Fall Newsletter 2022

Dear Class Leaders,

With this new academic year underway, we are looking forward to several upcoming in-person, hybrid, and virtual class engagement events. The first of these will be the November 15 class communications virtual training offered by the Association of Class Leaders (ACL) Training Committee. To learn more about the training and register, please see the details below. Whether you are a new class leader or have been a class volunteer for years, you are sure to learn something!

This training and other opportunities throughout the upcoming year help the ACL Board of Advisors fulfill its mission to support the Brown community by engaging alumni through class affiliation and recruiting, training, communicating with, and supporting class volunteer leaders. We encourage you to visit our ACL Facebook page, where we share content that you can pass along to your class, and to participate in the upcoming training. We are always open to suggestions for how we can support you! Please email any thoughts you have to class@brown.edu.

Stay tuned for additional class leadership resources that we will be sharing with you over the next few months.

Ever true,

Class Communications: Tools and Best Practices for Class Leaders

Wednesday, November 16
7–7:45 p.m. ET / 4–4:45 p.m. PT
Virtual Event

Effective class leadership is all about class engagement. And one of the best ways to promote engagement is with a great communications strategy! Join the ACL Training Committee for a virtual presentation to explore the tools at your disposal and to hear from other class leaders on what’s worked for their classes. This 45-minute webinar will provide you with the resources you need, an overview of how to use them, and specific suggestions you can implement today to improve your class communications. There will also be breakout sessions at the end of the presentation where the speakers will be on hand to answer your specific questions.

Topics will include:

• Communications 101 — creating and implementing a class communications plan
• Social media tools and strategies
• Brown’s BRAVO email tool — an overview of the basics
• Class leader communications success stories

If you’re looking for class leadership resources that you can tap into right now, be sure to visit the ACL page on the Alumni & Friends website to view past training webinars across a variety of topics.

Why Pay Class Dues?

By Barbara Langworthy ’63

Last month, you and your classmates received an email about class dues. We want to reinforce the importance of class dues and give you some context on them, since you may be asked why it is important to support your class in this manner. Class dues are used to support class activities including events (virtual and in-person) and, most importantly, your class Reunion. My class uses these funds strictly to reduce the cost of Reunion events to make them more affordable for all members of the class. Dues are set by the class leadership team with some classes offering different dues levels to encourage higher amounts from those who are able.

Please note the difference between class dues and gifts made to the Brown Annual Fund: class dues support class activities and are not tax deductible, whereas tax-deductible gifts to the Annual Fund directly support current students and faculty.

2022 Nan Tracy ’46 Award Recipient

By Terri Sevilla ’82

On October 22, the ACL named Liza Boyajian ’82 as the 2022 recipient of the Nan Tracy ’46 Award. Since 1990, this award has been given annually to a class leader who has provided distinguished service to his/her class, the ACL, and/or the University.

Boyajian has worked tirelessly for the Class of 1982, the ACL, and the greater Brown community over the years. She began her service to Brown and her class as Reunion chair, and her success led to various class officer positions, including president, vice president of communications, numerous stints as Reunion chair, and ultimately ACL president. Always willing to share her knowledge and time, Boyajian conducts well-received ACL training sessions to promote class engagement. Her organizational skills, can-do attitude, and enthusiasm for all things Brown are infectious and serve to draw others to volunteer along with her. Through her steadfast leadership and extensive involvement with Brown, Boyajian serves as a role model for all Brown leaders.

“It is such an honor to be recognized with the Nan Tracy ’46 Award. Since the award is named in honor of former Alumni Relations Reunion coordinator Nan Tracy, it is especially meaningful. Nan dedicated herself to bringing Brown alumni together, and I enjoy doing my part to help even more Brown classmates strengthen the lasting bonds that were first formed on College Hill.”
—Liza Boyajian ’82

Why Follow the ACL on Social Media?

By Jennie Pritzker ’00

There are many great reasons to follow the ACL on social media. First, if your class has a social media account, we will provide you with content that you can repost to your class’s page. We will provide content about events on campus, news from Brown, and other relevant articles, and you can share them to your pages — it’s instant content! Also, we’ll be sharing information about training, being a class leader, and the best ways to connect with your class. The ACL is here for you and our social accounts are a great resource!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Class Leaders

By Marco Martinez ’08

One of the priorities for the ACL’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee is to support all class leaders in sharing information from the University on efforts towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive student and alumni experience. The committee’s new DEI calendar is one such way of sharing important and meaningful events across all diverse groups associated with Brown that class leaders can utilize. The calendar provides information about cultural, religious, and secular holidays. We hope this information will be a useful resource as you plan class activities and events throughout the year.

To subscribe to the DEI calendar, please select your calendar platform and follow the instructions for setup.

• Google
• Apple
• Office 365
• Outlook
• Outlook.com
• Yahoo

If you have any questions or would like to include any cultural or religious holidays that you don’t see listed, please reach out to DEI Committee chair Marco A. Martinez ’08 at mantoniomartinez@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events

By Berit Muh ’64, P’94

Virtual Special Event: Professor Wendy Schiller on the State of American Democracy

November 3, 2022
7–8 p.m. ET

In a timely presentation just before the midterm elections, Professor Wendy Schiller ADE’02 hon., Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Political Science, will discuss the state of American democracy. From all vantage points, it seems that the pillars of democracy, including freedom of speech, worship, press, and assembly, are under attack. Professor Schiller will address what it will take to safeguard them in a world that is changing at lightning speed. Using a combination of facts, figures, and narrative stories, she will argue that current commentary about the decline of democracy, equality, and participation overlooks some of the significant ways American society has become more democratic, more inclusive, and more participatory in the past 30 years.

A new fall giving day: November 15

Brown Annual Fund volunteers are some of our most powerful advocates. That’s why they’re so excited to share this year’s new fall giving day — I Heart Brown Day! On Tuesday, November 15, I Heart Brown Day will celebrate all there is to love about Brown. From cherished friendships to the energy of the campus to life-changing academic experiences, Brunonians can support what they love most about Brown by making a gift to the Brown Annual Fund.

I Heart Brown Day will feature our fall matching gift challenges, so if you and your classmates typically like to maximize your gifts with a match, I Heart Brown Day is the day to make a gift! We will need your help to spread the word and make this day a huge success!

Stay current with alumni news and Brown events

The ACL utilizes its Facebook page and Instagram account to share important information and current events for class leaders to share. Please join us and keep an eye out for class leader tips and upcoming Brown and ACL-sponsored events that may interest your classmates.

Looking for Brown-related news to share in your class newsletter or social media? Brown Alumni & Friends is an excellent resource! There are alumni stories, news items about what’s happening on campus, and a host of resources for Brunonians (career resources, free access to Rosetta Stone, and more).

About the ACL

If you’re one of Brown’s 600+ elected or appointed class leaders, you’re automatically a member of the Association of Class Leaders (ACL). The ACL Board of Advisors is here to help by recruiting, engaging, training, and supporting class volunteers, so feel free to reach out to classleaders@brown.edu with questions or suggestions.