The Board of Governors of the International School of Geneva decided without consultation to move all students in classes 10 through 13 from La Grande Boissiere and La Chataigneraie to a new campus to be constructed in Grand Saconnex, near the airport.

All parents and alumni are encouraged to attend an Extraordinary Consultative General Assembly to be held in Meeting Room XX (Building E - entrance via Door 40) at the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday, November 28, 2000 at 19:30.

Shocked by the lack of consultation!

Fellow alumni, parents and teachers, I write this letter on behalf of the Central Committee of the Alumni Association to express my shock and dissappointment at the decision taken by the Foundation Board concerning the new campus, 10-13th grade relocation and the inevitable profound changes to the La Chataigneraie and LGB campuses.

Just over two week ago it was announced that a fourth campus would be constructed in the Grand-Saconnex neighbourhood. It was further announced, in a letter by Ronald Forrest posted 25-10-00 on the Ecolint-Online bulletin board, that 10 - 13th grade students from La Chat and LGB would be relocated to this new campus which would exclusively house those grade.

I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE DECISION... I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

As I sit at my computer, writing you from the land of "Initiative Populaire" and popular consultation and concertation, I am shocked to see how divorced Ecolint's Board is from its Swiss home.

I am shocked that teachers and/or active alumni were not consulted at all.

I cannot believe that the teachers, who in some cases have been with the school for several decades and in all cases have been the main vectors of Ecolint's culture, were not consulted and, in their 02-11-00 letter to the board, unanimously express that "toute la confiance des enseignants dans leurs autorités est remise en question".

I do not understand how Alumni such as Hélène Durand-Ballivet, who have been spending a great deal of their time on relevant committees, such as the Campus Development Group, first heard wind of this decision as a 'fait accompli' and were in complete shock.

You may doubt the facts I state so firmly and which motivate me to take such a firm position. However, I am a member of the Central Committee of the Alumni Association and have both discussed with people belonging to the above-mentioned groups and have copies of the letters I mention.

Furthermore, I am not disputing the decision itself... I do not have all the facts concerning the decision. I am disputing the process.

The Board may say that time constraints forced them to take this decision in such a disrepectful manner. Such an excuse does not hold water. Discussions on the new campus started last year and relevant committees which include teachers and alumni meet regularly to discuss exactly such projects. There was ample time to open up the debate. There was ample time to include representatives of the relevant groups on a special workgroup formed to decide on such a critical matter.

I joined the Central Committee of the Alumni Association because I believe that Ecolint - whether La Grande Boissière or La Chataigneraie - has a specific place in the hearts of its Alumni. I believe that there is a specific culture which we all shared and which we often seek and find in others. For the most part it is a culture of tolerance, inclusion and substance over matter. But no matter how intangible and undefinable, I believe it exists. Culture must be defended if it is to be preserved. The most important thing about culture is that it must be recognized as specific and unique and that discontinuities must be identified and discussed. By discussing change you re-inforce the underlying constants. Deciding such an important change without even discussing the issue is a basic denial of the underlying Ecolint culture.

To be honest, I also joined the Central Committee of the Alumni Association because I believe that if a dynamic bridge were built between the School and its Alumni there would be a possibility of creating a US-style endowment. I would love to see Ecolint have an endowment which it could spend on projects in the spirit of the school. Examples of projects we have discussed at the Alumni Board are: need-based scholarships for students of developing countries to attend International Schools in these countries; need-based scholarships for children of Ecolint Alumni who cannot afford to attend the school; exchange programs between Ecolint and International Schools in developing countries; further education programs for students of the school. However, after the disrespectful behaviour of the Foundation Board I am completely disenchanted with this idea and have no desire to work toward such an end IF THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL THE FUTURE OF THE SCHOOL HAVE SO LITTLE RESPECT FOR ITS PAST.

It is for this reason that I shall attend the General Assembly on the 28th of November and will ask the Foundation Board to defend its decision making process before all the interested parties. I want to hear the reasons justifying such a closed and exclusive decision making process.

Furthermore, should the Board's explanation not convince the audience, I shall call for more debate on the issue, as well as a recognition that representatives of the teachers, alumni and parents should be consulted and included in the decision making process.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter,

I remain yours sincerely,

David Rimer, LGB '73 - '86
In the name of the Central Committee of the Alumni