The class agent plays a leading role in promoting and sustaining relationships between classmates and the College. The class agent does this by gathering news about classmates and the College and sharing it through classletters. This segment details how to gather news and prepare a classletter. It also identifies what information a class agent should share with the College.

Communicate with your staff advisers, Asa Turner Chair, class fund director, and class committee to coordinate the timing of classletters, solicitations, and other class and College activities.

• Class agents must prepare at least two classletters per year. It is best practice to send at least one in the fall and one in the spring.
• In the year leading up to the class's reunion, CAs are encouraged to write additional letters to generate interest in the reunion. Send a letter 1-2 months following Reunion to report on what occurred.

The class agent can submit a classletter by e-mail (Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher format preferred) or hard copy. Please indicate preferences for insertions and mailing when submitting a classletter.

1. Processing: The standard processing time for a classletter is 2-3 weeks. Please note the following deadlines:

• Sept. 15 — Summer classletter deadline
• Nov. 1 — to mail by Thanksgiving (pre-holiday classletter)
• Dec. 1 — Fall classletter deadline, (these will mail by December 21, the College is closed Dec. 22-Jan. 1)
• Mar. 1 — Winter classletter deadline
• April 1 &mdash to mail before the Reunion registration deadline (for pre-Reunion classletters)
• May 1 — Spring classletter deadline (these will mail by Reunion)
• July 15 — to mail by Aug. 1 (for post-Reunion classletters)

2. Inserts and finishing: The office will copy and fold the letters. We will also address and stamp the envelopes. If the CA wishes to include "News from Here" cards or other inserts, notify the office through the classletter transmittal form. Other special instructions for preparing the letter should be included in the classletter transmittal form.

• Classletter Transmittal Form (PDF format)
• Classletter Transmittal Form (.doc format)

3. Mailing: The CA has the choice to mail the classletter or have the office mail classletters on his or her behalf. The office will provide extra copies of the classletter and envelopes.


4. Rosters: After submitting a classletter, the CA will receive a class roster featuring contact information for classmates and others who receive the classletter. The CA will also receive a roster of classmates who are either lost or have requested no mail from the College.

1. Length: A classletter should be eight or fewer 8.5x11-inch pages. Our office uses double-sided printing for the letter to conform to campus-wide printing standards. Past experience has shown that alumni prefer to read classletters that are eight pages or shorter in length. This standard is also good stewardship of College finances, because classletters can be mailed at a postal rate of less than one ounce.
   
   
2. Photos: The CA can insert photos into the classletter or send them to our office (electronically or by mail) for insertion.
   
   
3. Program: Format classletters in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, or .rtf (rich-text format file).
   
   
4. Style: It is best practice to use simple formatting. This will enable the office to process the letter as efficiently as possible.
   
   
5. Names

• Classmates: Use CAPITAL LETTERS or bold face the first time a classmate's name is used in the letter.
• Grinnell alumni: Please put a class year (Ex: Joe Rosenfield '25) or a (?) [Ex: George Drake (?)] after the name. The Office of College and Alumni Relations will verify and include the correct class year. Please make sure the tail of the apostrophe points down.
• Non-alumni: If a name is not in capitals and no class year is indicated, the office will assume the individual is not a Grinnell alumnus.

6. Insertions: The College will insert letterhead at the top of each classletter and this disclaimer at the bottom of each classletter: "Grinnell College is pleased to provide this forum for news of campus and classmates. The opinions, comments, and statements contained in this classletter are solely those of the persons submitting the information or material."

Gather information of interest to the class from a variety of sources:

1. Send a classletter: Writing classletters is an easy way to encourage classmates to send news.
   
   
2. Personal contacts: As class agents communicate with classmates by e-mail, phone, letter, and in person, they may gather information for the classletter. The CA must:

• make certain that the individual would like the information included in the classletter
• use discretion in editing and paraphrasing longer quotations to maintain accuracy in what was said
• acknowledge communication received from all classmates

3. College news bulletins: The CA may receive communications from the Office of College and Alumni Relations providing information about campus events and activities. The CA may use this information at his or her discretion.
   
   
4. Solicit information: The CA may ask the Office of College and Alumni Relations to send "News from Here" postcards in advance of a classletter, send "News from Here" postcards with the classletter, or send an e-mail to all the classmates who have shared their e-mail address with the office.
   
   
5. Listservs: Many classmates participate in class listservs (link); CAs can request news through the listserv.
   
   
6. Reprints: Newspaper articles, photographs, websites, or other writing and pictures from, by, or about classmates may be included in the classletter.

• Permission of the copyright holder may be needed (see Confidentiality Policy (link) for details). Due to copyright laws, full-length published articles may not be included in classletters.
• To ensure quality reproduction, the CA should make certain that the original is clean and clear (it may be sent electronically).

CAs are encouraged to use ingenuity to create themes for classletters. Sample themes from past class agents include:

1. Campus life: News from classmates who lived in certain dorms (Main, Younker, North Campus, etc.) or participated in particular activities (athletics, arts, S&B, etc.).
   
   
2. Asking questions: "How did Grinnell prepare you for life after graduation?" "What has stayed with you from your experience at Grinnell?"
   
   
3. Phases of life: Asking classmates about their thoughts and experiences as the class collectively transitions from one stage of life to the next (raising children, home ownership, retirement, etc.).

CAs may invite a "guest editor" to write a letter. This often occurs in the year leading up to the class's reunion. It can invigorate the classletter audience and provide a useful break for the CA. Class agents can be innovative in thinking about ways to solicit guest editors, news, and other material from classmates. Ask the office or class committee for help in identifying a co-class agent.