Honor Through Adoption
Classes may choose to recognize key members of their class communities through the formal adoption process. Careful thought and deliberation should be given when considering whether to extend an invitation for adoption.
This honor should be reserved for very special or unique circumstances, by which the adoptee is made an official member of the class and an alum of the College. Adoption is reserved for those individuals who have made a significant impact on the class (and, by extension, on Dartmouth) and who are deserving of conferred alumni status as a member of the class community. Fewer than 350 individuals have received this honor in Dartmouth’s history.
Eligibility
An individual can hold a single affiliation to an undergraduate class at Dartmouth. An alum of one class may not be adopted by another class and no individual may be adopted by multiple classes. An alum of one of Dartmouth’s graduate schools may be adopted by an undergraduate class.
Rights and Privileges
Adoptees are invited to pay dues once per year and are part of the denominator in calculating dues participation rates for the class.
Adoptees are not automatically asked by the College to give to the Dartmouth College Fund (DCF) but are welcome to do so.
- A gift to the DCF by an adopted alum is included in class giving totals.
- Adopted alumni who contribute to the DCF are not in the numerator or denominator for calculating class participation.
Adoptees are included in invitations and may join the Bartlett Tower Society, but do not impact class percentage for participation and are not included in statistical record keeping for the class.
Unless they have opted out, adopted classmates receive invitations to College-sponsored regional events, Dartmouth regional club events, Reunion communications, and other communications from the College. Unless they have opted out, adoptees also receive class mailings, newsletters, and emails and are included in invitations to class events.
Unless prohibited in the class constitution and except for the Alumni Councilor position, adoptees may hold an elected class office and may vote in class elections. Per constitutional mandate, adopted alumni are non-voting members of the Association of Alumni and, as such, cannot vote in Alumni Trustee elections nor serve as Alumni Councilors.
Adopted classmates are assigned a NetID and may have access to the Dartmouth systems offered to alumni requiring NetID authentication, such as the Alumni Directory and Encompass (formerly iModules).
Adoptees are automatically subscribed to the DAM.
Adoptees receive lifetime borrowing privileges at Baker-Berry Library (requires a library card) and access to the Digital Library.
Like alumni, adopted classmates have special access to cabins in the Dartmouth College Grant.
Adoption Process
Classes should follow these steps to adopt an individual as a member.
Step 1
Once a class identifies an adoption candidate, the class president notifies Dartmouth Alumni Relations to verify the candidate is not already a member of another class. If the candidate is already affiliated with an undergraduate class, either as an alum or by previous adoption, the candidate is not eligible for adoption.
Step 2
The class executive committee discusses the candidate and votes on whether an invitation to join the class should be extended to the individual. This conversation and the outcome of the vote is documented (e.g., in the form of minutes) by the class secretary.
Step 3
The class president extends the invitation to the potential adoptee.
Step 4
Upon acceptance by the candidate, the class president provides to Dartmouth Alumni Relations the documentation of the circumstances of adoption as well as full contact information for the adoptee, including:
- Full name
- Preferred mailing address
- Email address
- Phone number(s)
Step 5
Upon receipt from the class of the notice of adoption, Dartmouth Alumni Relations will initiate the adoption process including:
- Filing the request for adoption with the Alumni Records Office
- Preparation and mailing of a welcome letter from the vice president for alumni relations
- Notice to adoptee of NetID assignment and claiming process, including instructions for accessing the Alumni Directory
- Confirmation to class president of adoption completion
Step 6
The adoption is complete when Alumni Relations has mailed a welcome letter to the new classmate with a copy emailed to the class president.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most class constitutions allow for adopted members to hold these positions. In fact, it is best practice for only classmates—matriculated or adopted—to hold these roles.
Classes often recognize that partners and surviving partners play an integral role in the activities of a class community. Many classes have committees chaired by surviving partners; others may have spouses or partners serving in officer roles such as newsletter editor or mini-reunion co-chair. In most cases, these classes refer to these individuals as honorary members of the class; in many cases, class constitutions permit voting by these honorary members.
While Dartmouth recognizes the important contributions these individuals make to the class community, the College does not recognize honorary members of a class community as alumni. Further, class adoption is reserved for recognition of individual contributions to a class and to honor the importance of an individual to a class community. With the exception of the invitation to the pre-coeducation exchange students, the College does not recommend nor permit “blanket” adoptions to a group of individuals.
Dartmouth Alumni Relations recommends that class constitutions containing the term honorary members be amended to include a definition of the term (and any corresponding rights and privileges) and to distinguish between the status, rights, and privileges of adopted members.
Yes, adopted members are members of your Encompass (formerly iModules) community and, unless they have opted out, receive emails you send using the Encompass email tool. Additionally, if you request class lists (for newsletter, class mailings, Reunion outreach, etc.), adopted members will be included. Adopted classmates receive the alumni magazine upon completion of the adoption process.
Adoptees will have a lower class ‘a’ after the class year (e.g., ’05a). You can also request a list of adopted classmates.