The signs which were posted at Psi Upsilon fraternity, Chi Gamma Epsilon Fraternity and Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority were all taken down by the afternoon.
A small sign containing a letter with detailed charges and a larger sign containing a checklist of negative attributes were posted at Psi U, and women's underwear was scattered on the front porch of the physical plant.
"You have been charged with representing your brotherhood to Dartmouth as racist and insensitive," the smaller sign posted outside of Psi Upsilon fraternity read.
The sign specifically criticized Psi U for using the Indian symbol, which appeared on a T-shirts made by the fraternity this Winter, and described the Indian head as a "caricature of racist stereotypes."
"We are holding you accountable for your actions," the sign read. "It's time you start doing the same."
The underwear strewn on the porch of the physical plant bore messages including "this won't just go away.'"
Psi U filed a complaint with Safety and Security this morning about the sign, claiming it was an infringement on their private property, according to interim director of Safety and Security Keiselim Montas.
"We recognize that recent campus events have brought attention to Psi Upsilon," Psi U president Cary Stathanopoulos '10 said in a statement to The Dartmouth. "There is clearly a need for an open conversation with those who have been offended as well as a larger dialogue regarding prevailing campus issues and we as an organization are more than willing to engage in both. We feel, however, that anonymous attacks are not a constructive first step in any discussion."
The sign outside of Parkhurst stated that racism and sexism on campus take various forms, including "offensive paraphernalia, hostile and unsafe social spaces, attachment to outdated and offensive traditions and institutional impunity in the face of individual transgressions."
The College's Office of Public Affairs did not return request for comment by press time.
The same message imploring accountability that was on the sign in front of Psi U was also included in the message.
The sign outside KDE the only sign posted outside of the organization's physical plant criticized shirts the sorority produced in Fall 2009, on which the phrase "Down to 09F" was written.
"Kappa Delta Epsilon acknowledges that a sign was posted on our lawn this morning," KDE President Zakieh Bigio '10 said in a statement to The Dartmouth. "Over the past term, since the targeted issue surfaced, we've initiated structural changes to correct the mistake and prevent it from happening in the future. We will be addressing this issue further in-house, as a sisterhood."
The sole sign outside of Chi Gam criticized the fraternity's "Come as You Are" Homecoming T-shirts from Fall 2007, which depict a female individual with the caption "Come as You are, because running won't fix your face."
The sign described these shirts as "demeaning" and said that having these T-shirts "conveys to this campus that [Chi Gam] lack[s] any regard for women on this campus."
The T-shirts the sign referenced were designed and ordered in the Fall of 2007, before any of the current members of Chi Gam joined the organization, according to Chi Gam president Ian Rorick '10. The shirts were ordered for Homecoming weekend over a week in advance, and men's rush when members of the Class of 2010 joined the fraternity occurred the weekend preceding Homecoming that year, Rorick said.
Rorick is a former member of The Dartmouth Senior Business Staff.
"The sign posted on our lawn does not seem a respectable or constructive means of addressing an important issue," Rorick said in a statement to The Dartmouth. "The brothers of Chi Gam and I are more than willing to discuss any current issues in an open forum."
Chase Carpenter '08, president of Chi Gam at the time, apologized for the T-shirts in an opinion column published Nov. 9, 2007 in The Dartmouth.
"First, and foremost, I want to apologize on behalf of the entire brotherhood of Chi Gamma Epsilon for any distress or harm we may have caused through the production of our Homecoming T-shirts," Carpenter said in the column. "The issue of deserved respect for all members of the Dartmouth community is not something that I, nor the Executive Board of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, take lightly. We are all deeply troubled by the recent downturn in gender relations around campus."
Carpenter's apology drew some criticism in a subsequent opinion column by Leah Williams '09 published in Nov. 12, 2007 issue of The Dartmouth, who said she "found his response more offensive than the actual homecoming T-shirts his organization created," and said the intention behind the T-shirts remained unclear.
Sigma Phi Epsilon president Eric Schwager '10 declined to confirm or deny whether signs had been posted outside the organization's physical plant.
Inter-Fraternity Council president Zachary Gottlieb '10 declined to comment on the issue in order to give the organizations the chance to respond individually, he said in an e-mail. Gottlieb is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
