All you need to do is change the t&c's to allow a newsletter to be sent via the forum. That's exactly what we did with our cycling forum - and we've only had one person from 500 unsubscribe from receiving them.
You can only rely on a small percentage of members visiting the forum/webpage on a regular basis, and the class will remain dead in the water from an activity perspective unless a way is found to hold events and promote them effectively.
If this isn't what the class wants, then please delete my account. I'll make do with my Shrimper associations, and OGA membership.