The College has imposed a moratorium on the formation and recognition of any additional Greek houses - stymieing efforts by the Panhellenic Council to form a ninth sorority and a similar plan to form a new coed house.
The moratorium comes in response to the Board of Trustees' social and residential life initiative and will remain in effect until after the Trustees have decided on what the College's new social system will be.
"As [the Trustees] talk about the implications on the [Coed Fraternity Sorority] system we want to know exactly where we're headed in the future before we recognize an organization with a constitution that may or may not be consistent with what the Trustees advise us to do in the future," Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson said regarding the reasons for the moratorium.
Nelson said the decision was made "in consultation with senior officers of the College."
Much to the disappointment of Greek leaders, the moratorium prevents Panhell, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council or an individual student interested in forming a Greek-affiliated house from seeking official College recognition until a revised social system is in place.
"Another aspect that is particularly upsetting is the way it's come out," CFSC President Jaimie Paul '00 said. "It's been kept behind closed doors. This is disturbing because that's something the administration said they wouldn't do anymore."
Organizers of the new houses told The Dartmouth they were informed of the policy preventing the College from recognizing new Greek houses, whether they are single-sex or coed, last week.
Panhell President Kelly Bodio '00 said she was informed of the moratorium by Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deb Reinders at a meeting last Thursday and said Nelson told her last Monday.
Bodio said the idea for a new sorority emerged after Zeta Beta Chi sorority dissolved in the fall. "The feeling was the houses were already too large and we couldn't take another pledge class like those we have been taking on the last two years."
Panhell organized an informational meeting for interested students, which 40 women attended. Bodio said she was not pleased with the moratorium decision.
"If Fall rush can continue, why can't we start a new organization?" Bodio said. "That seems somewhat of a contradiction."
She said she was unsure how the existing sororities would be able to handle rush next year without an additional house. "I have no idea how we're going to do it. There have been talks about asking the houses to take in like 40 or 50 girls, and that's ridiculous and the sorority system doesn't want to exclude anyone."
Paul said the system "is trying to address existing problems with the new sorority," something the CFSC has been attempting to do since the Initiative announcement.
"I completely believe they should be allowed to go forth," Paul said. "It goes against freedom of assembly ... This whole thing is about creating more social options and here are people who are interested in creating new social options."
Nelson emphasized in his interview with The Dartmouth that students are free to plan and take steps toward the formation of additional Greek houses, but that formal recognition and rights which go along with that under the rules and regulations of the College would not be granted at this time.
He also said students should not view the moratorium as any indication of what is in store as a final result of the Initiative.
"I think this reflects our desire to not make any presumptions about what the future will be," Nelson said.
Jonathan Potter '01 said he and friend Ivan Cestero '01 were exploring starting a new coeducational Greek house but are now unsure of whether to proceed because of the moratorium.
"Ivan and I are at a standstill right now," Potter said. "We're going to have to really rethink what we're doing."
He said he thought the coed house would be something that would fit into the Trustees' vision for Dartmouth's future social system but said he also understands the reasons for the new policy.
"While it's a good time to start a coed house it's also an awkward time because we don't know where the system is going to go," Potter said. "It would be silly to recognize a new Greek house and a couple of months later have the Trustees come in and say 'this is our plan and it doesn't involve Greek houses.'"
Nelson said the policy does not discriminate between single-sex and coeducational organizations. "This isn't an issue of advantaging and disadvantaging certain types of organizations."
