Flaubert said, "One is not born a woman, one becomes one." This ancient quote seems one worth contemplating in light of recent editorials, articles, discussions and graffiti which have been circulating our campus since the beginning of rush, claiming to analyze the pros and cons of Greek membership and activity.
As president of one of the six sororities on campus, I feel compelled to look beyond the graffiti, beyond the finger-pointing articles and beyond the stereotypes to examine the institution which I have arduously dedicated the past year of my life to reshaping, and at the arguments which belittle a system that has been the backbone of the feminist voice I have found at Dartmouth.
I would like to begin by addressing some of the women who have resigned or gone inactive this fall. They have done so because they do not support the single sex Greek organizations. They claim that the fraternity system fosters an unhealthy atmosphere for male-female relations, often leading to sexual assault of a woman by a man. These women do support sororities as a place for women to congregate, but because sororities co-sponsor events with fraternities, these women say they must resign so as not to be part of a destructive system.
I firmly believe that refraining from co-sponsoring events with fraternities would greatly exacerbate gender-relation problems. Fraternities and sororities come together frequently to discuss important sex and gender issues. Eliminating the other gender would render these discussions worthless. In addition, we frequently co-sponsor social events acknowledging the importance of socializing with the opposite sex since we will do so for the rest of our lives.
Many women have left the sorority system claiming it is too exclusive. Most everything in life is exclusive, including an Ivy League education. Ideally, I would eliminate all exclusion, but there are logistical obstacles that must be dealt with.
At the moment, every woman who would like to join a sorority would have a place in one. Unfortunately, the current process allows some to slip through the cracks.
The six sorority presidents are currently working to change rush for next year. Not one woman who has resigned for this reason has offered me her input.
Some critics point to sororities and say they are a contrived means for making friends. If one were expected to immediately become friends with every person she met in the sorority, then yes, it would be superficial. No one is expected to be friends with every "sister." Sororities are simply an avenue through which to become friends, if one so desires.
I joined a sorority for this reason. Although it is admittedly intimidating to suddenly begin socializing in a space filled only with women, it can grow into an extremely satisfying experience. I had no idea while going through rush as a sophomore how many interesting and outspoken women there were on this campus.
After one and a half years of socializing and living with the women in my sorority, I now consider the majority of them my good friends. My sorority provided me with the opportunity to meet women that I had been yearning for my entire first year. A sorority is a place for women to meet other women and to test their voices with those of other women. It is a place for each woman to test her voice alone.
For many women, being part of a sorority becomes less important as they move into new phases of their lives so I encourage those women to go inactive or resign. I firmly believe that every woman must be in control of her life and make active decisions that she will be happiest with.
But, when women who resign or go inactive belittle the system, they are degrading the decisions of those of us who choose to remain a part of it. I am extremely disappointed when I hear one woman undermining anther woman's personal decision to remain in a sorority. Each woman has her own personal history which shapes her reasons and needs within a sorority.
Personally, the voice I have found in my sorority is one I will enter the world with, one that will continue to grow and change with my experiences, benefiting the society into which I will enter in only a few months.
It should not matter what the reason. My sorority has been the backbone of my growth as a woman, and I hope it will be there for those who come after me. I am a feminist and I am president of my sorority; the two go hand in hand. I did not come to Dartmouth a woman, but with the guidance of the women in my sorority, I have become one.
Nicky Schmidt '94 is president of Sigma Delta sorority.
