Student Assembly recently made one of the best decisions of its history: it decided to make use of the Food Court TVs by offering student groups a chance to advertise their events in high definition. I'm sure everyone will be enthralled to learn about class ring orders in 1080p.
While this is a step forward for the Assembly, it is also a step back. Student Assembly's blitz about the move said: "This service can NOT be used to advertise Greek Houses' events."
I'm not here to criticize the Assembly's use of caps lock. I'm here to analyze the group's desire to exclude Greek houses from advertising events to campus.
Clearly, the Assembly realized that the Food Court TVs would be used to advertise parties. With the unparalleled openness of the Greek system at Dartmouth, Greek houses should have every right to use a multimedia approach to attract guests. Ironically, the Assembly's T.G.I.A.F. blitz is always full of Greek social events. If we want a more inclusive Greek system, using a public message board in this case, the Food Court TVs allows houses to make students feel more welcome. To object to this practice has no ideological grounding, besides a feeling that other groups shouldn't have to compete with Greek houses for student attention.
Student Assembly did not respond when I asked why the group chose to prohibit Greeks from advertising. It is hard to imagine any justification for this besides an Assembly decision that Greek houses are not student groups worthy of public promotion of their events, or that they are too popular already. I invite the Assembly to enlighten the student body of its intent students deserve an explanation for what seems like a Student Assembly dismissal of Greek houses.
The Greek community often finds itself the campus villain in various manifestations: "The destroyer of the social scene and friendships," for some students; "the bane of academic thought," for professors; and perhaps, "the PR nightmare of Dartmouth" for some administrators. But the houses are aware of this image, and constantly work to subdue it. With its blitz, the Assembly confirmed that it perceives a definite separation of the Greek system from student life.
But how can Greek houses improve their campus image if they are barred from advertising their constructive, non-alcoholic events? If Greek houses cannot advertise on Food Court televisions, then Student Assembly's "Do Ask, Do Tell" party could not, by this mandate, be advertised; the event was sponsored by Student Assembly along with 10 Greek organizations. PRIDE week, which held an event at Beta Alpha Omega fraternity, would not be advertised either. Faculty talks, study breaks, student performances all barred. Why, Student Assembly, do you have the right to ban specific groups from using the Food Court TVs? Oh yeah, that's right: blatant anti-Greek discrimination.
To divide Greek life from student life insults the hard work of programming and philanthropy chairs in the 30-some-odd Greek groups on campus. Apparently, all of their work has never made an impression beyond many houses' offers of free liquor. But if serving alcohol is the issue, why are national sororities and historically black and Latino Greek houses also banned from advertising? Is the Green Key Weekend Step Show somehow unworthy of student attention?
As a student government that represents 100 percent of campus, how can the Assembly directly ban over 40 percent of students from advertising events they create and run?
By forbidding houses from advertising on the Food Court TVs, the Assembly has demonstrated the essential misconception about Greek life on this campus: The houses, not the Dartmouth students that frequent them, are seen as uncompromising advocates of sin. To associate all teenage folly with Greek houses is wholly inequitable. Because they provide the only alcoholic undergraduate haven (and I mean the less-than-legal drinking of three-fourths of campus), the existence of Greek houses is colluded with all Dartmouth students' drunken idiocy. Since when is it fair to ignore the responsibility of the adults who legally drink and make poor choices? But the Greeks have been stigmatized, and we undeservedly suffer the deliberately schismatic efforts of Student Assembly.
It's easy to isolate and attack the Greeks. In turn, we could always close our doors. See you at our next party, Student Assembly. We'll put up posters, if that's OK with you.
