This amalgamation of incredible people, who are so good at what they do, is what makes Dartmouth amazing. However, it is also what makes our community scared of criticism, scared of seeing a future different from what we know and scared of making a courageous statement that we know will make others feel defensive and insecure.
This fear is inevitable for us, for how could we not be afraid of shaking the status quo, exposing a hidden truth, moving beyond just the surface and making people angry, when we have spent our whole lives being so good at pleasing others?
After last Wednesday's events, I propose that we stop trying to please others. Instead, we should question ourselves and Dartmouth. We must embrace the discomfort and the insecurity, for through embracing it, we may find courage. I urge our community to see beyond simple solutions. Yes, "self-reflection" is the first step, but what is the next? Are there institutional changes that could possibly make Dartmouth a better place?
In the spirit of questioning, I have a question I would like to address to the Dartmouth community, gathered from members of the Dartmouth community. What would Dartmouth be like if its primary social institutions were coed houses to which students are randomly assigned during their freshman year? While this proposal is by no means a complete answer to the problems that have been discussed over the past week, it is an idea that I have found is most often shut down by defensiveness and skepticism before it is even discussed.
My question is not grounded in the oversimplified claim, too often made, that fraternities or sororities are inherently "bad." Nor is it meant to devalue the close-knit and often supportive communities that can be developed within Greek houses. I merely ask whether there could be greater tolerance and fewer cases of sexual assault if Greek houses were coed and formed through an alternative process to the current, highly selective and judgmental one in place.
A coed house system, in which all Dartmouth students were part of a house but did not necessarily live in one, would give all students a social outlet that would not be comprised solely of like-minded people of the same sex. Allowing people to have access to and affiliation with a social space co-dominated by men and women from all different races, economic classes and sexual orientations would foster more diverse communities and friendships, which the traditional Greek system does not always allow.
Existing Greek houses could be repurposed as coed houses and each student, upon enrollment, would be assigned randomly to a house. Most students would still live in dormitories or off-campus houses, while highly involved upper classmen would live in the co-ed houses.
Each member of a house would have access to the house and could help plan events, some of which could be open to the general student body. Each house could still have a basement, and students could still play pong. But with the greater diversity of people involved, there would be a greater diversity of social events available. I completely understand the appeal of Greek houses; in fact, I met some of my closest friends through my Greek house. But what if we could keep that sense of community and support that Greek life promotes while getting rid of the exclusivity and sense of "othering" that the system creates? I believe that it is possible, and now is the time to make it happen.
Many people may disagree with this idea or find flaws in it. That is fine. But if it appeals to you in any way, I encourage you to share your thoughts with those around you and with the administration. I encourage you to not be afraid of embracing the questioning and insecurity that follows. Our inquiring minds can only make Dartmouth a better place.
