Dear Editor,

 

It is only with the deepest concern in my heart that I write this letter to address the concerning circumstances which have arisen regarding President Ohle. It is with deep commitment and passion for this college that I must express my shock that no action has been taken after these last few years to rectify the significant issues which have arisen with transparency, mistreatment of our beloved staff, and complete disregard for the pillars of our community.

With growth and change will always come adjustment, a little necessary pain to move an organization forward. As many alumni, staff, faculty and students have expressed for the last months and years, the mistreatment of members of our community by the President of Gustavus has gone well beyond an acceptable level of adjustment. When before I was able to speak with pride of my alma mater, I now am surprised when all people seem to know about Gustavus is the conduct of the President. It signals a shifting viewpoint of what has long been seen in my home state as an institution with a very strong community.

The environment which has been created under this President has been one of secrecy, deception, silence and fear. Our community members await the next unilateral decision that the President makes to try to grapple with the effects on our students and staff. This is not a productive academic environment, and it certainly creates a feeling of disillusionment among alumni. With the recent deception regarding the financial reserves of each department, it seems that this feeling of disillusionment will only continue to grow.

It is from this concern as to our shared future that I write today, and hope that the appointed leaders of our community, the Board of Trustees, will take some action to reassure us or rectify the concerns being expressed by our community.

 

Sincerely,

Justin Martin, ‘10