About 60 students gathered in Shabazz Hall last night to discuss the posters Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity used to advertise its party last Saturday, which many members of the African American society found offensive.
The discussion ended with students talking about ways to improve communication on campus.
The posters featured "Good Times" star Jimmy Walker.
AAm President Llezlie Green '97 opened the discussion. She said, "Many of AAm's members were offended and appalled by the posters."
"Many of us felt exploited in many ways," she said. "We were upset not as much at the posters as at the image they portray."
Tri-Kap President Eugene Kim '97, offered an apology on behalf of his fraternity.
"It was a mistake," Kim said. "It was not our intention to degrade or exploit anyone. We chose the picture because we thought it was funny."
Many Tri-Kap members said they were upset AAm did not inform them of their feelings sooner, particularly because of the letter that was sent to The Dartmouth.
Green said at last Thursday's AAm meeting, members voted to "write a letter explaining our discontent to Tri-Kap and to carbon copy the letter to The Dartmouth."But Kim said, "If we had been told, the posters would have been down the same day."
AAm members said taking the posters down would not have been sufficient, arguing that they needed to use Tri-Kap as an example for the rest of the school.
"Anyone can take a poster down. We're sorry that we had to use you as an example, but it is something that is perpetuated throughout Dartmouth and must stop," Hillary Ferguson, an exchange student from Spelman College, said.
AAm members echoed Ferguson's statement that the portrayal of negative black images is a campus-wide problem.
"We're not trying to declare war on Tri-Kap," Green said. "Our campus has done this continuously and we felt it was necessary for us as an organization to make a public statement on this issue."
Most in attendance agreed that the controversy reflects a lack of communication throughout the Dartmouth community.
"If people knew what other people felt, this wouldn't happen," Tikia Hamilton '98 said.
The members of both organizations discussed ways communication can be improved.
Kim felt the discussion was "really productive."
"We wanted to make it clear we didn't intend to offend anyone and we wanted to apologize," he said. "Something good could really come of this."
The discussion was moderated by Nana Ashong '99, chairperson of the Concerned Black Student Committee, which deals with political and social action and issues for the AAm.
Ashong said she thought the discussion was important "particularly for both sides to understand where the other side was coming from."
At the conclusion of the discussion, leaders from AAm and Tri-Kap met and decided to write a joint letter to The Dartmouth.
Green said "Writing a joint letter to The Dartmouth will be a productive way of dealing with an unfortunate incident."
