Last year, when I was a freshman, the Greek Leadership Council implemented a new policy that forbade freshmen from entering Greek houses for the first six weeks of the term, with the exception of certain special, designated events. This policy was met with some resistance, much of it coming from within our class. Many of us reasoned that because we were adults and were trusted with the responsibilities of living alone, we could certainly handle a fraternity basement. In retrospect, however, those first six weeks were beneficial to our class because they fostered bonding and allowed us to adjust to Dartmouth in other aspects of our lives before having to adjust to the Greek scene.
The Greek scene, while often very enjoyable, can be confusing and intimidating, especially for someone who is new to the College. We were lucky that by the time we entered that social space, we did not have to go about it alone. The ban allowed us to develop solid friendships beforehand. The ban also caused freshman floors to get much closer over the first half of fall term, helping many of us develop tight-knit social groups that we could depend on throughout the rest of the year. In light of some of the successes of the six-week ban, some people have suggested extending it to the entirety of the fall term. The GLC should not consider extending this ban. Benefits of the current policy notwithstanding, an extension of the ban would not benefit Dartmouth as a whole.
Extending the GLC policy to an entire term would only serve to further stratify the social scene here at Dartmouth. For better or worse, the Greek system is a defining element of the social life at Dartmouth. On any given Friday or Saturday night, not to mention most Wednesdays, students flock to Greek houses. Because students are not allowed to join the Greek system until sophomore year, freshmen are already singled out. Since they are unaffiliated by default, freshmen cannot truly call any particular house “home.” This isn’t the fault of the houses themselves; rather it is just difficult to feel totally welcome in a place controlled by and full of people who belong to a certain group to which you do not.
Restricting freshmen from Greek houses for an entire term would cut off an entire class from one of the most significant parts of Dartmouth social life for a third of their first year on campus. The last four weeks of the fall gave my class the chance to meet and interact with members of other classes in a social context. With a continued ban, structured socialization between freshmen and upperclassmen would still be limited to a classroom setting. Prolonging the ban worsens the tangible separation between upperclassmen and underclassmen instead of creating unity across classes.
One of the main drawbacks of the ban was that it turned Greek houses into a “forbidden fruit” of sorts, causing some freshmen to go overboard once they finally were allowed into them. Extending the ban would only intensify this problem. Letting the freshmen in right after Homecoming makes for a smooth transition on a weekend where most houses are still recovering from the festivities of the week before. The freshmen would also have just come off a fun and exhausting Homecoming weekend, rather than being pent up at home all winter break counting the days until that first Friday.
While it may have its faults, the Greek system is a large part of Dartmouth social life, and all Dartmouth students should be allowed to participate in it. The six-week grace period is important to allow freshmen to get their bearings on campus and establish a reliable group of friends. After that, however, they should be allowed to participate in the Dartmouth social scene like everybody else. This is supposed to be an inclusive community. Let’s live up to our promise.
