In the wake of a recent wave of attacks criticizing the Greek system, the Coed Fraternity Sorority Council took another hit last night as Sigma Nu fraternity announced that it will secede from that organization effective June 5th.
Criticizing the CFSC as "ineffective in representing the views of the system" in a pamphlet distributed to the campus late last night, the fraternity wrote that it plans to take a more proactive role in changing campus opinions of the CFS system.
"Criticism of the Greek system from all sides made it clear to us that we needed to take action," Sigma Nu President Frank Yoshida '02 told The Dartmouth last night.
Though the letter stressed that the Greek system as a whole has been under fire, Yoshida said that his organization has no plans to secede from the system altogether.
"We're still a Greek house," he said, "but we feel that the CFSC does not accurately reflect our interests."
According to Yoshida, secession from the overarching Greek council has been on his house's mind for some time.
He said that the CFSC had conversations about reforming itself when Tri-Delt seceded, but nothing substantial came out of those conversations.
Delta Delta Delta sorority withdrew from the CFSC last May saying that the goals of their organization differed from those of the council.
Members of the CFSC leadership said they were surprised by the house's action.
CFSC President Shihwan Chung '02 said he was disappointed that the CFSC was not consulted with before Sigma Nu's decision was made.
"They have shown that their individual self-inerest is more important [to them] than the Greek system as a whole," Chung said.
Vice President of the CFSC Lauren Lafaro '02 also told The Dartmouth that the withdrawal comes as a shock.
"I'm especially surprised because less than a week ago Frank Yoshida was in a meeting with a number of other CFSC members [working on reforming the constitution]," Lafaro said.
She added that "we've been addressing a number of the concerns and ideals which Sigma Nu raised in their letter to the Dartmouth community."
Lafaro also said that while she supports the changes Sigma Nu hopes to work toward, she is "saddened by the fact that the brotherhood did not believe that these ideals could find a place within the CFSC."
Sigma Nu will, however, remain in the Interfraternity Council.
"I'm impressed that Sigma Nu took it upon themselves to take action," IFC President Eric Powers '02 said.
Citing what he described as a degree of "growing disillusionment with the CFSC," Powers said that he hopes Sigma Nu's action will spur positive changes in the way fraternities at the College work together.
"Ideally the IFC and the fellow fraternity presidents will be able to effectively provide a common voice and a common goal [for all fraternities]," Powers said.
He would not speculate, however, on how Sigma Nu's secession will affect the IFC's relationship with the CFSC.
In their letter, Sigma Nu also proposed the creation of what it described as a "separate advocacy body for Greek organizations ... to be a principled voice for Greek societies."
Calling the new body the "Dartmouth Greek Council," the fraternity wrote that it hopes such an organization will "secure stronger and more accurate representation for Greek houses on campus."
"We believe in a Greek organization that promotes positive aspects of Greek life and is less of a governing body," Yoshida said, adding that he believes much of the criticism that the Greek system has recently faced could have been addressed more effectively.
"While I respect the fact that the CFSC has been working on these things year in and year out it seems to have been a cycle of action-reaction," he said.
The fraternity's suggestion, however, provoked criticism from leaders of other Greek organizations.
IFC Vice President Peter Stern '02 strongly chastised Yoshida for presenting the idea as Sigma Nu's own, saying that other Greek leaders had been working on a similar proposal for some time.
"Ashley Freschette and Tasha Francis [Tri-Delt Panhellenic Council presidents respectively] worked hard to formulate that plan, and your house selfishly took credit away from them," Stern said.
Although he supported Sigma Nu's stance on the creation of the council, Stern said that "making a false, unoriginal comment like that [regarding the council] is antithetical to the principles of community to which you ignorantly refer in your letter."
Lafaro challenged the idea of the creation of a new Greek council.
"I disagree with the implication that the CFSC does not have the potential to more fully represent individual views within the Greek community," she said.
"One of the largest areas we have been looking at in our constitutional reform process has been how the CFSC can reflect the diverse views of individual Greek organizations."
