In Friday's article concerning the alleged incidence of misogyny that occurred at Theta Delta Chi fraternity on Wednesday evening ("Kappas accuse Thata Delt of harassment," Aug. 3), Denise Hasson, Vice President of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, was quoted as saying, "[Members of the fraternity] lost all respect for women because they think it's okay, and the Greek system allows that and is conducive to it."
I applaud the sisters of Kappa for responding strongly to this incident of disrespect, for such things should not go unnoticed or unspoken in a small community like ours. I do, however, take some offense to the arguments and rhetoric that are being used by many women on campus as part of the knee-jerk reaction to Wednesday's events.
As a fraternity brother and active member of this campus, there is one woman's issue that I have become most sensitive to since arriving in Hanover, and it is the reality of the gendered spaces that exist on this campus. For the majority of students here, membership in a fraternity, sorority or coed house is an effective means for finding a comfortable space that best suits their social and personal needs. Somehow, though, it seems we are failing. Let us examine, then, how all members of the "Greek system" (this includes the seven sororities) contribute to the unfortunate presence of male dominance.
I am neither a woman nor in a sorority, but my experience suggests that the women of Dartmouth may not be finding the right type of much-needed feminine space. A closer look at Wednesday's controversy reveals that the sorority being discriminated against --Kappa Kappa Gamma -- is one of Dartmouth's four national sorority chapters. Joining a national sorority certainly has its merits, but as a national chapter, Kappa is subject to national rules, regulations and requirements, with the most well known rules being those that prohibit alcohol in the house or men anywhere but on the main floor or sponsoring parties that have alcohol present. In reality, then, the women of Kappa do not control a space that is entirely their own.
I would never conclude that Wednesday's event could not or would not occur between any other groups of men and women on campus, because it could, which is an immense problem in itself. But, my instinct tells me that we are less likely to see Epsilon Kappa Theta, Kappa Delta Epsilon, or Sigma Delta -- Dartmouth's local sororities -- running into this sort of group abuse in the future.
It is vital for the Dartmouth community that events like these cease to occur at fraternities, and the first step towards doing this is to admonish individuals who violate free speech by making women feel unwelcome on this campus. But it is also important that the women of Dartmouth and the administration realize that it is quite discriminating to condemn fraternities -- as is implicit in Hasson's use of "Greek system" -- as the sole cause for the objectification of the women of Kappa. There is a tremendous amount of constructive change that can be made by efforts from the other side of the conversation.
From a personal approach, this means not only following through on actions such as the boycott publicized by Kappa President Amanda Young but also by committing to larger-scale behavioral changes. Institutionally, this means that women could increase efforts to create organizations and spaces that afford them less dependence on male-dominated spaces. This, of course, depends on the College's willingness to be flexible in allowing for the creation of these spaces.
Perhaps these solutions are not ideal, and maybe the entire social structure at Dartmouth is in need of a tweak, but pointing fingers at fraternities will take us only so far into the immediate future. We can make real progress by tapping all resources within our current system and changing the institutions that are inhibiting women and perpetuating a dependence on male spaces.
Fraternities do not "think it's okay" when women are disrespected and neither should the College or the women.
