A Terrible, Terrible Decision

By The Editors of The Dartmouth Review | Wednesday, February 3, 1999

The Trustees decision to shut down Dartmouth's Greek system and replace it with an ill-defined 'coeducational' social system is a terrible mistake.

The plan to re-define Dartmouth's social campus is an insidious bit of social engineering: they want the College to have a certain social reputation, and whatever the historical, popular, rational, alumni and student arguments for retaining the traditional system, they are not going to back down. Animal House has got to go — whether or not Dartmouth's Greek System really bears any resemblance to Animal House.

There is no question that the Dartmouth Community stands, with near uniformity, against the Trustees' decision. The Dartmouth Review's polls show that 89% of students (331 out of 373) oppose the decision. The Daily Dartmouth conducted a similar poll and found that 83% of students oppose the Trustees' decision.

The alumni are also generally opposed to shutting down Dartmouth fraternities and sororities, an integral part of Dartmouth's life for over a century and a half. What the Trustees have done, therefore, is go consciously against the popular will of the Dartmouth community, whose opinions they claim to represent.

Generations of Dartmouth students have come to the College knowing that it is (and in many cases because it is) a social place. This is in large part what distinguishes it from the rest of the Ivy League schools: Dartmouth is a good school, but it's also a fun school. Removing the Greek system would make the College a substantially less social place, and would take away the one thing that really makes Dartmouth unique.

The Trustees' announcement and President Wright's interview were very vague — nobody seems quite sure what the new system of universally 'co-educational' houses would look like, or what the College would be like without fraternities and sororities. There's a reason for that. No one, not even James Wright or Steven Bosworth, can imagine what the College would be like without the Greek system. Take away the Greek system (and the social atmosphere that comes with it) and all you have is an Ivy League College like every other Ivy League College — but in a worse location.

In the face of such a scurrilous attack, loyal sons and daughters of Dartmouth need take heart and action — lest the old traditions fail.

First, alumni should immediately cease giving money to the College. The Dartmouth Review has set up an on-line petition at http://www.dartreview.com/greeks/pledge.html. Visit the site and sign this pledge — never to donate money to the College so long as it pursues the policy of closing down the single-sex Greek system.

Second, the houses should take legal action. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (page 6), the College has no legal right to ban fraternities. Dartmouth's alumni who believe in the Greek system should support (rhetorically and financially) the legal initiatives of these houses to prevent the College from forcing them to go co-ed or fold.

Third, the College has made some panicky last-minute plans to substitute for the cancelled carnival. They've brought in some comedians, hired some musicians. Students should boycott these events.

Fourth, students should sign the petition (circulated by Adam Mirick '99, Evan Koch '99, and Shreeram Akilesh '00) to remove President Wright from office, for his absurd dismissal of the opinions of students and alumni.

President Wright was right when he said that the plans (as proposed) will put an end to the Greek system as we know it. That also means, however, that he will put an end to the College as we know it. President Wright's grand new Dartmouth, full of co-educational houses and God knows what else, will not be better but much much worse.

A Terrible, Terrible Decision

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