To the Editor:
I appreciate very much the interview of me written by Katie Bell '05 and run on Thursday, April 25 ("Unis '95 reflects on founding of Amarna"), but I feel I have been misrepresented in a few very important ways.
While I did tell Ms. Bell that we did not intend Amarna to have any kind of political agenda against the Greek system, I did not tell her I "never considered myself an opponent of the Greek system," nor that I "disapproved of the 'engineered social programming' that Dartmouth has instituted."
In fact, my experience within a sorority was deeply dissatisfying, and I felt that the Greek system engineered social interactions to be artificial and forced. At base, after my experiences outside of the system, it would be more accurate to say that I do disapprove of the Greek system, than to say (twice, in her own words) that I don't.
On the second issue, I feel it is important to say (as I did in our interview) that I agree strongly with the mission of the Student Life Initiative. I did say that Collis programming would not be enough to change the culture of Dartmouth -- but I cannot believe I used the words "engineered social programming." I applaud Dartmouth's efforts to make the College a place where open, coeducational and truly diverse groups of people can come together. But as long as the Greek system dominates the social scene, this will be difficult if not impossible.
During my time at Dartmouth, I was active in my efforts to improve the quality of life for all students, of many cultures and backgrounds, at Dartmouth. I do not want to be misrepresented as supporting a social system that I oppose.
