To the Editor:
When I first arrived here this year entering a graduate program, I was shocked and dismayed by the "Greek" system on this campus. The system's intolerance, blatant lawlessness and predatory nature exceeds that which I have seen at any campus community with which I have had close and extended contact.
The Greek system here also exercises more influence on undergraduate students' lives than any other Greek system I have known. It has an enormous amount of power on this campus; the mere fact that so many crimes committed by members of this community go unpunished by the administration sadly demonstrates that fact. In light of these observations, I have endorsed the Dartmouth Alliance for Social Change's "Open Letter to the Administration About the Greek System."
It seems painfully obvious that this college needs many more social alternatives to the Greek system. Why? Because the Greek social norms, while not legislated, are actively (one might say 'forcibly') upheld and are much too narrow to define a community as diverse as Dartmouth's. I know it is diverse. It took me nearly two semesters to find this out, and that is the greatest problem facing incoming students at Dartmouth.
The only clear role we see on this campus is that of the "frat guy." Any new student who does not identify with this social perspective feels lost, alone, abnormal. There is no visible structure here for anyone outside of that miniscule social bandwidth.
True, there are many diverse student groups, but what kind of presence do they have on this campus compared to the pervasive Greek influence? Alternative groups seemingly hide out in bunkers, and I can't say that I can blame them. The Greek system has proven to the campus community that it will single out for harrassment individuals who openly live outside of their social spheres without joining or cowering.
In order for any alternatives to come into prominence the intimidatory power of the Greeks must be curtailed. Fraternity events are known by all, whether we are interested or not, and there are no mailing lists required. To find out about alternative group events, a student has to search for them. There are many alternatives on the campus and they need support and encouragement from the administration.
All traditions start somewhere, and they are continually re-invented each year. The Greeks' status as longstanding tradition does not exempt them from being re-invented. It also should not stop new traditions from emerging outside of that tradition.
KEN OVERTON
