Last November, Calvin Daniels '96, intern for Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco, presented a proposal to campus leaders calling for more diverse programming within the Greek system and efforts are now underway to follow the proposal.
The proposal suggested the Coed Fraternity Sorority System invite a "well-respected, and already proven effective speaker to the College to address the community and the CFS leadership in particular" and to hold a panel discussion for CFS presidents and programming chairs.
Daniels said the goal of the proposal, titled "Effective Diversity Programming in the Coed Fraternity Sorority System," is to give members of the CFS a better understanding of effective diversity programming.
Turco said the proposal "is an excellent one." She said it addresses the stated goals of the Bildner Endowment, which are to foster the study of human and intergroup relations and to help individuals understand the nature of bigotry, discrimination and to reduce prejudice.
CFS executive officers spent a day last month in a workshop with an expert on diversity and the Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council is now planning a panel discussion for sometime this term to discuss race relations, Daniels said.
Individual houses are also addressing the call for more diverse programming through a series of events.
A report published by the Committee on Diversity and Community at Dartmouth in 1993 noted that CFS organizations, as well as many other student organizations, need to play a more active role in supporting diversity.
The committee's report stated that CFS organizations on any campus reinforce values and affinities that, among other things, often conflict with pluralism -- not because of any conscious intent but because they reinforce the most "superficial affinities."
Turco said the CFS system has programming goals each year and has increased the number of programs related to diversity over time.
"There had been concerns from students that occasionally there are re programming opportunities might not have their intended impact. On occasion, they might be offensive rather than supportive of diversity," she said.
Last month, Dr. Andrea Avaysian, director of a nonprofit organization called Communitas Inc., held a day-long workshop with the CFS presidents and programming chairs.
Turco said Avaysian was invited to speak to "clarify the purpose, improve the quality and enrich the meaningfulness of programming in the coed fraternity sorority system that supports the diversity of the Dartmouth student body."
Jake O'Shea '97, the CFSC's liaison to the Committee on Diversity, said Avaysian tried to explain that there is a privilege associated with certain qualities in people and she made people aware of cultural and passive racism, among many other 'isms.'
"We also talked more about what we can do in the Greek system with programming," O'Shea said.
Daniels said the workshop was a success and that Avaysian was a great speaker.
"She really loved what she was doing and the officers were able to feed off her energy," Daniels said, "We talked about problems that arise from several 'isms' such as racism, sexism, and ableism."
Avaysian will return next term to help students analyze what kinds of resistance or impediments there are to changes in programming, Turco said.
But before Avaysian returns to Dartmouth, Turco said the CFS will carry out the second phase of Daniels' proposal -- a panel discussion for CFS presidents and programming chairs about race relations.
Daniels said the panel will consist of about eight students from "all walks of life" who will speak about their various life experiences.
The discussion will begin with a viewing of a 19-minute clip from "True Colors," a news article from NBC's Dateline, Daniels said.
Daniels said in the clip, hidden cameras follow two gentlemen in St. Louis go about their daily business -- the two are nearly identical, their difference being one is black and the other white.
"We get a first hand look as the two men involve themselves in different facets of life ... It should spark some good discussion," he said.
Daniels said, "Hopefully with this panel discussion they can hear about real examples of how these 'isms' affect the victims of the oppressor. We're trying to attack the issue from a different angle."
"We are hoping the panelists are able to get through to the officers that oppression is real and that it exists. Additionally, we hope that they are able to provide advice on how to interact with, or treat, the victims of oppression" he said.
Greek organizations and several individual Greek houses are sponsoring programs that support Daniels' effort.
Panhellenic Council Programming Chair Mariam Malik '98 said the council's primary concern is holding events that affect more than the sorority system.
"We realize the influence that the Greek system has on this campus and we want to ensure that we use this influence responsibly," she said.
Malik said this responsible influence involves working closely with other organizations as well as interacting with the Inter-fraternity Council and the CFSC.
"We're really trying to make it a group effort," said Raili Cook '98, programming chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
Last weekend seven sororities co-sponsored a party at Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, which was "a huge success," Malik said.
On the other hand, Mark Zanatta '98, programming chair for the IFC, said "everything is still in its infancy stages."
"Right now we're looking at campus-wide programs -- for example, we co-sponsored the [OutRAGEous] party [on Feb. 3] in Webster Hall. That was something to start off with," Zanatta said.
"Now we have plans for sponsoring a speaker series throughout the houses dealing with diversity," he said.
According to O'Shea, Sigma Nu fraternity is "spearheading" something similar -- a discussion on race in the Greek system.
Sigma Nu programming chair Brad Ursillo '98 said a number of organizations, including five fraternities, one sorority, both traditionally black fraternities, the Afro-American Society and the Women's Resource Center will be sponsoring a discussion on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in 105 Dartmouth Hall about diversity, race issues and the Greek system.
Although the discussion is not intended to be a response to the recent racial incidents on campus, such a discussion at this time "seems highly appropriate," according to an electronic-mail message Ursillo sent to various organizations involved with the forum.
"I would like to see this discussion increase communication between Greek houses and minority groups on campus -- or at the very least, get people thinking about it," Ursillo wrote.
"There is definitely a lot of excitement about this," he said.
Psi Upsilon fraternity is also addressing issues of diversity and the Greek system. It will hold a discussion about racism and the role of fraternities at Dartmouth on Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in 101 Collis.
