The Dartmouth Alliance for Social Change submitted a letter, endorsed by 91 members of the College community, to key administrators yesterday, demanding they abolish the Coed Fraternity and Sorority system by Fall of 1994.
The letter, sent to College President James Freedman, Dean of the College Lee Pelton, Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco and Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deborah Reinders, offers a two and a half page condemnation of the CFS system.
"I expect the administration to take us more seriously because of the number and variety of signatures," David Cohen '94, one of four students who drafted the letter, said.
"The Trustees are going to get a copy so hopefully they will meet with the administrators and discuss this new development," he said.
Pelton said he had only glanced at the letter but said, "My understanding is that it's an open letter that doesn't ask for a response."
At first the Alliance sent the letter to select students via BlitzMail message, but then an anonymous person distributed the letter from a false BlitzMail account to a much larger group.
Cohen said the letter's premature anonymous circulation helped get a greater variety of signatories.
"I don't know how many people saw the letter in one form or another, but combining the unexpected circulation with our own circulation, we got the letter to a good number of people," Cohen said.
Professors and alumni were amongst those who endorsed the letter.
"I've been at Dartmouth for 10 years, this is the second university I've taught at, the third or fourth I've attended, and one of the striking features at Dartmouth is the tension between men and women and between gay people and straight people," English Professor Matthew Rowlinson said.
"And to a considerable extent it would seem to me those tensions are promoted by the aggressive single-sex houses," he said.
Although Rowlinson signed the letter, he said he did not expect it to bring an end to the system.
Ian Czaja '94 also signed the letter. "My reasons were formed over four years of observation and experience of looking at social options at this school," he said.
The Alliance said the signatories' diversity reflects the widespread discontent with the CFS system at the College.
"The fact that so many people signed from so many different segments of the Dartmouth community demonstrates that people on this campus are tired of seeing the CFS system get away with the same disgusting behavior year after year," Sean Donahue '96, who helped draft the letter, said.
The alliance will continue to press for the CFS system's banning.
"We're going to branch out with our methods. They will probably all involve information, disruption, humor and the message, 'Get rid of the CFS now!'," Cohen said.
