This is a column about sororities, written by a man who is not in a sorority. I have spent countless hours over the past year speaking to friends who have diverse relationships with sororities, and I have been left with one overall striking impression — national sororities on our campus are problematic. I want to stipulate that Dartmouth’s fraternities are problematic as well, and I do not suggest that national sororities are single-handedly to blame for the problems surrounding the Greek system. I recognize that I cannot provide first-hand, personal criticism of these organizations, but I’m going to use my soap box here to declaim my informed belief that all national sororities at Dartmouth should sever ties with their national organizations. These sororities should go local, and the College should provide the funds required for this transition.
A while ago, I sat at lunch in Class of 1953 Commons talking to a friend in one of our national sororities. She was recounting to me the façade she and her sisters were putting on for their national representative, who was conducting an unannounced visit — read: inspection — of their chapter. It was clear from what she told me that this visitor simply did not understand the forward-thinking women in her sorority. My friend said her national representative’s antiquated ideas even made her uncomfortable, like when the representative encouraged her to help rush “the right kind of girl.” Another friend of mine, in another sorority, chimed in at this point, adding that her sorority puts on the same kind of annual show for their national representative. They even go as far as covering up the door to their basement and pretending it doesn’t exist.
In my mind, foremost among the problems with the Greek system on our campus are the consequences of the old-fashioned rules national sororities impose on their chapters. This manifests itself in many ways, from the impersonal and shallow rush system that women have to endure, to the fact that the vast majority of Greek social spaces on campus are male-dominated.
While I believe the exclusivity and superficiality surrounding rush are pernicious to the self-esteem of every participant, the system for women seems to me — based on many conversations I have had with my friends who have participated in it with varying outcomes — far worse. While the best that can be said for the rush process for men is that you have the chance to spend time in houses and preserve your autonomy by deciding where to shake out, there seems to be few things that can be said in favor of the process for women.
One sorority had the courage to reject this system this year, and I believe they did so with great success. Epsilon Kappa Theta held shakeouts, instead of the traditional rush process for women in the fall, and is doing so again this winter. While this system is not a cure-all, it seems that if every sorority were to follow Theta’s lead — and also open their basements to the general public — women who are interested in joining sororities would have greater autonomy in rush and could advocate for themselves, reducing the chance of superficial interactions and disappointment.
Alas, this is not possible because of the rules of national sororities — the same rules that prevent many sororities on campus from hosting parties or inviting the general public into their basements. This leads to fraternities hosting the majority of Greek social interaction. Sigma Delta sorority, Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority and Theta are the three notable exceptions to this, and they serve an important role on campus, providing active female-dominated social spaces where anyone can congregate on a given weekend. For this exact reason, the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault recommended that sororities go local to combat sexual assault at Dartmouth. If every sorority went local, social spaces on campus would be more equitable and safer for women.
The College ought to do everything it can to remove the obstacles impeding sororities from going local, which often include a substantial amount of debt to national organizations. If the College were to assist them financially, I believe and hope that many sororities would take advantage of the opportunity and make the switch. Those of us who believe the Greek system should continue to exist at Dartmouth need to work proactively to make it the best that it can be. Local sororities will get us closer to that goal.
