What happens when you throw a party, but no one comes?
Fraternity members may at times find themselves at odds with local law enforcement officials, but Dartmouth's Inter-Fraternity Council hoped to strengthen these relationships by planning a special barbecue held Sunday evening.
Stuart Leung '05, a member of Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity and IFC President, called the barbecue an "opportunity to connect" with the invited guests -- members of the Norwich and Hanover Police Departments and Dartmouth's Safety and Security.
No members of the police departments or Safety and Security attended the barbecue. Leung, however, remained unfazed.
"It's understandable [squad members] didn't show because they are busy," said Leung, "but they were appreciative of the invite nonetheless."
The barbecue began as an IFC initiative that was brought to the presidents of the various fraternities on campus. Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was the chosen location to hold the barbecue, but the event was not limited to Sig Ep brothers.
Leung said the idea for the barbecue came from a similar event held by Phi Delta Alpha fraternity during Winter term. The Phi Delt barbecue also included members of the local police departments and fire departments. According to Joe Rago '05, a Phi Delt, the brothers and their guests enjoyed lasagna and salad, and "hung out and played pool."
Rago considered the event a "good way to foster good relations [with the police]," and said it was "especially good for the house considering [Phi Delt's] previous relationship with the police prior to [Phi Delt's] derecognition." An incident in which some members started a fire in Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity was partly responsible for Phi Delt's 2000 derecognition.
Dave Wolkoff, an '05 Sig Ep and the IFC public relations chair, cited similar sentiment when asked about the reasons for holding Sunday's barbecue. "We get a lot of negative perception for being Greek. We felt that if we sat down and actually talked [with the police], [the police] would see we don't deserve that."
Organizers also considered the barbecue a way for the IFC to try to give back to the community through action. Leung cited Tubestock as a reason for such efforts. "There are going to be policemen at Tubestock -- they give up their day for us. They're doing us a favor, and the barbecue is about giving back."
