Last night's Winter Carnival Opening Ceremony, billed as a celebration of one of the College's most famous traditions, turned quickly into a statement of Greek opposition to the Board of Trustees' decision to eliminate another famous Dartmouth tradition -- the existence of single-sex fraternities and sororities.
Approximately 900 students -- most wearing clothing with Greek letters or T-shirts stating "Unaffiliated but I support the Greeks" -- converged in front of the Carnival snow structure in anticipation of College President James Wright's first public appearance since the announcement Tuesday of the Trustees' revolutionary social and residential life initiative.
The Trustees' announcement, which mandated putting an end to more than 150 years of single-sex Greek life at the College, included five guiding principles for the future of life at Dartmouth affecting everything from the Greek system to residence halls to dining.
Despite clear statements by Wright and Trustee Chairman Stephen Bosworth '61 that the plan to end the Greek system "as we know it" is "not a referendum" and all that is left to determine is what new system will replace the old one, many outraged students maintain there is still hope that a single-sex Greek system can continue at the College.
And last night's Opening Ceremony of a weekend which, by a vote of the Coed Fraternity Sorority Council will be devoid of Greek sponsored parties and events, was just one of the many aspects of the College which was hijacked this week by a rapid reaction to the controversial plan which most students viewed as incredibly sudden.
Although the protest -- which began with a 600 student march from Webster Avenue to the Green -- concluded without incident, the emotional display by the Greek community set the stage for what is sure to be an extended struggle between the Trustees and much of the student body.
Almost as a representation of the enormous divide which currently exists between the president and his students, Wright's arrival was greeted with eerie silence and only inwardly expressed animosity.
One student yelled "Wright don't sing" when he stood up to join the Aires singing of the alma mater at the end of the ceremony, and students yelled with fists punching the air when it came time to sing the "lest the old traditions fail" line of the song.
Earlier in the day, ideas for more vocal demonstrations spread throughout the campus by BlitzMail but were discouraged by Greek leaders concerned about the message the protests would send to the administration and the Trustees. A "let's fight Wright" chant was quickly quieted soon after it began.
Jeers were clear and pronounced once however during Wright's brief speech. "I haven't been invited to any fraternity parties this year but I'm still intending to have a good time this weekend," Wright said, eliciting the one seemingly unified negative response of the evening. The crowd booed loudly, and many wondered out loud why Wright would say such a thing in front of such an unfriendly audience.
Greek references and symbols were strewn throughout the ceremony. Even Carnival Co-chair Andy Louis '00 wore a Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity sweatshirt, half hidden by a jacket, and many members of the Chords singing group appeared on stage wearing their own Greek letters.
As men's ski team captain Andrew Pennock '99 approached the microphone to address the crowd, he grabbed a Chi Heoret fraternity hat from an audience member and put it on to show his support for the Greek system before saying "I hope these traditions as we have known them will never end."
Wright and his wife Susan clapped after that comment but were noticeably still after he went further.
Pennock used the well-known quotations of College alumnus Daniel Webster from his statements in the Dartmouth College Supreme Court Case to draw a comparison between the State of New Hampshire's attempted takeover of the College and the Trustees attempt to end the Greek system "as we know it."
"It is, as I have said sir, a small college containing smaller institutions within it, and yet there are those who love them," Pennock said, modifying Webster's oft-quoted speech to fit the current controversy.
Pennock used Caesar and Brutus quotes to draw further connections to the current Greek issue. A banner hanging from Psi Upsilon fraternity yesterday read, "Judas, Brutus, Arnold, Wright" alluding to the president's earlier frequent visits to Greek houses which were closely followed by the Trustees' monumental announcement.
The students speaking at the ceremonies were warmly received by the attendees and Pennock's speech, as well as the other opposition comments, garnered loud and prolonged crowd applause and support in direct contrast to the stone-cold, detached attention given to most of Wright's speech.
Chords member Tom Adair '99, a member of Psi U, said the group selected the song, "The Hanover Winter Song" to show what he said Winter Carnival is all about -- "fellowship and camaraderie in an atmosphere of our own choosing -- one that's not dictated to us."
The mood at the Opening Ceremony was so driven by the bombshell announcement that talk of normal Carnival topics like skiing and Occom pond dips seemed too mundane to worry about.
This ceremony-of-sorts ended with all of the crowd intact, despite earlier BlitzMail suggestions of leaving the Green quietly after Wright's speech. Many stayed and mingled even after Wright was escorted off the stage.
President Wright began his speech by saying he has been here for 30 Winter Carnivals and "they've all been different." Last night's ceremonies have opened what will undoubtedly be quite a different and historic Carnival.
