Everyone seems to be against President Wright. He took quite a drastic move. Who did he think he was kidding? What good could it do? Absolutely none, right? Wrong. Stop. Put down your beer and remember that you're at an Ivy League College. You're at Dartmouth. So think.
This decision is going to mean less wild parties, less alcohol, less of a good time for you. All you care about is today. But stop for a moment and think about tomorrow. When I told a Greek supporter to think about tomorrow, he said he didn't care -- he's here for four years and who cares about what happens after that? I do. I care. I want a future.
I had a friend at a Texas University. He was 18 and one night less than a month ago he slid down a stair banister, fell three floors and died. He had been at a party; he had a fake I.D.; he had a blood alcohol level of .223. His family was devastated. I still can hardly believe it. You don't care about the future? Well, neither did my friend, and now he doesn't have one.
But that doesn't have any affect on you, does it? You're invincible. You'd never do anything that stupid. But I've seen you do it. I've seen you drink so much that you throw up for an hour straight. I've seen you hurt yourself and hurt others because you don't have control over your own actions. I've seen you do plenty of stupid things and I know that you are not invincible.
And there's more. I care about my future. Ten years from now, I want to say, "I graduated from Dartmouth." I want to be proud of it. But how will I do that if ten years from now Dartmouth is still known for alcohol abuse? I won't be proud of that. And though you may not realize it now, neither will you.
You say President Wright is casting away years of tradition. Listen to your hypocrisy. Because what have the fraternities been doing all this time but "throwing up" on tradition?
When it was formed, the Greek system was meant to promote fellowship, to contribute to the community, to give students far from home a family. How do you promote fellowship now? By sharing so many beers that you cannot even understand what your friends are saying. How do you contribute to the community? By opening your doors so that you have a greater range of people to hit on. How do you create a family? By having brothers and sisters who fight drunkenly over the latest dirty gossip. Yes, you all surely believe in tradition.
And yet neither am I saying that there are no exceptions. I know of a few Greek houses that truly carry on the high standards of years past. They create lasting friendships and strong support systems for their members. And I think President Wright knows this. By closing down the Greek system and taking other steps to improve social life for students, President Wright and the Trustees will be making room for those superior qualities to thrive in a more inclusive setting. This decision will open better social opportunities that will help Dartmouth to stand tall. President Wright and the Trustees have pure motives, and their actions, though drastic, are right. I believe in the Dartmouth Spirit. I want it to stay clean. I, for one, stand up straight and sober behind the President and the College.
