The increased scrutiny and rash of punishments handed down to fraternities and sororities in recent months can be called nothing if not frustrating. Dealing with the new alcohol policy and the stipulations of the Student Life Initiative have been difficult enough, and now, houses are forced to defend themselves whenever an underage student claims to have obtained alcohol from a fraternity. By giving credibility to such statements, a whole new can of worms is opened.
Students who get picked up by Safety and Security can easily say they had spent time and obtained alcohol in houses they aren't particularly fond of, and certainly will not turn in houses they plan to rush in the future. There are many conceivable scenarios that could lead to false accusations and convictions: students drinking in their dorms prior to attending Greek events, or underage students obtaining alcohol from older friends at parties. Theoretically, we can turn away a student who is underage and visibly intoxicated. If picked up later in the evening by S&S, he may remember being turned away, want to seek revenge and claim that our house served him. What's worse is that most students in the freshman class are not even familiar with Greek letters, and end up making statements like, "the brick building with green shutters," or "I think there was an Epsilon in the name." That describes just about any house on campus, but S&S will further question these students and come to a conclusion about where they traveled during the evening. Do these students have any incentive to name houses? No, but I'm sure they're made to believe something along those lines when they are picked up.
My frustration runs deeper than the fact that students are being asked to turn in houses. Having been directly involved with the administration at a judicial level in the form of a Committee on Standards hearing, I know a good deal about the system. Personally, I went before the COS board facing an honor code violation and did my best to defend my innocence. I held nothing back and told nothing but the truth to the students and faculty who heard my case, but in the end my words were not enough and a punishment of suspension was handed down. I have since served that suspension and moved on with my college life, but I will always remember how it felt to not be believed. This is why I am so disturbed by the recent events. Suddenly, the word of a drunken student is being taken much more seriously than it ought to.
At some point we all need to step back and re-analyze what our College judicial system stands for. It's foundation is built upon the honor code, but no matter how perfect we may think the system is, those who are innocent have fallen victim to it and those who are guilty have fallen through the cracks. Now, we are letting the words of one individual place an entire fraternal organization under investigation. How do you hear such a case when it's one person's word against that of the organization in question? We are giving power to students who are not even responsible enough to control their own actions. We are creating a mindset that public intoxication is no longer the fault of the individual, but that of a Greek house that must have served the individual at some point.
Now, Greeks must constantly watch over their shoulders and find themselves at the mercy of students who get caught breaking the law. By allowing student statements to hold up under these circumstances, the credibility of the Honor Principle is questioned and the security of every house on campus is threatened. I am an active member in my fraternity and personally work hard to make sure we maintain a safe, welcoming and comfortable social space for everyone. We go out of our way to get help for students who may have had too much to drink. We don't serve those who are obviously intoxicated and, most importantly, we look out for one another. These are the details that go unnoticed. Only the negatives are accentuated, constantly creating an obscured view of what the Dartmouth Greek system is really all about.
Suddenly, the effort required to keep our doors open to the campus is slowly outweighing the benefits. Do we need to lock our doors and become exclusive organizations like those in the south in order to protect our names? Do we need to shut down the primary social option on campus in order to send a message? Where will students turn to? Perhaps the ever-popular Fuel night club, or the four pool tables in the basement of Collis. As much as the administration would like to eliminate the Greek scene, they need to realize the importance of the system. It means a lot to a large majority of students and without it, the social draw at Dartmouth would be all but gone. As a powerful force on this campus, the Greek community needs to rally together and take a stand against the issues at hand. One voice may be enough to get people thinking, but the voice of thousands of students will not go unheard.
