A panel of minority students and an audience of about 40 discussed issues surrounding racial and ethnic minorities in the Greek system at Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity on Tuesday.
At a school where the administration focuses its efforts to make the campus more diverse, some questioned whether the Greek system represents the overall diversity of the student body.
Older fraternities have historically dealt with discrimination toward minorities, but as the campus continually changes, many came to the program wondering whether the Greek system is changing as well.
Chi Gam member Adam Shpeen '07 initiated the program with the help of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member Lauren Edgar '07 to open a dialogue about minorities in the Greek system. The intent of the evening's discourse was to share the thoughts of both affiliated students and non-members who socialize in fraternities and sororities.
Shpeen said that they hoped the program would "raise awareness on campus that Greek organizations are committed to making minorities feel more comfortable in their houses."
Panelists included Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity members Ian Tapu '08 and Joseph Deutsch '06, Kappa members Monisola A. Akinwande '08 and Diana Dai Phan '07 and Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity member Thiago Oliveira '06.
For the majority of their personal anecdotes and other discussion, the panelists expressed positive views of the Greek system as a whole, but focused on their individual organizations. All of the panelists said they felt welcomed during rush and that they were able to relate to each other as brothers and sisters rather than as people of separate races.
"I feel like at our house, it doesn't matter, the atmosphere we provide is welcoming to all races and peoples," Deutsch said in reference to Tri-Kap.
The only downside the panelists expressed was that because race is not an issue, important racial topics like the recent immigration debate are not usually discussed openly. The panelists suggested that while they felt comfortable discussing these issues with close friends, they were generally avoided at meetings unless some personal offense had occurred.
Oliveira, the only panelist who is a member of a historically ethnic organization, presented a different view from the other panelists. He expressed frustration with the stereotypes that pervade Dartmouth culture and the Greek system, particularly regarding historically ethnic houses.
"Even as a member, I still feel there's not as much collaboration between Webster Avenue Greeks and non-Webster Avenue Greeks," Oliveira said. "One of the things I resent a bit is that I feel like the minority Greeks on this campus are typecast, that you have to be of a certain race or ethnicity to fit into that."
When the forum was opened for questions, the portrayal of Greek houses became markedly less positive. Audience members expressed skepticism about the Greek system on campus, mentioning self-segregation in fraternities, racist comments in fraternity basements and the tendency of white students to shy away from minority houses' parties.
The many audience members also complained that the panel was kept strictly to its one hour time limit, preventing any discussion of possible solutions to the issues. The event's organizers shared this disappointment.
"I think the event went really well; we definitely got a lot of issues out on the table," Edgar said, though she added, "I wish we'd had more time to discuss solutions."
Most students agreed that despite being cut short prematurely, the panel was an important discussion that reflected positively on Chi Gam in particular for initiating the program.
Jamal Brown '08, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, noted during the question-and-answer segment that he did not feel comfortable entering the physical plant of one of the program's sponsors, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
When Brown asked whether any members of SAE were present, nobody identified himself as a member.
Brown did, however, compliment Chi Gam for sponsoring the event.
"It shows that they are making steps to promote diversity and to make future members of their fraternity more comfortable and to educate members of their fraternity about issues that they possibly don't always encounter or experience," he said.
