My first year at Dartmouth I was in a great Spanish class spring term. Although I liked my drill instructor, I really liked the other section's drill instructor more. I guess I had a crush on him. He was smart and very funny and rather handsome. This was a very innocent crush that had a lasting effect on my Dartmouth career.
This drill instructor, a '96, belonged to a non-Greek social organization that I had never heard of before. He wasn't in a fraternity or a secret society but rather an "alternative" to the Greek system. His house, and now mine too, is Amarna. It is located at 23 East Wheelock Street just after the intersection of Park street and East Wheelock . It is a white house with a small sun painted above our green door. And it's door is always welcome to visitors and friends.
My crush didn't really say much about Amarna; then again I never really spoke to him. But he had a friend who was giving a reading of her senior culminating project down at the house so I went down to Amarna to hear Claire Unis '95 read her amazing stories. I didn't know Claire well, but I admired her too. She was bright and outgoing, very sharp and she laughed a lot, she had a beautiful spirit about her. I guess in some ways I aspired to be like her.
I remember thinking that I didn't know much about this organization but everyone was really friendly to me. I was nervous that my crush might think I was a foolish freshman following him to his house when I had come for Claire's reading but he didn't care. Everyone there was relaxing and enjoying the spring evening. This pleasant evening stuck out in my head the next fall when I was encouraged to come down to Amarna for an open house by another member. Usually I think and analyze things too much but with my decision to join Amarna I was certain of my feelings -- I joined that night.
Joining Amarna has been one of my most fulfilling experiences at Dartmouth. In Amarna I found an organization that chooses to live by a statement of purpose, a place where everyone is accepted regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation and hair color. We expect tolerance from our members, and we encourage diversity. We argue, and we drink some. We cook, and we clean. We laugh, and we cry. We don't have rush, we throw great parties, we even bowl and we have weekly Monday Night Dinners where we invite a faculty member or community member to join us for dinner -- all are welcome to join us at our Monday Night Dinners -- first year students too!
We participate in community service activities and we have meetings like other social organizations. But we do this with a statement of purpose, with a goal and with a healthy attitude. When I first joined Amarna I was younger and new to the environment and I did not appreciate the amount of work that it takes to run a social organization like Amarna. But I know that I am a better person as a result of my membership in this organization. I respect my friends in Amarna and they respect me. Our unity is great and yet we complement each other with our individual personalities.
Now that rush is over I encourage the student body to think about their recent social organization decisions. In conclusion I offer a small piece of advice to my fellow students -- don't be scared to try something new at Dartmouth, try opening a new door, shake hands with a new person, try a different type of class than expected. Do not limit yourself when there are other options to be explored. That's what we are at Amarna, another option to be explored during your four years in Hanover. When I leave Dartmouth in June I want to know that other students will also benefit from a social organization like Amarna so that Amarna will continue to be a place where all students can come together in an accepting environment.
