The student representatives to the Committee on the Social and Residential Life Initiative listened to students' suggestions for changes that ranged from both impassioned defenses and condemnations of the Greek system to encouragements of more student involvement at last night's town hall forum at Collis Commonground.
Student members of the steering committee -- graduate student Jesse Fecker, Kyle Roderick '99, Matt K. Nelson '00, Meg Smoot '01 and Hillary Miller '02 -- stressed to the 200 students attending the event that the forum was a chance for Dartmouth students to give their input to a still-evolving process.
"We're still at the discussion process," Fecker said, after estimating the committee has met for more than 150 hours so far.
Fecker said the committee will begin to write its report in the next month and that will hopefully finish and present it by the end of the term.
After brief introductions of the panel members and moderator Case Dorkey '99, the floor was opened to student questions, comments and suggestions. "Talking points" -- including freshmen-only housing options, expansion of dining options, and improving or changing social systems -- were distributed to audience members at the entrance to the forum.
Several students suggested that bold action, and specifically the end of the Greek system, was needed by the steering committee to improve the College.
Former Student Assembly President Josh Green '00 said that marginal changes or improvements to the Greek system have not worked in the past and that no matter how few or many houses stay on campus, "pong in the basements" is going to be the most popular social option on campus.
"I really believe in my heart somewhere down the line people are going to have the courage to say the Greek system will go and when it does, people will ask why it took so long," he said. "I hope I don't have to say this committee."
Janelle Ruley '00 said that while sororities might have served their purposes of providing equality for women on a newly-coeducated campus, they are no longer needed today.
"It honestly breaks my heart to hear my friends say that they only find leadership opportunities in their houses," she said. "It breaks my heart to be walking down Mass Row last night and see a girl in a t-shirt and shorts covered in ketchup because it was Sink Night."
She called the debate over the College Greek system the "last battle of coeducation" and urged the steering committee to recommend to the Board of Trustees that it be eliminated.
"If we don't do it now, it's not going to happen," she said.
In response to one student's remarks that the steering committee should keep in mind Dartmouth, and fraternity, traditions in deciding what makes the College unique, Miller said many traditions have been reevaluated at times in history.
She said that some traditions are inaccessible to people and that the College shouldn't take tradition as a given.
If the College goes through this Initiative process without asking questions about itself, there will be repercussions, she said.
Miller drew applause by saying that the College is plagued by negative media images, and these images keep Dartmouth from earning the respect given to similar elite institutions.
Several students touted some positive characteristics of the Greek system.
Alex Wilson '01 mentioned "unparalleled" programming and community service events, the provision of women's space, and alternative residential options as positive aspects of the Greek system.
Wilson, a member of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, said he thinks of his fraternity house, not as a place to "get wasted and meet girls," but as his "home away from home," and that eliminating the Greek system would be "a terrible mistake."
"The way to produce mature adults is not to structure choices," he said, referring to committee co-chair Trustee Susan Dentzer's use of the phrase "structured choices" at a forum last month.
Sabeen Hassanali '02 called the announcement of the Initiative "a dream come true," but then said she after completing this fall's rush and joining a sorority, she felt like she had "a home" on campus.
Roderick pressed Hassanali on whether she felt she could find a similar atmosphere anywhere else on campus and she said she did not think so.
Hassanali said she was surprised by rush and her desire to join a house.
"I found something I hadn't found anywhere else on campus and wasn't expecting at all," she said.
Jennie Lee '01 praised her sorority as a chance for her to break out from the "insular Asian community" and meet new women. She said she was grateful she joined the Greek system.
David Black-Schaffer '00, a member of Phi Tau coed fraternity, questioned whether students would want to join more coed houses if they were available.
"It's difficult to find people now who want that," he said, questioning whether new coed options will bring about the social life the College wants.
Roderick answered him by stressing that the process is still open and that he doesn't think the Trustees have a set idea of what they want the social scene to look like.
"We're students. We wouldn't be doing this if we thought the Trustees had a master plan," he said. "Nothing is predestined yet."
Miller also responded to Black-Schaffer, stressing the need for students to think about marginalized groups on campus and that students might have reasons now that they do not join coed societies.
Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council President Jaimie Paul '00 said she was frustrated that freshmen students might not realize that the Initiative encompasses more than just the debate over Greek life, a point that was illustrated in the discussion of multiple other topics during last night's forum.
Ben Berk '00 said it is a campus fallacy that people can only have deep friendships if they are members of the Greek system, and added there needs to be deeper social interactions on the campus.
He said that while centralized dining is a good thing, there should be more opportunities for smaller, more intimate groups to gather.
He stressed that this is an exciting time on campus -- a time for "dramatic change" -- and that students should be jumping up and down to get involved.
Roderick said he was "disheartened" by the lack of minorities at the forum, a point brought up by Teresa Knoedler '00, and asked for ways to get more diversity represented in the process.
Miller did say she was impressed by the numbers of different campus interests represented at steering committee discussions. In a world of growing pluralism "we have a responsibility to look at ourselves honestly," she said.
All members of the committee stressed their willingness to engage in discussions at anytime, or that the committee can be e-mailed at csli@dartmouth.edu.
Black-Schaffer also discussed the role alcohol plays in the College social scene, saying the College will have to provide "good, cheap beer" to draw people to events.
He said that events in clusters, or clusters themselves, will have to be smaller to encourage a feeling of belonging and the students will have to control the use of social space within them, but ultimately said if the College tries to eliminate all alcohol, ultimately its plans will fail.
Roderick used the alcohol discussion to urge again students to get involved and give the committee input. "It's been said it's hard to compete with free beer for our age group. Well, what options do we want? We don't want the Trustees deciding those options."
Opportunities for first-year students, including freshmen-only housing, were also debated.
While Mia Yocco '03 said she has enjoyed living among upperclassmen, Ricky Joshi '01 stressed the need for freshmen dormitories so that more of the class interacts during the first year.
The panel ran over the two hours it was expected to take, and was attended by several administrators, including steering committee member Jim Larimore -- the dean of the College -- and Provost Susan Prager.
