In his recent column in The Huffington Post, Ezra Tzfadya '07 alleges that the Greek system at Dartmouth is an appalling, destructive force that must be defeated. Despite a clear lack of knowledge and experience on the matter, not to mention the six years he passed in silence, Tzfadya unapologetically maligns the College and its entire social culture.
Right out of the gate, there are clues that Tzfadya does not really know much about our social culture. In fact, after reading his article, you might even be asking yourself whether Tzfadya actually attended Dartmouth. The accusations of ubiquitous vomiting and students curled up on basement floors crying are outlandish enough, but Tzfadya goes on to claim that amid this debauchery, Dartmouth students merrily play beirut. Now, I cannot claim to know what was happening at Dartmouth in 2007, but I can definitively say that I have yet to come across a game of pong played without paddles. Unless Tzfadya's admittedly rare nights out were when houses were hosting special "everything that is not a Dartmouth party" parties, I find his claims quite hard to believe.
It seems that Tzfadya picked an awfully specific time to release this sordid "expose." Not only did he remain silent during his time here and in the years immediately following graduation, he also happened to publish his piece around the time that regular decision acceptance letters came out and several weeks before Dimensions, when numerous prospective students and their parents are likely to be researching Dartmouth life and come across his piece. This seems deliberately calculated to inflict maximum damage on his alma mater. Some might say I calculatedly wrote this article just before Dimensions as well, and they would be right. I hope prospective students are reading this now so they can see that we are not the depraved, fraternity-obsessed campus that some unfortunate stories in the media have depicted.
Is the Greek system or social scene perfect? Admittedly no, but neither is any school's. There will always be students who enjoy socializing in an environment that includes imbibition, loud music and dancing, as well as students who do not enjoy these in any way. Campus diversity is reflected in how students enjoy spending their nights. The beauty is that no one is being forced to go out to parties or participate in the drinking that Tzfadya implies leads to students soiling themselves and weeping on filthy floors. As a college student, you are responsible enough to find friends whose preferences match yours. You cannot expect the College to do this for you or to shut down the parties that other students enjoy just because it is not your choice of Saturday night activity.
Compared with most schools, Dartmouth's social life is tame. While you may find rampant vomiting indoors and students lying in the fetal position at some other schools, not to mention frequent day drinking and keg stand games, you would be disappointed if you come here in search of that. Parties here have alcohol, pong games and people dancing, but not more than at the average young-adult get together. The inclusivity here is unmatched; try walking into a party uninvited at just about any other school, especially in a group with a large number of males, and let me know how that goes.
As politically incorrect as it may sound, it does make sense that, at our Ivy League institution, some segments of the student body find what is considered tame at other schools to be inexcusably hedonistic and depraved. Even if Tzfadya did not intend to be malicious in publishing his piece, his method of delivery hurts both the school and the argument he stands behind. Instead of having well-informed, contemplative pieces of writing at our disposal to use as a basis for reflection, we are left with an exaggerated, bitter article that merely incites defensiveness and engenders disputes that get us nowhere.
