro ecclesia, pro Texana.” If the “commitment to enhance services to Baylor’s 140,000 living alumni” is a genuine offer, then the proposal should be to celebrate the independence of the BAA, an organization devoted to Baylor for 150 years, and to appoint 40 percent of the Baylor Board of Regents from the BAA. This proposal smacks of raw politics and heavy-handed power plays. The Baylor Board of Regents reminds me of the Sanhedrin when Jesus walked the earth in their obsession with power and control, their drift away from spiritually based academic freedom, and their promotion of religiosity in the community that they supposedly serve. Keep the BAA independent. It’s good for the alumni, and it’s good for Baylor.
J. Andrew Rice ‘75
Dayton

The BAA should stay independent to best serve the alumni and the university. I don't agree with the power play of the Baylor regents and the interim president.
Judy Chalkley Guerin '68
Monument, Colorado

As a former board member of the BAA and a graduate of the class of '54, this being our fifty-fifth reunion year, I vote "let freedom ring.” However, whether we stay independent or not, I also vote that the two entities find a way to trust and respect each other. Trust and respect—how we need it!
Mary Ann Ragland Patterson '54
Gilmer

I emphatically second what my longtime friend and Baylor roommate Chris Evans stated. I too will continue to follow Baylor athletics, but the heavy handedness of the regents in the matter of the Baylor Alumni Association, along with a number of other measures taken the past fifteen to twenty years leads me to the same conclusion as that reached and enunciated by Chris.

As we Baylor grads get older, things such as what to do with our estates begins to crowd into our consciousness. At one point in my life, I had envisioned the possibility of placing Baylor in my will. Unless substantial changes happen bringing Baylor back to the place it was when I was a student during the tenure of Judge McCall, that will not happen. I do not think I am alone in my feelings.

Good luck as you proceed through troubled waters.
David Fuller ‘71, JD '75
Dallas

My wife and I have been lifetime members of BAA since our graduation. We have served on the BAA board and in other ways in past years and have been active and supportive continuously.

We have experienced the BAA to be consistently and faithfully dedicated to the service and best interest of both Baylor and our unique alumni group.

We believe the regents and administration of Baylor University should:

Direct their attention and energies to the several issues legitimately facing them,
Cease their inappropriate actions to coerce control of the BAA by intimidation, insinuation, and financial pressures, and
Let the BAA continue as an independent entity to do what it has been doing so effectively for the last 150 years.

Dr. Jay ’66 and E. Ann James Riley ‘70
Bullard

Thanks for your insightful and measured editorial in yesterday’s Tribune-Herald.

I agree completely with you, and I hope that BAA leaders will talk with Regents and Baylor administrators, mainly for two reasons:

Baylor needs a new president with great leadership ability and wisdom. Our fighting undercuts finding such a president.
Baylor needs money, lots of it, and rapidly. We learned about the severe effects of our fighting a year ago. Please see: baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=53334

Clearly a legacy of the Sloan years, the present regents were wrong to attack the BAA. But our fighting squanders Baylor’s enormous potential to do even greater good in the world.

By talking and cooperating, we encourage the regents to realize that together we can find an effective president and soon raise the huge sums of money required for our students today (to offset high tuition) and Baylor’s future (endowment and capital projects).

Thanks again to you, Lyndon Olson, Jeff Kilgore, Todd Copeland, and all who work to keep the BAA strong.
Michael Parrish ’74, MA ’76
Waco

We are not in favor of accepting this proposal. The BAA should remain a separate organization as it is now. If we are under the Board of Regents, we will lose our independence to govern ourselves and no longer have control of what we do as an alumni organization. We have served Baylor very well over the years and can continue to do so without the regents telling us what we can and cannot do. We have been members of the BAA for over fifty years and have supported it as much as we could during that time. We do not support this change. Please vote against it.
Robert B. and Jeanne Elwood Rowlett ‘48
Tyler

I have read the articles and comments about the regents’ request, or demand, that the BAA be put under their control, or dissolved as it were, and I think that would be a complete mistake. A few regents in charge of an entire organization that has taken 150 years to build, and the regents want to come in and take over? That’s because what the BAA is doing works, and they can’t seem to get the support that our Baylor Alumni Association gets from its members. How can a few regents voice the desires and wants of thousands of Baylor graduates? It can’t; it would be subject to the opinions of a few, and that would become a disaster for Baylor University.

I may be a bit naïve here, but I see their motive as greed and power. The BAA does have the loyalty of its members, and as such, with donations and influence, it can help decide where money is spent and to what cause. Please don’t give that independence to the regents and dilute the purpose and mission of the BAA. I see that the controversy is taking a toll on everyone; that is how Satan works! A house divided cannot stand! There are spiritual forces at work here trying to tear down and destroy what has been built and trying to wear down the leaders that have gotten the BAA where it is now. Trying to bring division between the university and the alumni. Don’t let us grow weary, but continue to do the great things the BAA has done-for the good of Baylor and for future Baylor graduates. I will most definitely put the BAA and its leaders in my prayers, and Baylor University as well. Please keep the BAA independent so the intentions of its members are not lost.
Gayle Lorene Benson ‘90
Alexandria, Louisiana

A merger in good faith should allow our employees (and director) to join Baylor on a five-year contract. We do worry about "re-evaluations" for the whole gang six months after the merger. Reasons would not count. In such a situation, the best reason I have ever found is, "It's Thursday,'" which saves a lot of discussion.

Always follow the money trail. Where there are significant bucks sitting on a table, there will be those surrounding it looking for a way to get some of it, if not all. This is a general principle, taught both at the Hankamer School of Business and at Baylor Law School.

Since Baylor owns Hughes-Dillard (another gift from BAA), you can bet it will be the (continued) home of the workers of Baylor's Alumni Association, whomever they may be. Better start looking for rental space.

This would have been easier had not the regents sequestered themselves from the current BAA board and sent emissaries to deliver an ultimatum (or so it seems). This manner of procedure smacks of intrigue and misrepresentation.

The ever-present question will always be: "Is this another ploy by the Fundies of SBC for a Baylor Grab?" Study again how this almost happened, how it was prevented, and why it seems to remain a problem. Finagling is a true science and should be in our catalog. Personalities are always involved, and may well be the actual problem.

I understand there are well over 100,000 Baylor alums wandering around the planet just now, and only twenty kilograds (kg) or so belong to BAA (cf. money trail).

How much do we have in the bank(s) at this time? (cf. money trail)

If we hadn't been through the attempted SBC takeover of our beloved school, there would probably be no problem about this.

It would really have helped if our regents and board members had sat through Guy B.'s "History of the Southwest." It was the supreme course in strategy, surprises, and backfires. Baylor ought to be totally busy identifying and turning out Harrisons, Armstrongs, Packards, Smiths (both), Amslers, and the many, many others who taught us and made Baylor what is, as well as the Neffs, Whites, and law school deans who kept the Baylor Train on the tracks so well.
Bill ’50, BS ’52 MD ’55, and Mary Neil McClellen Kolter ’52, BS ‘56
Waco

My family has four Baylor graduates: my father, two brothers, and myself. Living in Southern California for the last twenty-eight years, I have not been as closely associated with Baylor as I would have liked to been; however, I want to vote "no" on the proposal to terminate the BAA charter.

My experience in business is that when a company fosters a "rubber stamp" atmosphere and eliminates the opportunity for frank and open discussion, that company eventually weakens and becomes less competitive.

What is wrong with having an independent alumni association to allow open and honest discussion with Baylor administration? Baylor seems to have grown stronger in the years since I graduated, and I am very proud of its accomplishments. I don't see that an independent Baylor Alumni Association has been a detriment to that growth.
Johnson (Jack) Roney IV '68
Irvine, California

The issue is not the issue; the issue is power. But it also has something to do with the money the BAA has. Until the Baylor Board of Regents can give a reasonable rationale for the BAA to terminate its independent status, cease the editorial independence of the Baylor Line magazine, and become part of Baylor’s division of university development, it would be irresponsible for the Baylor Alumni Association to agree to such a flagrant grab for power.
Martha Edwards Beyer ‘57
Temple City, California

Without knowing the regents' concerns, I know of no reason to terminate BAA. I strongly urge the board of BAA to reject the request and continue to represent the alumni in the fine fashion the BAA has always done.
Jerry W. Claiborne '65
Briarcliff Manor, New York

I am a 1958 graduate of Baylor, and a life member of the BAA. I recently helped to establish a museum studies scholarship, and until now I was actually thinking of adding to that scholarship. I am not wealthy. But I am a graduate of Baylor with a fifty-year diploma—and proud of my degree. So happy with my alma mater that I went back to school and took every course in the Museum Studies Department and changed professions in mid-life.

I am terribly disturbed by what the Baylor Board of Regents is trying to do, and I am appalled by the manner in which they are going about it. It made all the papers. Telling the BAA to make bricks without straw at every turn, Baylor has tried to take away the voice of the alumni and reduce them to a whimper. The Board of Regents has tried to force a situation in which the Baylor Alumni Association is made destitute, without a home and without a voice. No, No, No, No. The BAA has never done anything but support Baylor through their actions and report to the alumni through their award-winning Baylor Line magazine. No university can ever report news of itself with objectivity. We cannot let the Board of Regents take away the independent voice of the BAA. I beg the Baylor Alumni Association to refuse the Board of Regents’ offer.
Mildred C. Gholson Walker ‘58
Waco

Stay as you (we) are.
William Mark Day, JD '73
Brady

We feel that an independent Baylor Alumni Association is important. Please reject the proposal. Carry on as you have been over the years.
Albert '58 and Cynthia Hall Ward '59
Sonora

I have followed these matters for several years, and other than designating Baylor in our will, we have withheld gifts until we felt comfortable with its future. Now I see that we can designate scholarships through the BAA. So remain independent, and maybe others will do the same.
Andrea Hall Savage ‘67
Moultrie, Georgia

For over fifty years, the BAA has been my valued link to Baylor. I have neither read nor heard why there should be any better link or how this link could be improved by the BAA becoming a department of Baylor. The administration's proposal to do away with the BAA is a mystery to me.
Joe W. Darnall '58, MA '62, PhD '66
Abilene

The Baylor Alumni Association should remain independent of the school. After the Robert Sloan debacle, I do not trust the Board of Regents or executive management of the school.

If I could convince Texas A&M to accept my Baylor diploma in exchange for one of theirs, I would do it.

You may publish my opinion anywhere you like.
Hugh L. Strickland ‘66
Dallas

We want to go on the record in total support of the independence of the Baylor Alumni Association. We are not in favor of the BAA becoming part of Baylor University and have serious concerns about the intent of the board of Baylor University in trying to take over the BAA.

Please continue to stand strong against this take over and keep the BAA independent. If you need our help and support in any way, please let us know.
Raymond ’59 and Margaret Lang Kilgo, att. ‘54-56
Lakeway

We've been enjoying the Baylor Line as entertaining and credible information about our alma mater for many years.

Both of us are involved in education. Rick, my husband, took early retirement from UT-PanAmerican in Edinburg, and I am currently an associate professor of biology at South Texas College in McAllen. We returned to higher education in the early 1990s to get our master’s degrees from UT-Brownsville. So, we have instructional experience in the education profession and have found that education is now trying to be run like a business instead of an educational institution that fosters diversity and tolerates dissension as a part of knowledge acquisition and application.

After reading the article in the Baylor Line, I was compelled to write you about Baylor administrators and the university’s Board of Regents’ demand for BAA to terminate its existence as a self-governing organization and be absorbed by the university. We are both against this proposal as education has become big business and is in danger of being operated and controlled as a business.

I looked at Volume 8 issue, Fall 2009, of the Baylor Line, and reread the qualifications of the Board of Regents. I found the majority of the regents were in business of some sort, pastors held a minority position, other professions (retired) were also in minority, with past educators as only one individual—as a quick approximation in distribution by profession. With such a large majority of the regents being in business, it is no surprise that a business view is taken when it comes to operation, practices, and control. Education should not be run like a business, but we are seeing this attitude in nearly every aspect of our educational system today. Baylor is experiencing it through this example.

If education is to have value in the future, there must be freedom of dissent without fear of political retribution by administrators. Once the Baylor Line is absorbed into the business administration of Baylor, it will then become the "Party Line.”
Rick '70 and Diane Schaefer Teter '69, BA '70
Edinburg

NEVER give in!
Mary Dillard

I firmly believe that the Baylor Alumni Association should remain independent of the administration both for the continued health and success of the organization, but more importantly for the sake of Baylor University. The goal that Baylor has always set for itself, to foster excellence in academics without compromising Christian teaching, has never been an easy one, and as one of the few remaining institutions still holding to this goal, it will be increasingly difficult in the years ahead. The administration will need all the help it can get, and the perspective given by the independent voice of its alumni organization joining in discussion and principled debate, messy and troublesome though that may sometimes be, might very well make the difference in whether it succeeds.

The administration should take the initiative in changing its relationship with the Baylor Alumni Association to one of collegiality with an independent organization, rather than seeking to integrate it into the university.
Richard ‘84 and Tammy Nelson Jensen ‘84
Fort Worth

I support the Baylor Alumni Association. The BAA should be independent of Baylor University.
Ruth Richardson Martin '64
Lampasas

I hope the association stays away from any entanglement with the university. This new proposal sounds just like the Sloan attempt to silence ANY criticism or comment perceived by him to be critical, that might appear in the Baylor Line. In other words, total control of the alumni magazine and any comments therein. Critical comments of the president, or any university program, etc., should be made by any alumnus who feels like a point needs to be made. This means freedom of speech.
Jon M. Johnson, MS ‘58
Tyler

Thank you for your column in the Sunday Tribune-Herald. The information that you provided plus the information that David Lacy provided helped to clear up this murky situation.

It is our opinion that the Baylor Alumni Association should remain independent from the university and should continue to provide an uncensored voice of reason from concerned alumni. It is unimportant what other comparable associations do. We feel that this is an attempt at a hostile takeover, and we resent the regents' heavy-handedness.

Thank you for all of your efforts on our behalf.
John ‘63 and Mary Ellen Rogers Wright ‘63
Waco

The administration's offer to devour the alumni association would be humorous if their evident presumption of our naïveté was not so insulting. It is as though they believe that Baylor alumni received their degrees by possessing IQ's in the low double digits.
Wayne Huff ‘72
Boerne

Words cannot express how angry I am right now regarding the Board of Regents and Interim President David Garland requesting the BAA to dissolve its charter and turn over all of its assets, personnel, and operations to the university as well as editorial control of the BAA’s alumni publications. I don’t know what their intentions are, but I can conjure up all kinds of bad thoughts—control and suppression of free speech are just two that come to mind.

My opinions, as well as my husband’s, align with former president of Baylor, Dr. Herbert Reynolds, whose quote was in the article, “I think that there are certain occasions when it is most helpful for alumni to have an independent voice that is not bridled by forces internal or external to the university. To the extent that the Baylor Alumni Association has that kind of autonomy, it has proved to be very beneficial; the association can speak out on matters of interest and concern, particularly when the university regents or administrators feel some inhibition to do so, for whatever reason.” AMEN!

Under no conditions should the BAA dissolve its charter and editorial control of the alumni publications. It has always been my understanding that the main purpose of an alumni association is to be able to express its own ideas, beliefs, and opinions, and is entirely separate from the university.
Michael ’64 and Fran Tusa McClintock ‘65
Edmond, Oklahoma

The short and sweet of it is this—there is no coincidence involved in the timing of this request. This in and of itself should raise eyebrows as to the motivation behind the action.

I personally love accountability and transparency. An independent alumni association prompts Baylor leadership into one more layer of these needed qualities. The BAA has given and will continue to give alumni a vehicle to have our voices heard. I believe that the BAA remaining independent in governance and leadership is critical to the health of Baylor.
Richard Henderson ‘81
Fort Worth

Stand strong!! Keep our independence.
Thomas A. Dannelley ‘73
Corpus Christi

I strongly believe that the BAA should be allowed to maintain its independent status. Alumni communications and editorial agenda should be continued to be handled through an independent BAA rather than a, shall we say, "rather goal-oriented" group of university regents. I believe that, if a change were made, both the quality and the content of the alumni communication would suffer. I for one definitely enjoy things the way they are now and am proud to be a member of the BAA since I graduated in 2006.
Jenn Allen ‘06
Kingwood

We best serve Baylor by remaining independent.
Frank L. Marshall '61
Franklin, Tennessee

Why should Baylor try to fix that which is not broken? Stay the course and stay independent!
Charles Blankenship ‘57
San Marcos

I strongly oppose the BAA giving up its independent editorial status. In my opinion, the Baylor Magazine is simply promotional literature. It quickly ends up in recycling at our house. On the other hand, I look forward to receiving and reading the Baylor Line. Please, let's not become homogenized.
Carol Moore Hardman ‘64
Sylva, North Carolina

I did not love Baylor as a student there almost thirty years ago, but since then have come to respect and admire the institution I once thought was too much of a bubble to be a good training ground for adult life. I learned, and have applied as a mother, the lessons I unwillingly absorbed there—among them that it's hard to accomplish anything significant if you're too dependent on the approval of others, that a devotion to God and commitment to excellence work together to bring about more good than would be possible with either by itself, and that although something new often has a tempting appeal, we should have a healthy skepticism about changing a long-standing tradition.

I'm grateful to my alma mater for her teaching, but saddened that her wisdom seems to have been forgotten by the Board of Regents. It's as though my "good mother" is in the midst of a mid-life crisis and the younger BAA has assumed the role of adult. The argument that "everyone else is doing it" is, as most parents know, often an exaggeration and is usually a last ditch plea to get something which can't be justified by reason.

It is both discouraging and insulting to read that this is the Board of Regents' pitch to the alumni and the BAA regarding the termination of the organization's independence. The manner in which it was presented also shows a lack of respect for the wisdom handed down through the years regarding the role of the BAA in university life and calls to mind the tactics of a high-pressure salesman who tries to close a deal quickly using whatever means necessary. Coming on the heels of last year's presidential election, acting as though a media campaign, even if effective, should take the place of careful deliberation cannot be defended as a Christian approach and should be beneath the professionalism of the Board of Regents.

The ironic thing is that ending the BAA's independence may actually be a good idea, but it's hard to separate the product from the salesmen.
Tammy Nelson Jensen '84
Fort Worth

I am so proud to be a Baylor graduate with the right to put a Baylor alumni sticker on my car window. If the phrase, “There is more faith in honest doubt than in all the creeds of the world” captures the role of independent thinking in religion, it seems to apply to this decision. The vigor and tone of the offer to take over BAA seems a bit of a Trojan horse. Tyrants do not welcome the discourse of multiple views. Wise leaders do want perspectives from multiple sources. Our campus houses works of a most treasured author who said, “How do I love thee, let me count the ways.” Administrators, faculty, students, alumni, athletes, scholars, bean counters, dreamers, and friends love Baylor in different ways.

I favor keeping the BAA independent so we can provide love and support to Baylor University from our perspective. Anyway, who would want a choir with nothing but sopranos, or a band with nothing but trumpets? With diversity we can make beautiful music with the other components of Baylor life.
Sam D. Henderson ‘75
Anderson, South Carolina

Please keep the BAA separate from Baylor University. There must be checks and balances for all institutions.
Dr. William F. Long '73
Belton

No. Do not give into the Board of Regents! Hang tough, regardless of the price. The fact that the regents are allowing the interim administration to influence them so much during this time of transition is a huge symptom that something is very wrong in that board room. Anyone with organizational management experience knows that these kinds of decisions are not made when interim leadership is at the helm.

Your (BAA) credibility and integrity is at stake; Baylor has not had a Board of Regents with either of these qualities in almost twenty years. Couple that with the fact that the regents are still way out of touch with the campus and too uninformed about academia and its needs to make decent decisions about what is in the best interest of the university, and you have a bad combination, indeed a potentially lethal combination. I do not hold much hope that they have the ability to select the best person for the presidency of the university.

As an alumna and an Emerita Professor who served the university for thirty-plus years, I urge you not to give into this current pressure. Hang onto your uniqueness and help Baylor continue to have its uniqueness.
Dr. Nancy Goodloe '64, MSPE '69
Ellensburg, Washington

I am a life member of the Baylor Alumni Association. It is my opinion that the alumni association should remain independent from Baylor University. As a graduate of Baylor, I do not want the university to speak for me. I want to speak for my university. If the BAA remains independent, the group can monitor and influence Baylor University in such a way that it could not if the university takes control.
Patty Notgrass ‘79
Coppell

Being a retired newspaper publisher and editor and one who attended Baylor in the 1960s, I defend the BAA's right to remain independent. And I am in agreement not to give in to join Baylor and be subject to their control over the Baylor Line's speaking for the alumni editorially. Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights! Stand your ground.
Dwight L. Thomas

I agree with your perspective and feel strongly that independence from the university as a self-governing body is the way the organization should continue.

What leverage does the university have if we decline their request to be absorbed into the university?
Dr. A. Jay Burns ’77
Distinguished Young Alumni recipient
Dallas

As I write this, I read that the White House has is attacking Fox News, one of the few voices of dissent in what was once a free and independent press. Don’t let the Board of Regents muzzle the BAA. “Live free or die.”

(By the way, they may just be mad because BAA produces a superior magazine!!)
Roger Sefzik ‘78
Ferndale, Washington

Officially recognized as the general alumni organization of Baylor University, the Baylor Alumni Association is an independent legal entity.

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