1)I was rejected from a Greek House.
Last year, during Winter term, I did in fact rush. It sounded fun, and it was only about five bucks, so I went for it. I hiked around campus for about a week and a half, trudging through the freezing snow (thank you, SLI, for that helpful addition to Greek life -- I'm sure it has made so much difference) with a small group of girls I barely knew and an exhausted Rho Chi (that's "Rush Counselor for those of you who don't speak fakey-Greek-acronym) who I pitied because all she seemed to do was carry our coats and purses and such. It was a torturous experience for me, for my fellow rushees and for some of the sisters involved.
The process, overly long, overly impersonal and overly tiresome, grew tedious as I wondered about the work I wasn't getting done while trying to make conversation about my shoes with some random girl I'd been foisted upon. There were two bright spots in the process: (a) the free food (kudos to whoever made that dip at Theta, by the way) and (b) this speech I heard at one house. It was funny, but it was also very poignant. The girl speaking shared a past experience, and told people that she dreamed of a house that was a safe space for women to have fun. I started to cry. When the audience dissolved into little conversing clumps, I went up to her and explained, haltingly, my experience. I told her that I shared the same dream, and that I wanted to be part of her house. I didn't get in. Anywhere. However, I don't count on the Panhellenic Council's statistics because I did not "complete rush" -- I was excluded before the final night.
2)I've been sexually assaulted on this campus, by a student.
Many people know this, as I talked about it during the Vagina Monologues. This is the experience that I described as having talked about in the above paragraph. This is the experience that Katie Greenwood talked about in her infamous editorial. This is the experience that some members of the Greek system insisted that I mentioned only to garner pity. This is the experience that plagued me for many days and nights, as the perpetrator was found responsible but never suspended from campus for a single term. This is the experience which created my semi-catatonic state during rush week. This is the experience that I've finally gotten over fully, and I don't want to rehash other than to point out its relevancy here, so I won't.
3) I'm not anti-Greek.
Shocker, eh? I bet that you were expecting a diatribe about how horrible the system is. After all, I did point out some flaws, which seems to be anathema to many Brothers and Sisters on this campus, and I mentioned the name of Katie Greenwood, dreaded and feared up and down Frat Row. And I'm not going to lie about it -- this system does have major problems, I've experienced them, and circling the wagons to shoot down any critic is not going to help anyone.
This is a disturbing trend among Dartmouth organizations, the theory that any group that is worthy of one's loyalty should not be questioned. From the political to the cultural to the service associations, one needs to be cognizant of the fact that these aren't religions, inquiry isn't blasphemy, and accepting the critiques of others (even those not good enough to be in said associations) will strengthen the overall organizational structure.
But after all is said and done, the Greek system does some great things. I'm not just talking about service and support and bringing together people with similar interests, be they Football or A cappella singing or Grand Theft Auto 3 (you know who you are). I'm talking about the fact that the brothers in a Greek house have actually saved my life more than once. They did it out of the kindness of their hearts, some of them not even knowing me, because I guess it's a house policy or something to be a decent human being.
Once, when I fainted (I know what you're thinking and I'm dry), they called S&S and accompanied me to Dick's House. And another time, men who barely knew me massed up, moved me and kicked a guy out of the basement, when the guy who had assaulted me only a few weeks prior walked in. This last incident made me realize that I'd been accepted by a Greek house after all, just not one of my gender so I could never be official. Which is kind of cool and kind of sad and kind of messed up, just like the system I've been describing, so I guess that this brings things full circle and I'll end them here.
