To the Editor:
As the president and vice-president of Delta Delta Delta sorority, we are continually discussing and promoting the role of the sorority system on this campus and the reasons we are proud to be members of the Greek system. We ran for positions in our organization because we believe our house provides a venue for women to interact and strengthen emotional, intellectual, and social bonds with one another. We feel strongly that our house provides support and a voice for more than one hundred tremendous Dartmouth women.
However, someone disagrees. Last week, a direct threat was made against our house by someone who has a different opinion. An anonymous letter containing a vindictive and malicious threat was sent to Safety and Security through the Hinman mail service. It is disconcerting to realize that a fellow student believes sending an anonymous threat to Safety and Security and the College Administration is a solution to a disagreement they have with our house. As educated individuals, we like to think that we respect each other enough to deal personally with issues that may arise and not turn to faceless attacks.
As it stands now, we have no idea why you chose to threaten our house. Do you dislike us specifically or was the attack directed at the sorority system or the Greek system as a whole? Without providing more details or your reasons for the letter, your threat has little legitimacy or point. We cannot try to answer your questions, understand the antagonism you have, or explain our purpose and goals as an organization if we have no idea who you are or what your motivations are.
Everyone on this campus seems to have an opinion about the Greek system and its role in campus life. Many students and administrators want to see the system evolve and improve. But unless discussion takes place, those with the power to shift the direction of the system cannot take all viewpoints into consideration. An anonymous threat like this does not promote change -- rather it angers people within the system who have no idea why it was sent.
Instead of ignoring your letter, we personally invite you to contact us. We would like to resolve your feelings of animosity toward us or at least understand the reasoning behind them. The entire sisterhood of our house is upset about your course of action to this point. Faceless and unsubstantiated threats against anyone cannot serve to resolve anything because there is no communication. In fact, threats heighten antagonism instead of instigating change. We do not know what you believe needs to be improved, and you do not know our reasons for existing as we do. If you want to meet individually with either of us or hold an open forum with our house, contact us. We are proud to put our names on this letter.
