To the Editor:
Katie Greenwood's column on sororities (The Dartmouth, Jan. 30, 2002, "System Failure"), while criticizing a system that certainly is imperfect, contains a few generalizations, stereotypes and hypocrisies that must be addressed.
First of all, she states that, "if you're in [a sorority], then like it or not, you're responsible for it" ("it" meaning jealousy, cattiness and exclusivity). Could it be possible that many of the people in sororities are constantly working to improve them? Believe it or not, there are people in sororities making the houses into better places for minorities. To know that a sorority sister can feel comfortable taking her girlfriend to a formal at a typically homophobic sorority means that people have worked from the inside to change things.
Secondly, to describe the sorority sisters at the dorm room door as "three white women" is to assume that they also fall under the category of wealthy, heterosexual and whatever other categories not based on race that are mentioned in the article.
Lastly, I always find it interesting when a Dartmouth student points a finger at the sorority system and says it is "exclusionary." Yes, it is hard to be rejected, and sometimes it is not fair. But that didn't stop any one of us from coming to this elite institution, even though someone else, perhaps a close friend, who is just as capable and unique, was denied. Also, why do we assume that all people are denied entrance into sororities because they are not cool enough, pretty enough or straight enough? Is it possible that there could be other reasons that are not so shallow?
Yes, it is true the sorority system is not perfect and so often people with so much to offer get rejected, and that is a shame. And, yes, there are people that like to exclude those who are different. But before we crucify all sororities based on generalizations, I think we should look a little closer at the sororities at this college. As an unaffiliated minority, I have seen so many positive effects that sororities have on my friends and peers -- effects that include changing attitudes about those that are different than ourselves.
