I will begin by saying that by writing this, I am sure to alienate and anger several Greek-affiliated people whom I hold close to my heart because I support the decision made by the Trustees and President of the College. These friends are genuinely great young men and women, and I love them, respect them, and understand their rigorous opposition to the measures. I am also an '02, I (obviously) am not in a Greek house, and my opinions are those of an outsider. In addition, I am in a tight-knit, all-male campus group (though not a fraternity) in which I have strong friendships with those involved; if our group's destruction was mandated by administrative decree, I, too, would be irate. However, I know, in my heart, that the Trustees' mandate was created with the very highest goals and brightest hopes for this College, and I know that this place could and should be an even better place than it is.
That having been said, I think it would be fair to say that the most popular argument (if you've been reading the Op-Ed section of The D) in opposition to the Trustees is the claim that the process is undemocratic, that it is robbing us of our freedom of choice; that we, the incredibly enlightened, intelligent, and worldly students of Dartmouth College, should be able to choose the social system that we desire.
Unfortunately for those who rely on it, this argument is severely flawed. I truly believe that, collectively, we, the incredibly enlightened, intelligent, and worldly students of Dartmouth College, are nothing of the sort. Our goals as teenagers and 20-somethings are often diametrically opposed to those of an institution of higher learning such as Dartmouth. We must remember that while we, in the primes of our lives, are here to have as much fun as we possibly can in four years, the College is here to give us a world-class education. We should graduate not only with knowledge of a foreign language, history and linear algebra, but also of the travals, histories, experiences and opinions of people who are vastly different than us. The modern university or college, in an increasingly shrinking world, cannot remain committed to the outdated educational practices based on textbooks and lectures; it must prepare its students to learn about respect and interact with all types of peopl
e.
While our goals might include obtaining and consuming large quantities of beer and then dancing the night away (and this is often incredibly fun and rewarding), these goals are not in line with those of Dartmouth, the institution. Perhaps they could and would be in line, or at least reconcilable, if the places where such "socializing" occurred were more conducive to promoting some of the above goals of a modern university. Unfortunately, the fraternity houses where most of the parties on campus occur tend to attract a very limited demographic makeup. That is, most campus fraternity parties (and of course there are exceptions) include, as compared to the entire College population, high proportions of white people, varsity athletes, drinkers, binge drinkers, and Greek-affiliates. I believe that this dominance of the social scene by these people leads to the social alienation of many who do not fit the above stereotype or do not feel comfortable in such an environment.
Most would agree that a large portion of the learning we do here at Dartmouth occurs outside of the classroom. With this is mind, I wonder how the existence of a fraternity system -- where the idea, generally, is to join a frat with others who are similar and like-minded, and which allows (even encourages) individuals to rarely, in a social setting, interact with people vastly different from them -- be reconciled by an internationally renowned institution of higher learning. In truth, it cannot. Our antiquated fraternity system is, by definition, exclusive. It alienates an important part of the population from social interaction. It is, therefore, an inherent detriment to a complete, modern and liberal education. Dartmouth College, the institution, has an educational responsibility to ensure that each of its students is receiving the excellent education for which thousands of applicants, most of whom will be turned down, contend each year. Therefore, the Trustees and President
have made this decision based upon their responsibility to us, the students of Dartmouth College -- not out of malice or stupidity.
I realize that 35 percent of the roughly 4,000 students -- those who are Greek house members -- have a very personal and important attachment to their respective houses. I respect that, and I respect their right to stridently oppose the measures. I do not expect to persuade any of them that the Greek system needs to go; they obviously find that it suits and serves them well, and that is why they are members. However, I do wish to appeal to the 65 percent of the current students -- especially the '02s -- who are unaffiliated, to ask them what their stake in all of this is.
If you do support the continuation of the Greek system "as we know it," why do you? Is it out of laziness; are you simply too unimaginative to envision a Dartmouth that could be markedly better without the Greek system? Are you merely in support of free beer and a building to drink it in? And do you really think that a new system would deprive you of these two necessities? (And I would argue that they are, indeed, necessities.) Is your support based upon a fear that there will be nothing to do if the Greek system is done away with? If so, is this fear legitimate? Do you really think that we'd be left up here in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but homework?
If not, does your support stem from a strong belief that this modern institution of higher learning really benefits from a social system based on Greek life? Do you firmly hold the conviction that the Greek system really adds something special to your experience, that it fosters good relations between all students at this College, and that everyone is made to feel welcome at all Greek events?
Or are you afraid of what might happen when this social power, to which the Greeks are clinging for dear life, is redistributed so that every student can call Dartmouth home and really mean it?
I'm not. And I can't wait.
