Yet again I read another piece about the evils of the Greek system here at Dartmouth ("College Must Stop Supporting Frats," Feb. 13). This topic is almost as overexposed as the O.J. Simpson trial or the Student Assembly.
Another person calls for the complete removal of the Coed Fraternity and Sorority system to replace it with "a new social system." An alternative social system is not offered.
I did not rush this fall, nor will I in the next few years. I do not drink alcohol, nor do I go out much, either. But I am glad I can go out when I want to, or rush, if I desire to do so. And I do want to go out now and then, just to have a good time, and forget about that 15-page paper that is due next week but that I haven't started, or to celebrate the completion of a midterm.
The only places that I can possibly go to are the Greek houses -- especially because I do not have a car and am thus limited in how far I can go. There are no dance clubs around here, and I cannot yet enter the one pub in town. Only in a fraternity, sorority or coed house can I dance or chat with people. If this option were deleted, where would I go to enjoy myself?
With the word "enjoy," I mean dance, not curl up by the fire with a good book. Highly enjoyable though that is, I need to do something mindless such as dancing, especially in such a stressful place as Dartmouth. The only non-Greek dances that occur here are always semiformal and happen about once a term. Until a satisfying social option to the Greek system exists, I do not think people should talk of having it abolished.
Furthermore, although I am not from this country, I do gather that people here are very intent on their "rights." Isn't it a right that people have to form communities, whether they would be a Greek house or yet another religious sect? Isn't it a right for people to express themselves the way they want to, whether that would be by wearing baseball caps pulled down to the chin and muttering such slang as "shwag" or by believing that all men have an inherent need to go out and hunt giraffes?
Sean Donahue '96 makes a very broad accusation when he says that the Greek system actively promotes sexism, homophobia, excessive drinking and anti-intellectualism. Some people remain sexists, homophobes, binge-drinkers or anti-intellectuals no matter what, disappointing though this may be. At least the Greek system is beginning to address the issues somewhat by having mandatory sessions on alcohol and sexual assault during rush.
Social phenomena like homophobia and sexism are hardly created by a term-long pledge period, or two more years of the same environment. Surely the familial backgrounds of the respective brothers (and sisters) have a much stronger influence in the creation of their fears and attitudes. The "creation of brothers" out of male Dartmouth students isn't something that leads to abnormally high rape statistics. For example, as repeated posters in any residence hall on campus will tell you, three out of four rapes are committed by an acquaintance.
Donahue has not bothered to supply any sort of evidence for his claims. People will continue to drink excessively until the laws in this country regarding alcohol show more confidence in the younger generations (if you are not allowed to do something, are you not tempted 100 times more to do it?). And, as I pointed out before, sometimes there is just the need to be anti-intellectual, although some Greek houses are making a very conscious effort at intellectualism and introspection.
The Coed Fraternity and Sorority system does have a legitimate place here, the more so if they actively try to change the bad image some people apparently have of them now, to a more positive one that I think a lot more people have of them.
