Sororities at Dartmouth have been instrumental in strengthening women's voices on a historically male-dominated campus. As one sorority President said at Rush Sunday evening, "With 120 women standing behind you, you can make a much greater noise than you could standing alone and screaming as loud as you can."
Indeed, sororities provide a way for women to band together and take meaningful action. When it comes to women's issues, sorority members have been some of the most vigilant and outspoken people on campus. In throwing open parties, local sororities provide men and women with social spaces that aren't dominated by men. Fundamentally, sororities are groups of women who provide needed support for one another.
But one aspect of the Panhellenic system fails to provide that support -- the current rush process.
Though it has been greatly improved over the years, the rush process still forces women to judge other women instead of standing behind them. It forces some women to end the week feeling excluded rather than supported.
Most people on campus acknowledge that problems remain in the elitist rush process. An inherent contradiction exists between the ideals the sorority system promotes and the manner in which it selects its members.
While Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Delta Gamma sorority are bound by their national charters, the local sororities can change -- many already have. They have updated their constitutions to eliminate laws they thought held their members back. These changes allowed the locals to become more progressive, a characteristic their members often talk about with pride.
But they need to take one more step. Local sororities are in a unique position to make rush a more positive experience for all women by bringing the process in line with their progressive ideals.
