WHO ARE YOU, WCA?
Once upon a time, WE were the WCA – every person who ever attended Wells whether you graduated or not.
Once upon a time, the WCA was the voice of alums, to represent and advocate for us. But in the 1990s, the College talked the WCA into becoming a part of the College. WCA got financial security, but lost independence. WCA could no longer advocate for alums if our interests conflicted with what Wells College was doing.
Once upon a time, we, the members of the WCA, elected WCA officers to serve on the Wells College Board of Trustees, but those alum trustees no longer represent or advocate for alums. They don’t even respond to us when we bring them our concerns. In fact, they do not communicate with the rest of us alums much at all.
So, we ask again: Who are you, WCA?
At Reunion, there was a great deal of energy at the WCA meeting. We went into break-out groups and worked enthusiastically on addressing the questions that the leadership of WCA posed to us:
What do you think the mission of the WCA should be once Wells is no longer an independent, degree-granting institution?
What do you envision will be your involvement with the WCA and the alum community in the future?
When the break-out groups shared our ideas about a post-Wells College mission for the WCA, what stood out was that similar ideas came up in almost every group. Alums want the WCA to continue to help us connect through networking, communication, and Wells-related events. We want the WCA to promote Wells’ values as described in the mission statement: to think critically, reason wisely and act humanely. And we want the WCA to work actively to preserve the history of Wells College, including our archives, art, and artifacts, partnering with other organizations like the Village of Aurora Historical Society, and to secure a physical space in Aurora for these purposes.
But after soliciting our thoughts, the WCA has been silent.
The Cleveland Commission for Wells sent a letter to the WCA leadership asking for their assistance obtaining documents and other information about the closure of Wells College. Silence.
We diligently followed the WCA’s current bylaws and gathered more than the 25 required hand-signed petitions demanding a special meeting. Silence.
We solicited other alums to send their petitions directly to the WCA. Again, Silence.
What IS the current status of the WCA? We do not know because nothing has been communicated to us, the members of the WCA. We can surmise this much: Wells College is closed, but it continues to exist as an organization. Therefore, the WCA, as a part of that organization, should still exist under its current bylaws. Any changes to the WCA would need to happen in accordance with those bylaws and be voted on by its members. One member of the WCA has claimed that those bylaws no longer apply; we challenge her to prove her claim with evidence.
Hearing nothing, we do not know who is reading our suggestions or what the WCA is doing with them.
Hearing nothing, we do not know what decisions are being made or who is making them.
Hearing nothing, we do not know if they are changing the bylaws without a vote from the membership.
Hearing nothing, we do not know if the WCA has applied for 501(c)(3) status.
Hearing nothing, we do not even know if we are all still members, or if they are quietly, secretly reforming the organization to exclude some former members.
Whoever you are, WCA, you owe us some answers.
If you too would like answers to who the WCA is and who it represents, you can help by printing, signing, and mailing a petition requesting a Special Meeting of the WCA. Click below for a printable copy of the petition, and send your signed hard copy, including your class year, to:
Ms. Kristine Selander Gordon
President, Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni
170 Main Street
Aurora, New York 13026
(Originally published 28 September 2024)