Responding to the announcements made by the Board of Trustees and President James Wright to end the Greek system "as we know it," Greek leaders decided in a special meeting last night to cancel all 21 Winter Carnival parties registered for this weekend.
The meeting of all Coed Fraternity Sorority Council executives, Alpha Delta House Adviser John Engelman and Greek house presidents, programming liaisons and alumni relations organizers decided by a vote of 23 to 12 to cancel the parties, CFSC President Jaimie Paul '00 said.
Paul said the parties were canceled in order "to really show the positive impact that the Greek system has on this campus ... and to kind of show people what might Dartmouth be like if that option weren't there."
"It's also to really generate alumni response and enthusiasm, with the hopes that they contact administrators and Trustees," she added.
Paul said Psi Upsilon fraternity has also decided to cancel its traditional Winter Carnival keg jumping contest and instead will hold a public forum regarding the status of the Greek system. The fraternity will not distribute the T-shirts it had ordered to accompany the festivities.
Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity President David Luckenbach '00 said his fraternity is "completely behind" the decision to cancel the Carnival parties.
"From our perspective, it's a statement that we are serious about keeping the Greek system intact, that we will go to drastic measures to make sure that it stays alive, and that our house will survive," Luckenbach said.
The reaction among Tri-Kap brothers to the announcement made by the Trustees and Wright was "a little frantic at first, just because of the surprise of the announcement, but everyone is definitely more clearheaded now," Luckenbach said after the fraternity's meeting last night.
He said many of the fraternity brothers felt "blind-sided" by the surprise announcement.
Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity President Timothy Naples '00 said he voted against canceling the parties, but his house will abide by the decision.
"I think if we show that we can have parties in a controlled environment and nothing happens ... that would show them that we're responsible," Naples said.
He added he is "not sure" if canceling the parties is "the greatest way to bolster support" for the system, particularly with alumni coming up for the weekend who may be "disappointed" by the lack of parties.
Naples said one of the strongest responses within his fraternity to the announced changes to the Greek system was one of confusion. He said it is unclear what specific changes are planned, and the brothers have had difficulty responding without knowing exact information.
Other initiatives
The participants in last night's meeting established two other initiatives in response to the announcement, Paul said.
She said members of fraternities and sororities will engage in a letter-writing campaign to alumni, members of the Board of Trustees and national newspapers in order to try to generate support for the Greek system.
The committee is also encouraging fraternity and sorority members to wear clothing with the Greek letters that represent their organizations, in order to "try to show by numbers" that the system is a "huge force" on the campus, Paul said.
In addition to the fear of eliminating the Greek system altogether, Paul said many speakers at the meeting last night were particularly upset about idea of losing single-sex social options at the College. While they would not resent the addition of more coeducational organizations, Paul said they expressed concerns about "long-standing traditions being taken away."
Paul said students at the meeting also felt as if they were "backed up against a wall" by the announcement, and members of the Greek system responded with "a lot of energy."
She said some people are "absolutely infuriated" and are "kind of trying to backlash."
But others are "really pumped about the power of the system right now and are really excited about our possibilities to cause changes, and I think the people who felt that way were present at the meeting tonight."
"And yes -- some of them [at the meeting] were pissed -- but they're also excited about the possibilities right now," she added.
Paul said the committee made no official plans for protests. She said if individuals make the decision to "backlash" against the announcements, "that burden of choice is really going to lie on the individuals" -- not on CFSC or any of the houses.
Students had originally planned yesterday afternoon to congregate in the middle of the Green and march to Wright's house, but they canceled the parade in order to plan an official, organized response to the announcement. Paul said the march will not be rescheduled.
Paul said she thinks the Greek system should go through "serious changes."
She said she feels there is a need for more alcohol-free social options, more sororities and increased interaction between fraternities and sororities.
"A lot of times, especially on issues like this, students and administrators are pitted against each other, and a lot of students feel that way right now," Paul said. "I want to make it clear that we need to work with the administration if we want to see a change happen."
Naples said rather than dismantling what the College has, it should do more to create additional social options. He said there is no bowling alley, sports bar or other 24-hour establishment in Hanover.
"If you want the social scene to change, give us more options," Naples said.
