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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Pelton discusses an evolving Greek system

In an informal discussion in Chi Heorot fraternity last night, Dean of the College Lee Pelton said he is not against the College's Greek system but rather has consistently worked to improve it since he has been at the College.

"The facts paint a very different picture -- I will forever let the facts speak for themselves," Pelton said to about 35 students, addressing the disparity between his anti-Greek image and his actions within the Greek system.

Pelton discussed his role in moving rush from sophomore winter to sophomore fall, lifting the College's ban on common sources of alcohol and converting Delta Psi Delta, a failed coeducational fraternity, into Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority at a cost of $600,000.

"These are all anti-fraternity actions obviously," Pelton said sarcastically.

One student asked Pelton about gender equity in the Greek system and a recent proposal by five former sorority presidents to create a seventh mainstream sorority.

"The issue is a resource issue -- right now there is no available space that could accommodate any type of residential unit," Pelton said.

Pelton said he thinks there are more fraternities than currently needed. "At least two fraternities have been on the ropes in the last few years," he said. "The question of their ability to survive has been real and significant."

"It is probably safe to predict that within some span of time there will probably be two fewer fraternities than today," he said. "I suspect those will be replaced by either sororities or coed houses of some type."

Pelton also discussed the differences between the Greek system at Dartmouth and Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., where he worked until 1991.

He said the principal differences are that fraternities and sororities at Colgate encourage students to eat at their dining facilities and that alumni have a disproportionate amount of control over the Greek houses at Colgate.

"There is a strong sense of community here and the students have an allegiance to Dartmouth," Pelton said. "At Colgate, a number of students' principal allegiance is to their houses and Colgate be damned."

Several students asked Pelton about the recently released Final Report of the Committee on the First-Year Experience and the creation of a "supercluster," a mixed-class cluster primarily reserved for freshmen with a larger programming budget than other clusters. The proposed cluster would also have an in-residence senior faculty associate to coordinate activities for the cluster.

"The essence of the report is to create an opportunity for faculty and students to engage with one another in a way that doesn't seem artificial or contrived," he said. "The whole idea is to provide diversity and richness of experience."

Pelton talked about his college years at Wichita State University in Kansas and how that experience shaped his vision for the College.

"I had a miserable time in college," he said. "I am trying to recreate the ideal college in my mind and that place is very much like Dartmouth -- relatively small and intimate."