The Presidents of Dartmouth's fraternities, sororities, and coed houses feel that it is time to address certain misconceptions about the Greek system and relate many of its positive contributions to the Dartmouth and Hanover/Lebanon communities. The Coed, Fraternity, Sorority system is the largest and most active organization on campus. Its strength and continual growth is based on its ability to adapt to the ever changing needs of its membership and the Dartmouth community as a whole. These changes occur from institutions within the system itself and from the guidance of the Dartmouth administration. What results is a robust student-run institution which is at the social, philanthropic, and, yes, intellectual vanguard of the Dartmouth campus.
As seen from the variety of fraternity or sorority or coed parties held each weekend, the CFS system has the most options to offer the Dartmouth student on any given Friday or Saturday night. However, it is in this arena that the system has taken undeserved abuse. The problems of underage and excessive drinking and sexual abuse are campus-wide and are not the faults of any system. The CFS system has several internal programs that educate its membership concerning the abuse of alcohol, including a training program to help monitor the potential problems at the house level.
It must also be noted that in no way does any fraternity condone sexual abuse. These are crimes committed by individuals not by a system. The Greeks have made great strides in establishing internal programs such as Sexual Awareness through Greek Education (SAGE ) to educate its members about sexual abuse. In addition, peer systems within individual houses allow brothers to monitor the behavior of other members and intervene when necessary.
Aside from the five hours a house may spend hosting a party, critics pay little attention to its activities during the rest of the week. Houses boast of a myriad of philanthropic contributions to the community. For instance, Beta Theta Pi established a class at the Ray School in Hanover. Brothers instruct first and second graders in the basics of geometry, architecture and building. Alpha Phi Alpha has a long-standing tradition of philanthropic activities such as the "Dreamers" program in which the brothers transport inner-city students to Hanover and discuss with them the virtues and opportunities inherent in a college education. Chi Gamma Epsilon has hosted musical events in order to raise money for charity and provide non-alcoholic social activities for the campus. Alpha Chi Alpha brothers cooked and served meals to 150 citizens at the Youth in Action Harvest Supper in Lebanon. Moreover Alpha Theta and Phi Tau made vast contributions to the recent "Make A Difference Day." Other events sponsored by CFS houses include book drives, food drives and volunteer time at old-age homes. Each term, houses donate valuable time and raise thousands of dollars for the benefit of others.
In addition to its altruistic activities, the CFS houses are the harbors of intellectualism at Dartmouth. Recently, Alpha Delta invited two English professors to its house to discuss Hemmingway's short story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis M?" which had been distributed to the entire membership. Likewise, Epsilon Kappa Theta and Chi Gam sponsored a campus-wide discussion on gender relations at Dartmouth, and the latter has had in-house discussions monitored by "women's issues" expert Gabrielle Lucke concerning the use and abuse of alcohol on college campuses. Each term, several sororities including Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sigma Delta hold a tea or barbecue with professors to discuss intellectual endeavors. Next week, Zeta Psi will host Dr. Jessica Mathews, the Montgomery Fellow for this term, to discuss global politics and the role of women in today's political realm.
Road shows such as Students against Food and Exercise Abuse and the Rape Education Awareness Committee are sponsored by houses for the benefit of the entire campus. In addition, poetry readings, debates, career services workshops, and senior theses presentations continue to be a major part of the Greek system's intellectual programs.
These examples show the extent to which organized groups of men and women can aid the physical and spiritual growth of themselves and others. However, the CFS system is never satisfied and it is currently attempting to reform its programming standard in order to establish a more united effort amongst the houses. We feel this will further improve our attempts to benefit the community.
Many who criticize the CFS system do so because they are ignorant to the full range of activities that occur in a CFS house. The notion of a bunch of raving maniacs hidden behind closed doors is long gone. It is time that the campus sees the CFS system for what it really is, a leader on the Dartmouth campus. A leader which is undergoing a constant evolution in order to adapt to the changing needs of the Dartmouth community and abroad. We hope that by opening up the doors a bit, the CFS system can invite the campus into our world -- a world of personal growth, lifelong friendships, intellectual stimulation, and of course, a lot of fun.
