On Monday, April 23rd, Theresa M. Pope wrote in The Dartmouth, "Based on what has transpired on your campus, I no longer view Dartmouth as a reputable institution."
I thought I was going to stay out of this latest campus crisis -- really had no interest in hashing this one out; why bother? -- that was my logic. But I feel that I have to thank Ms. Pope for penning that pithy dismissal of my college. Until I read it, and found myself irritated by the audacity of such a write-off, I was sure I had become completely apathetic. The "Zete papers" had, thus far, failed to elicit any truly strong reaction from me. Every time someone brought it up in my presence, instead of engaging in any kind of sharp commentary, I found myself turning inwards, and trying to figure out why I didn't really feel anything. Now I realize that I do feel something -- not necessarily about the incident itself, but about the aura surrounding it.
Ms. Pope also wrote, "I have tried to keep an open mind over the years about the behaviors of fraternities and sororities, but this incident has finally made me lose hope in the Greek system as a whole." This loss of hope in the Greek system is what has caused her to "feel very sorry for the female students of Dartmouth," and, in turn, to cease respecting Dartmouth as a whole.
Where is the logic in that equation? How is it remotely constructive to write us off just because you are appalled by one aspect of Dartmouth? I am so sick of people who think that they can decide for me that my be-all and end-all hinges upon the Greek system. My opinions on the Greek system form one aspect of my opinion about Dartmouth. The importance of that aspect varies at times, but it is never the only thing I use as a gauge to judge this college, or more importantly, myself.
Furthermore, a certain amount of empathy is always appreciated, but what use to me is pity? What use to any woman is pity? Pity can render a person just as hopeless as can sexual harassment. Pity is just another form of degradation because pity assumes that people are too weak or useless to do anything except sit by idly while other people reinforce the belief that to roll over and give up is appropriate. Pity is the easy way out, and I don't need, or want, anyone's pity.
If I am to be pitied this early in the game, then what hope is there for me when I enter the real world? I already have the low expectation that I will, at some point in my life, encounter sexism or other displays of intolerant behavior. I also expect that such displays will be much more hurtful and much more severe than most of what I have witnessed on this campus. I didn't realize that I would also be working against people who choose, when the going gets rough, to simply feel sorry for me instead of choosing to stand beside me and say, "No, I will not just take this. No, I will not take the easy way out. No, I will not stop expecting more from people."
Perhaps you are asking yourself why I take such offense to a comment that, when written, was probably meant to reflect a more holistic opinion of Dartmouth. But what about what this campus does to the Greeks? When a few brothers of Psi Upsilon fraternity chanted "wah hoo wah" on their porch, every member of the Greek system was under scrutiny. That goes both ways. I am not going to be a selective member of this community. When you attack my institution, you attack me. When you disrespect my institution, you disrespect me.
But, despite all this, I have to say thank you, Ms. Pope; it is probably a good thing that I don't have your respect anymore. That, because of this, you can discount my entire institution, and by doing so, discount all of the "reputable" things I've done at it, then I probably didn't need your respect to begin with. Since respect is only worth as much as the person it comes from, that goes for anyone who is foolish enough to equate my entire college experience with what they think of the Greek system.
