To the Editor:
This Saturday, our houses had planned to hold an event called “Phiesta” in order to raise money for cardiac research. Last year, we raised over a thousand dollars together. It recently came to our attention, however, that some students had expressed concerns to the administration about the event’s theme.
We responded immediately — we had not intended to offend or exclude any portion of our student community. After meeting with the directors of the Greek Letter Organizations and Societies office and Office of Pluralism and Leadership, we decided to cancel the event. We also organized a discussion at Tabard coed fraternity on Thursday evening, where those who took issue would have a chance to speak with us directly. At the meeting, we first worked to clear up misconceptions about what our plans had been for the event: we were not planning a “Mexican-themed” party, and there was to be a strict no-costume policy.
After opening the floor, it became clear that better communication is needed between the diverse groups on campus — and not solely with the administration — in order to move Dartmouth forward.
We believe that this conversation was a productive step toward better communication between student groups. As members of the Dartmouth student community, it is our responsibility to teach and learn from each other. Our hope is that in the future, these kinds of concerns can be voiced directly to those involved, so that they can take action immediately and collectively to address them. We are open to any further questions and concerns the community may have.
Taylor Cathcart ’15, Phi Delta Alpha fraternity president
Courtney Wong ’15, Alpha Phi sorority president
