When people think of fraternity life and college in general, many conjure up images from the movie Animal House. The movie's inspiration, Dartmouth College, has a longstanding reputation for the crazy parties and even crazier antics of its Greek Community. But this reputation was put in jeopardy this February when the Dartmouth administration announced plans to eliminate the school's fraternity and sorority system.
In a February interview with The Dartmouth, Dartmouth President James Wright said the school's Board of Trustees' decision will mean an "end to the Greek system as we know it."
The Greek system at Dartmouth has long been criticized by students and faculty as an exclusive system that promotes alcohol abuse as well as politically incorrect views. But the single-sex fraternity and sorority network at Dartmouth has existed for more than 150 years and involves more than 50 percent of eligible students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) in 25 single-sex fraternities and sororities. The school also has three coed houses.
While the fraternities and sororities are independent from the school, Dartmouth is set to outlaw houses that do not comply with the rule changes and prohibit their members from registering at the College, according to The Dartmouth Review (the school's independent newspaper). The president and the Board of Trustees plan to revolutionize a social scene that is based primarily on private student associations. But it is unclear what will replace the current social and residential set-up.
The announcement sparked student debate on both sides and produced plenty of student and alumni protest. Although the issue is "dying down," according to Dartmouth sophomore Kathy Valerin, the campus was in turmoil at the onset. Emergency meetings were held by members of the Greek system, and acts of protests were widespread - hanging the American flag upside down, fraternity houses blasting Bob Marley's 'Get Up/Stand Up (For Your Rights)'."
The Coed-Fraternity-Sorority Council (CFS) canceled the Greek system's participation in the school's annual Winter Carnival, leaving the carnival with merely a snow sculpture and a ski race. Protestors shouting pro-Greek chants tried to drown out Wright's speech at the official inauguration of the Winter Carnival weekend. The issue was even brought up in classes by professors.
Valerin, a student not directly involved in the Greek system (known there as an "independent"), describes the Greek scene at Dartmouth as "huge."
"Whether you're in [the Greek system] or not, it affects you daily," she said. Valerin said she is split on the issue - while she does not like some of the fraternities on campus, she says there aren't many forms of entertainment other than frat parties.
"I don't really like the Greek system because of the mentality of guys there... I've had a good time [at frat parties], but I've also felt uncomfortable. Some are worse than others," she said.
Indeed, controversy has arisen over many fraternities' views of women, which are sometimes considered sexist. In particular, two cases involving the degradation of women added fuel to the anti-Greek system fire. Dartmouth's Zeta Psi fraternity published "sex papers" that explicitly described the sexual adventures of fraternity - the document included the names of various female students. One story focused on a female who had sexual relations with several members of the fraternity, all of whom were competing to be in the "Manwhore Hall of Shame." Zeta Psi now faces the possibility of derecognition.
Another incident that enraged students and faculty occurred late last semester, when racist and sexist remarks were shouted at female passerby by members of the school's Psi Upsilon fraternity. Psi Upsilon publicly apologized for the incident and condemned the remarks, but a similar incident occurred in March when Psi Upsilon members yelled "Wah-hoo-wah, scalp those bitches!" at a passing female student (the Dartmouth Indian was the school's mascot until 1974, when it was replaced by a less offensive mascot). Psi Upsilon now faces two terms of social probation.
These incidents, as well as others that have occurred at Dartmouth, have led some to favor ending the Greek system. "I liked [the Greek system] at first," Valerin said. "But it does strain the relationship between men and women on this campus."
But Valerin has some reservations about ending the Greek system school-wide. "There are nice guys [in fraternities] that don't deserve to be kicked out," she said.
Dartmouth's Greek system's dominance is what the administration ultimately wants to change. While it remains unclear how the administration will replace the fraternities' contribution to students' social life, they have been clear that the old system must go.
In Wright's interview with The Dartmouth, the president enumerated his administration's goal: to increase social options at the school via decentralized dining, to create more social space, and to reduce the number of students living off-campus.
"The trustees are giving the students the opportunity to re-imagine social life and residential life at the College," Wright said. "And the trustees are prepared to invest the money to meet [their] inspirations."
In other words, Dartmouth trustees are willing to spend "tens of millions of dollars" to buy back the land and buildings privately owned by the fraternities in order to create new living spaces. Most of the sororities are already owned by Dartmouth and will be the first affected by the new policy.
However, while Dartmouth's administration has plans to overhaul the school's social and residential life, they do not plan to make it a "dry campus."
"I wouldn't even fantasize how to make a dry campus here," Wright told The Dartmouth.
