Class Secretary
DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION OF HARVARD CLASS SECRETARY[edit]
Every class needs to have secretarial functions performed. These duties are not arduous and can be a lot of fun for the right individual. During the senior year and after graduation, the Secretary should attend all Class Committee meetings and take the minutes for the permanent Class record. These minutes, if turned in to the Harvard Alumni Office, will be distributed by the HAA to the entire Class Committee prior to the next meeting.
After graduation, there must be someone who will prepare newsletters at regular intervals, keep track of classmates, record the class’ necrology, and be in charge of communications. While we have no hard and fast recommendations to make on mechanisms, it should be obvious that this is a most important role and the person in charge should be diligent and attentive to detail. Newsletters also gain in importance if their editors have sufficient literary ability and creativity to make the product interesting rather than just a collection of official notes and personal items. The class secretary is also responsible for sending class notes to the Harvard Magazine and should keep track of those that have been published and those that have not. The Harvard Magazine is mailed to all domestic graduates six times a year. The Class Secretary also works with the Class Report Office on the production of the Class Report that is published quinquennially at the time of the reunion.
Historically, after graduation, the Class Secretary becomes the key-operating officer of the class. It is important for the Secretary to take an interest in keeping the class together and to be familiar with all that is going on at the University as well as keep the class involved in between-reunion-activities.
The Class Secretary will become a member of the Association of Harvard College Class Secretaries and Treasurers which is a dues paying organization. The Association meets every spring in Cambridge to keep itself up to date on the College’s activities and is an excellent vehicle for exchanging ideas.
The Harvard Alumni Association stands ready to assist in any way they can. Samples of class mailings and records can be found in the HAA office. For more information see Class Secretary Suggested Minimum Standards.
Suggested Minimum Standards for Class Secretaries[edit]
1. Keeps the Class together and keeps track of classmates, including the class necrology.
2. Attends all Class Committee meetings and generally promotes and participates in class activities.
3. Serves as principal class communicator, which includes contacting the class at least once a year in writing via letter or newsletter.
4. Arranges class events – at least one a year – in non-reunion years, or ensures that someone does so.
5. Works with the Class Report Office on each quinquennial Class Report or appoints another classmate to do so eighteen months prior to projected publication date.
6. With appropriate Class Committee assistance, makes sure that Reunion Chair or Co-Chairs are appointed every five years and that it is done at least eighteen months prior to the projected reunion dates.
7. Announces the names of the Class Report Chair and Reunion Chair(s) at the annual spring meeting of the AHCCS&T the year before the Reunion.
8. Attends the Annual Meeting of the AHCCS&T every year. If unable to attend, selects a substitute representative – the Class Treasurer, if available, or if not, another class officer or active classmate.
9. Submits information for class notes to Harvard Magazine (and, for some classes, to the Radcliffe Quarterly), and encourages classmates to do so directly.
10. Joins the Class Treasurer and the Class Committee in ensuring that the Class remains solvent through the collection of dues, when needed, and other means. This includes raising sufficient funds during reunion years to pay for the Reunion and the Class Report.
11. Submits an Activity Report annually to the Class Committee with a copy to the HAA.
12. Encourages the Class Treasurer to submit a summary financial report annually. With appropriate Class Committee assistance, promotes the Class by recommending classmate candidates for Overseer, HAA Elected Director, Harvard Medals, and HAA awards.
