I went bowling on Thursday night. I hung out and knocked down some pins and even ate cheese fries a little. I saw my friends -- as well as one man who was able to "throw" a strike by starting the ball at his chin and letting it roll down his stomach -- and I had a good time. Had the subject come up, I would have said all lanes should be destroyed because they are the "primary social outlet" in all of New Hampshire.
Now, does that make me a hypocrite? ABSOLUTELY. It's an issue I've honestly never ever grappled with. How do I justify my enjoyment of the sport while fundamentally being opposed to its continued existence? I CAN'T. "Continually existing" is fundamental to my liking of something. I cannot like something that does not exist, so I'd better do everything in my power to protect its "continued existence."
Hey, while we're on the subject of bowling, let me bring up something else that's been buzzing around campus very recently chicken quesadillas at the Hop, as well as this whole Greek thing I keep hearing about. Until now I've just sat back and watched the upperclassmen, whom I've always assumed could handle intelligent responses to the elimination of the Greek system.
And for the most part I think they have. While I have never before felt the need to form my own opinion concerning this matter, recent articles in The Dartmouth have stimulated the same area of the brain I use for swatting mosquitoes.
The claim that Dartmouth has not "realized its potential as an institution of excellence" particularly bothers me. Although I cannot see how any one person -- let alone any minority such as that which supports President Wright's decision -- can speak for the entire Dartmouth community regarding its academic integrity, let us assume for a brief moment that this statement is not ridiculous.
Who gets the privilege to define an institution of excellence? It sure isn't this writer. Also, when exactly will every last Newton of "potential" for such excellence be transformed to an all-out kinetic drive to change our name and identity to that of our more well-known sister in Cambridge? Maybe when each and every Dartmouth Greek trades in any defining possession, such as a pledge shirt, house, and overall sense of belonging to a brother- or sisterhood will this happen. He or she might then trade this in for the hopeless monotony and lack of extra-academic direction that might very well await him or her (and every future student with similar interests) at a more excellent institution.
Then again, maybe that's what's so less than excellent about Dartmouth. Maybe it's not so much the Greek system as it is the typical student (who essentially maintains, and is maintained by, this very system) who should be phased out. Someone's not happy with many of us, and that someone is obviously right.
The fact that popular opinion of Greek Dartmouth has been contrasted with the more serious issues of racism and sexism on campus is simply not fair. The outcry to preserve fraternity and sorority houses on campus does not imply a lack of caring for these social injustices. The welfare of our houses must be fought for immediately and with much emotion if the injustice many students acknowledge is to be stopped. Racism and sexism are not coming down to a do-or-die campus-wide decision anytime soon, and there will always be traces of such injustices found in any institution anywhere. I was near tears myself when I read such a comparison being made recently in this newspaper.
Oh, and can we please stop trying to compare the current situation with that of our college in '72? Allowing women to enroll involved equal opportunity as well as a subjection to social norms and the interests of the majority. Abolishing Greeks involves the ignorant and blatant disregard for the interests of the majority and in no way compares to being open to the needs of an entire sex.
Lastly, many of us do not have control over what is printed in The Dartmouth. The fact that a significantly greater amount of space is devoted to the expression of pro-Greek sentiment should not be surprising to anyone sensitive to the desires of the student body. It "is news that people are 'anti-Greek'" because the proportion of this campus that is strictly so is statistically insignificant.
I've tried not to shut anyone out of the dialogue, and am really open-minded to this debate as long as the entire student body is respected. I feel the need to contribute to the outrageously large pool of thought devoted to this subject when this respect is not shown. Otherwise, to tell you the truth, I'd rather be bowling.
