To the Editor:
As President of Alpha Delta fraternity, I am writing in response to some comments which were quoted in The Dartmouth attributed to Miranda Johnson '97 [Jan. 22]. I would specifically call your attention to the accusation that AD is a house that is "known for raping women." I am absolutely outraged that Ms. Johnson would make such an inflammatory -- and untrue -- slur. Unequivocally, not one of my brothers deserves the ignominious title of 'rapist,' nor is it justified to stigmatize the house with the negative connotations surrounding Ms. Johnson's phrase.
Although I immediately composed a response after reading Ms. Johnson's erroneous conclusions, I decided to meet with her in an attempt to set the record straight for her before dragging anything out in a public forum. In doing so, Ms. Johnson revealed the sources of her (mis)information: "legacy, reputation, stereotype," rumors regarding other houses and completely unsubstantiated rumors about individuals. Conspicuously missing, however, were any facts. If Ms. Johnson chooses to mix fact, fantasy, and a blatant disregard for truth in her own mind, I have no problem. But when she assails Alpha Delta fraternity with such an emotionally-loaded phrase as "known for raping women," she had better have something to support her statement, lest she be disregarded as an infinitely unreliable source. She graciously offered to submit a statement apologizing if her comment "came off differently than intended," with the warning that it would admittedly be hedged by strong anti-Greek sentiment. However, Ms. Johnson ultimately refused my request that she print a statement after examining the fraternity devoid of stereotype and in light of its strong merits.
As for the editors of The Dartmouth, I chide you, too, for allowing such irresponsible reporting. You obviously never did any research with which to qualify that statement, and you should be ashamed of yourselves for compromising not only the integrity of your already-questionable publication, but also that of the Greek system in general.
In closing, I would like to clarify that AD is not a house "known for raping women;" rather, it is an organization that boasts a large membership, strong brotherhood, positive community involvement and academic merit. I would ask Ms. Johnson to either be more careful in the future in mixing fact and opinion when making statements to the public, or to keep her thoughts to herself, and I think an apology is in order for her irresponsible and ludicrous statement.
