When signs by an anonymous author appeared on the front lawns of multiple Greek houses pledging to hold the organizations "accountable" for sexist acts ("Signs contend Greek orgs. are racist, sexist," Feb. 25), they awakened the gender controversy that has simmered near the surface of campus dialogue for years, occasionally boiling over. Issues of gender roles, social spaces and sexual harassment have consistently raised fierce debates on Webster Avenue and throughout the rest of the community. Yet these issues, despite being perennial sources of outrage, have never quite been dealt with adequately as institutional and cultural problems at Dartmouth.
Some have already tried to combat the issue through contentious anonymous campaigns. This week's action recalls the posting of feminist flyers by the self-named "Daughters of Dartmouth" three years ago ("Anti-sexism posters turn heads," Nov. 2, 2007). But anonymous attacks needlessly divide campus, forcing organizations such as Greek houses to defend themselves against invisible foes that are neither accountable nor formal authorities. Incendiary messages can garner plenty of attention, but it is impossible to start a constructive dialogue with faceless accusers. The sign outside of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity referred to the same "Come As You Are" shirts that the Daughters of Dartmouth attempted to address in 2007. Yet the campaign against the shirts made no lasting change then, and there is no reason to expect that anonymous signs will be any more successful now.
Panel discussions and open forums on issues of insensitivity, discrimination and accountability have proven somewhat more constructive. Nearly 200 students attended one such panel ("Forum addresses gender inequality," Aug. 10, 2007) after members of Theta Delta Chi fraternity harassed members of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority during the Summer of 2007. That turnout approximately one-fifth of students on campus at the time suggests that our community is open to direct dialogue and real change. Nevertheless, while these types of panels have been promising in the short term, they failed to deliver lasting change in culture, because they have been purely reactive up to this point. If we hope to work toward a campus culture that fosters equality and challenges insensitivity, then we must address the underlying institutional conditions through long-term, sustained dialogue.
A successful long-term approach would require efforts from all sections of the Dartmouth community. Obviously, Greek and other student organizations would play a major role. Ultimately, however, the administration and Greek organizations' advisors are the only members of the discussion here for more than four years. They are responsible for working with students to foster conversation about the required institutional change and moreover are the only ones that have the authority to enforce new policies. Anonymous attacks and temporary, reactive debates have run their course. Whether the issues involved are as seemingly small as the wording on T-shirts or as broad as the current ban on local sororities, they require multi-faceted, continued discussions. This can help mitigate the complex gender imbalances inherent in the social system, thereby changing the way the Greek system views itself and participates in the campus community.
