There has been much confusion about the history, planning and execution of Frat Free Friday. I hope to be able to rectify the situation.
Throughout my time at Dartmouth perhaps the number one complaint I have heard among women is that the social scene largely takes place in male-dominated spaces; many women do not realize that there are other places to socialize on campus. In addition, one of the primary goals of the Panhellenic Council is to foster inter-sorority relationships. As a result, the idea of a weekend that explores alternative social scenes, as well as brings sorority members together, was brought before the Council during the Fall term.
Because of time constraints, it was decided to hold the weekend off until Winter term. The weekend after Winter Carnival was chosen independently of any other events on campus. Thus, the fact that the party at Sigma Delta sorority occurred on the same night was completely by chance, contrary to popular belief.
At the start of Winter term, the broader membership of each sorority, through its own Panhellenic Council representatives, was contacted about the goals of the weekend, as well as the date proposed. We wanted to make sure that we had the support of every sorority, as this would be essential to the success of the night. When one sorority had previously scheduled an event on the Saturday of this past weekend, we shortened it to one night, agreeing that one night would be better than none. At this time, we secured the approval of all six Panhellenic sororities. We were also informed that Sigma Delt's party was also planned for that evening, which the general council, represented by all six sororities, viewed as a beneficial coincidence.
It was also decided not to advertise the weekend, as we believed that we would incite retaliation among the fraternities. In addition, we did not feel it was necessary to notify the fraternities, as that could have promoted the idea that they must be consulted whenever Dartmouth women want a change of pace on a Friday night.
Clearly, there are differing opinions on this point, but no one can really say what the reaction would have been had the night been handled differently.
After agreeing on a date, the actual planning of the night began. As it became clear that alcoholic events would be involved, the Panhellenic Council turned planning over to the individual sororities, as the Panhellenic Council cannot support or sponsor anything concerning alcohol.
As a result, it was left to individual sisters to advertise and encourage the night. Women sent out Blitzes to their friends, many in jest, which, due to the nature of BlitzMail, were forwarded to the rest of campus, misconstrued, criticized and incorrectly, if not ignorantly, attributed to the Panhellenic Council. I find it hard to believe that on a campus with the intellectual stature of Dartmouth, students could really take some of what was said in these Blitzes seriously.
In addition, I find it amazing that multiple students could research and report the situation so poorly.
The idea to hold a fraternity-free weekend was in no way an attack on fraternities, and had nothing to do with men in general. While many students on this campus appreciate and value the social scene that the Greek system provides, the point was to encourage alternative, female-oriented social settings.
First and foremost, however, the goal was to foster relationships among women. Because it was the first attempt at holding such an event, the scale was kept small. Again, the six sororities agreed upon all the details after presumably having spoken with their memberships about this event.
While much of the fallout about Frat Free Friday has been unfortunate, the purpose and intent of the event was well-intentioned, and those who participated really enjoyed exploring something different within the limited social realm of Dartmouth. In the future, more collaboration, better organization and a larger scale will make the event even more successful. In the short run, Frat Free Friday, and the misconceptions that have stemmed from it, has initiated important dialogue about gender relations at Dartmouth.
