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The Dartmouth
July 27, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Candidates debate Greek issues

Student Assembly presidential candidates Molly Bode '09 and Lee Cooper '09 debated issues surrounding Dartmouth's Greek community on campus at Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in the second of three debates leading up to the Assemby elections on April 8 and 9. The dialogue centered on how to improve gender and minority relations within the Greek community, and the candidates discussed ways to create alternative social spaces on campus.

Cooper, who is a member of Alpha Delta fraternity, said he would work to make the Greek system more inclusive through collaboration between Greek organizations that would "bring men, women and minority groups under the same roof."

He added he would revitalize existing Greek life on campus by boosting minority participation.

Bode, a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, said she has already worked to provide the College with social options in alternative spaces in her role as a vice president in the Assembly.

Bode used Thursday's debate to respond to a comment Cooper had made in Tuesday's debate about her social life initiatives. Cooper had criticized Bode's work to host an alternative social space party in the Cutter Shabazz house, saying it was a "failure."

"The Cutter Shabazz party was not a failure," Bode responded. "190 students came, and 90 of those had never been in the space before."

Cooper said he believed the failure was the lack of collaboration that occurred between the Assembly and other organizations.

"Co-sponsorship is not collaboration," he said.

Both candidates agreed that the College has the space to incorporate new Greek organizations into social life, referencing the five recently purchased houses on West Wheelock Street.

Cooper said he believes that giving minority Greek organizations their own space could help to revitalize their memberships. He also stressed the necessity of "creative solutions" to the problem of gender and minority relations.

"We may need to look outside Greek life for these kinds of answers," he said.

Due to her role on the Student Life Committee, Bode said she is better able to understand what students want in terms of social life. She proposed the creation of more non-Greek social spaces.

"Get a floor for, say, the Boggle Club," she said.

Dining spaces can also be engineered to promote more social interaction, Bode said.

Both candidates discussed the College's decision to reinstate Beta Theta Pi fraternity as a national organization, due to Dartmouth's mandate that the fraternity not return as a local chapter.

"That's a huge loophole that we need to rip open," Cooper said.

The College's decision on Beta will help open the way for the addition of local sororities, Bode argued. Cooper said the College policy regarding the addition of local houses to campus should change.

"The administration needs to provide financial support for locals to come in," he said.

Greek life is also hurt by the College's current Social Event Management Procedures, the candidates said, adding that the procedures should be changed.

As president, Cooper said he would propose a new alcohol policy that focused on creating "reasonable expectations with stronger punishments." This policy would mean that, instead of restricting the amount of alcohol a house was allowed to possess at one time, the house should instead be held responsible for the safety of the students that are present.

Bode agreed that limitations on the amount of alcohol a house can posses should be reassessed, but said that she thought the true issue lies in the College's judicial system.

"It's not standardized," she said, explaining that the length of probation depends on who decides the punishment.

Bode also emphasized the need for alcohol education programs for all new members, or potentially the entire incoming freshman class. Additionally, she said that she would like to inform all students about the Committee on Standards process.

Both candidates said they would revise the College's keg policy in hopes of making it more sustainable.

The event was the fifth annual Greek Issues debate hosted by SAE and was conducted in a slightly different format than in previous years. The candidates did not have allotted times to respond to specific topics but instead discussed topics openly with each other.

The peak attendance at the debate was about 60 students.

"There are 20 people in this room for one of three presidential debates," Cooper said at the end of the debate. "That's what's wrong with [the Assembly] right now."