To the Editor:
Saturday night marked Dartmouth's annual home contest with the Princeton hockey team. I was seated behind two rows of Alpha Chi pledges and members -- an inference I drew from the presence of several signature red AXA hats. When the Dartmouth Aires began to sing the national anthem, I was dismayed to notice that the Alpha Chi pledges refused to remove their hats in observance of our anthem.
Although I understand that members should show pride in their house, it seems that there comes a time when we stop being fraternity members and start being Americans. I am not sure whether these pledges were asked never to remove their hats, but refusal to do so is a known sign of disrespect for our great country. It seems particularly important in these times of divisive national politics and a polarizing war in Iraq to at demonstrate that we can still stand together as Americans despite our differences.
