To the Editor:
On Wednesday evening, I attended the performance of "Undue Influence" presented by the Hopkins Center, the theater department, the Office of the President and the Sexual Abuse Awareness Program and found the show to be a thought-provoking way to raise awareness about the pervasive issue of sexual assault on Dartmouth's campus.
In recent months, senior administrators and student leaders have emphasized that sexual assault is an issue that extends beyond the Greek system it is a community-wide concern that requires all members of this campus to work together if we are to successfully address it. I could not agree more.
However, when I went with my friend, who is a member of a sorority, to purchase tickets for the show, I was told that she would pay half-price while I paid the full price and would be seated in a different area of the theater because I am neither a member of a Greek house nor a first-year student.
While I commend the administration's commitment to incentivize and subsidize first-year students and Greek house members to attend this important event, their approach is out of sync with their rhetoric. The implication that sexual assault does not impact upperclassman students who are not involved with the Greek system is both short-sighted and contradicts the need for all members of the community to engage with this issue.
Sexual assault impacts every member of the Dartmouth community directly or indirectly, no matter who you are. Therefore, our college needs to draw in every individual, affiliated or not, to the important dialogue created by "Undue Influence" to reduce the incidence of assault on this campus.
If the College administration fully believes that sexual assault is a community-wide concern, then the positive steps they have taken to raise awareness and promote "Undue Influence" should extend to all students, regardless of their year or Greek affiliation.
Chris O'Connell '13
