While I do think Greek leaders should work to make the Greek community more inclusive toward those who identify as gender nonconforming, I think all houses going coed would be a rash response. Despite their many merits, coed houses do not currently provide the same range of social and philanthropic opportunities as single-sex houses. It is possible that other houses may lose this range should they go coed, weakening the system as a whole. Additionally, there are certain merits surrounding camaraderie and, in the case of sororities, female-dominated spaces (and the accompanying social empowerment) that are found in single-sex organizations — the same merits that prompt individuals to pursue other single-sex opportunities such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts or a single-sex education. As someone who always found it easier to make friends with girls and as a result had a disproportionately large amount of female friends growing up, I have enjoyed the newfound sense of brotherhood and male friendship that I have already experienced since joining my fraternity last week.
— Spencer Blair ’17
I do not believe that all houses should be forced to go coed. While some who support a coed system are undoubtedly genuine, there is a feeling of incrementalism that makes me suspect that some advocates of a coed Greek system are merely trying to slowly destroy the current system. There are currently houses that fill the student demand for coed Greek houses. If the system were changed, there would be some who would move to the new system, but the lack of demand would result in many people leaving the Greek system altogether. For some this would be an attractive alternative, but for others, this could be used to dilute the popularity of the Greek system to destruction. The Greek system has the greatest amount of sway in the campus social scene, but there are a wide variety of social groups on campus that would enrich students’ experiences if fewer people felt it necessary to rely on the Greek system as a social outlet. Ideas that put more power into the hands of various groups — such as dissolving the national system that prevents sororities from hosting events — and providing alternatives like Hop Garage and Friday Night Rock should be explored while still allowing the students to vote with their feet. A diversity of campus social spaces is a better option than either a campus dominated by fraternities or a homogenous system that seeks to accommodate everyone, but ends up catering only to a few.
— David Brooks ’15
Our generation of Dartmouth students seems more willing than ever to acknowledge that the Greek system has its flaws — whether or not we agree on what they are. Many of us understand that the Greek system is in need of reform. I believe that going coed is a powerful option for meaningful change. It no longer makes sense to provide institutional support for strictly gendered spaces, as single-sex houses reinforce the concepts of sexual difference that underpin more stringent gender roles. And I find that one of the most common arguments against coed spaces — forcing fraternities and sororities to go coed would increase the rates of sexual violence and misconduct — not only ignores the present reality of peaceful coed fraternity living, but also promotes a disappointing standard in which we have little control over our actions or regard for our so-called brothers and sisters.
— Katie McKay ’16
I think that forcing, coercing or incentivizing Greek houses to go coed is a step in the wrong direction. It is born out of the logical fallacy that combining men and women in the same physical space will in some way mitigate the inequity of Dartmouth’s social power dynamic. Pushing for houses to go coed will merely lead to bitterness among single-sex sisterhoods and brotherhoods — the coed houses that would arise from an administrative mandate would be contrived environments that are doomed to fail. The focus needs to be on forming creative solutions in spaces that already exist, not precipitating new spaces with new problems.
— Aylin Woodward ’15
