In the past few weeks, the tension between Greek houses and the ambiguously-defined
"administration" has heightened. Rumors of a massive proportion of houses already on probation and a College crackdown for the rest of this Winter Carnival weekend are commonplace. Aside from this recent increase in buzz, there is no denying that this is just one more clash in a very long-standing conflict between Greek houses and the College. Greek students scream at the administration for destroying their only viable social option. Administrators scream back for the system's reckless irresponsibility. In this heated battle to place blame, no one seems to be pointing fingers where they should be: our own first-year students.
You no doubt are aware of the '07 class. The shmob trend of freshman fall has thankfully subsided, but they still manage to amass in great numbers. If you haven't already retreated to the of-age haven of Five Olde or Murphy's, then you have likely had some incidental social contact with them within the Greek system. You've been jostled by them for beers in basements and glared at them for sucking face on dance floors. They have infiltrated the system, just as we all did, having been most willingly seduced by the flow of free beer and the fascination of a pong game.
It is not by some great genius or resourcefulness of first-years that this has happened. Aside from some notable exceptions, the '07's are welcomed, or at least allowed, into fraternities. There is undeclared sympathy for the first-year who without Greek access would have the limited social options of Programming Board magicians and cheap vodka parties in the Choates. Even those houses with less open arms, still wind up with first-years in their basements. As more than a quarter of on-campus students, it is simply too large a group to selectively exclude using reasonable measures.
Given this benevolence of a system so generously inactive about barring freshman, why is there so much ingratitude from them? First-years behave recklessly at fraternities. This poor behavior is not limited to, nor does it encompass all first-years, but it is still disproportionately characteristic of them. Many don't know the limits of alcohol consumption and get sick at houses. Or if they don't get sick there, they do at Dick's House after being picked up by Safety and Security while stumbling across the Green. They have less respect for the physical plants, including the personal spaces, of houses. They can be rude to the members and invited guests of the houses they go to. This behavior is common to all classes of first-years, not just the '07's. It results both from being newly introduced to the system and being less acquainted with members of houses.
Despite its causes, this type of behavior endangers the existence of our Greek system. Because of the personal disconnection from the Greek houses, there is lower accountability among the first-year ranks. They are less likely to care about how their reckless actions can get a house in trouble. If a house goes on probation is at most an inconvenience for the majority of first-years. But the consequences for that specific house and the larger implications for the system as a whole can be momentous. This risk should not be borne by the houses alone.
James Larimore, Dean of the College, only recently wrote an article for the Dartmouth asserting that, "organizing and hosting social events is a major responsibility." But let's not forget that attending one is a major responsibility as well. The concept of Greek house accountability is important, but so is individual accountability. Yes, first-years are underage but at 18 and 19 they are still legal adults capable of their own choices. Fraternity brothers are not funneling beers down first-years' throats. If anything, they are the people taking that alcohol away from individuals who have had too much. The onus needs to be shifted from the Greek houses themselves to the students who frequent them.
My plea to first-years, and to all students who visit the Greek houses, is to respect the system that admits you. When you go to a fraternity, you are a guest in someone's home, so act as one. Fraternities pay hundreds of dollars in dues and put in hours of work to take on the burden of the College's social life. Don't repay them by indulging in their beers and then reporting them to Safety and Security. The Dartmouth Editorial Board may have put it best in saying, "Consider yourself lucky that you got a beer in the first place, and don't ruin the fun for everybody else."
It is you who will inherit these houses so start protecting their existence now. Appreciate the gift of a social life, and don't bite the hand that feeds you Keystone.
