To the Editor:
I am writing in response to Sarah Johnston's editorial, "Years Later-Have Greeks Changed?" (Oct. 26, 1995). As a member of the Greek system I feel obligated to correct some misinformation as well as offer a different opinion on this subject.
The first thing that caught my eye in this article was not her discussion on the "Hell Night Video" incident. It was when she began to make sweeping generalizations about Greek houses and the problems in the Greek system, that I began to disagree. Johnston claims problems, such as sexism, exist within the Greek system and that all affiliated members are guilty of these things. In addition she claims that members in the system simply ignore these problems and make no attempts to change things.
We can begin with the not-so-quickly forgotten poem read at Beta in the summer. Does racism exist in the Greek system at Dartmouth? Yes. It also exists at Dartmouth outside of the Greek system and in American society. But to point to an instance of racism and to claim that the entire Greek system is guilty of such a thing is insulting to me as a Dartmouth student as well as a member of a Greek house. Guilt by association has not been used since the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s.
Similarly, to say that the Greek system ignores its faults and does nothing to address these concerns is a lie. Maybe Johnston was not on campus last year or this summer. Maybe she failed to read The Dartmouth. At any rate, she seems to have missed the massive changes that occurred within the Greek system. Changes that came from within the system, changes that addressed many of the problems that we have been discussing for some time.
In the winter when the College began to think about housing for this fall, members of the Greek community met with Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco in an attempt to help the College. We came upon an agreement to help houses fill to their maximum capacity and ease the housing crunch.
In the spring of last year, Greek members met to revise the social procedures and alcohol policy of the campus in a social procedures retreat. Also, many Greek members were part of the Alcohol Task Force which met in the spring as well. Both groups convened in order to address problems that they saw on campus. Greek members also met to change internal policies dealing with Greek programming standards. That group completely revised the programming standard that all houses must follow.
Johnston claims that she is offended "that members of the Greek system refuse to face up to their organizational traditions." We in the Greek system are offended at her generalizations, not to mention her false accusations.
Her portrayal of the Greek system is one in which men and women have no contact. According to Johnston, they simply do not interact. Speaking from experience, this is completely wrong. We throw parties together, go bowling and have intellectual discussions, among other things. It is incomprehensible to me that she could make such a claim.
Finally, Johnston ends with a push for coeducation on all levels. This strikes me as insensitive on many levels. She assumes that there are no redeemable qualities in single sex organizations. I respond that we cannot begin to interact with each other without having a firm knowledge of who we are as men and women. If she is confident in who she is, that is great. But some of us are using college as a time define ourselves. If that means that we feel more comfortable living with the same sex, and if this includes serious thought about gender and gender relations, sorry; I didn't know that questions such as these were discouraged.