Dear Mr. Mersinger,
Thank you for your thoughtful email regarding the proposed new Alma Mater.
I, on behalf of the committee, appreciate your concerns and will attempt to offer an additional perspective. It is precisely because we believe that our Alma Mater should—as you very convincingly argue–bind our community together, remind us of our ties to the past, and express our shared values, that we believe we need an Alma Mater that can do this even more effectively.
We have a shared history that has changed dramatically since 1975, when Clair McElfresh wrote his lyrics, and also a shared future together.
The committee’s intention—by reaching out to the entire FIU community for the first time—was to honor all our stakeholders by giving everyone an opportunity to be part of the process.
Another challenge of the current Alma Mater is that is very difficult to sing—both in terms of range and voice leading—and therefore is only sung by a few people at any given event, including commencement.
As a result, I think you will find that a very small percentage of the FIU community can actually recite the lyrics from memory, let alone sing it. (As a professional singer, even I find it challenging both musically and technically.)
Our hope is that FIU’s new Alma Mater will be written in a way that every single member of the FIU community can learn it, memorize it, and sing it with confidence and pride at every possible opportunity.
-Kathleen Wilson
Chair, Alma Mater Committee
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