Life Goes On at Zeta Psi

By Stefan Beck | Monday, April 30, 2001

Lately, even McKinley seems down at the mouth. The beloved Zete dog, a charming lab mix known for his bashfulness, no longer wants to catch, chew up, and thoroughly clean Dixie cups tossed his direction. Even a dog can tell that something has gone horribly awry at Zeta Psi.

Thanks to the recent discovery of a certain ill-conceived newsletter, the Zeta Psi fraternity has had to endure the relentless scrutiny of the administration, student body, various Greek councils, and the Daily Dartmouth. The consensus is that, barring a miracle, the fraternity is breathing its last gasps as a Dartmouth College organization. The most probable outcome of its pending meeting with campus officials is a minimum two years of derecognition.

Derecognition for what exactly? Ask any brother at the house and you are liable to receive the same bitter answer: the Dartmouth administration is calling down the proverbial thunder upon what was, essentially, a joke. The Zetemouth and the Sigma Report are, admittedly, in very poor taste. However, in intent, they most closely resemble humor — albeit humor of a very locker-room sort.

The mood at Zeta Psi during the past several days has been one of grim resignation. Some brothers are optimistic about the severity of the sanctions to be administered, but all expect to lose the house for at least a few terms. Back to back to back games of Ship and Tree are the order of the day, as the brothers attempt to enjoy their final days in high style. Nonetheless, none of the Zetes can accurately be described as carefree. One brother noted that "people realize they [messed] up," but he also made sure to express his disgust with the hypocrisy of the Greek, and student body's, response to the circumstances. He also derided the administration's willingness to react to public sentiment rather than to the incident itself.

The same brother said that he is 'fairly critical of [Zeta Psi president Eugene Boyle's] response,' which he characterized as 'unspecific, and not tailored to the need to deal with the media aspects of the situation—and the way the Daily Dartmouth deliberately chose to 'break' the story.' Furthermore, he said, Boyle 'neglected to point out immediately that this is all a joke.'

The joke aspect of the controversy is the primary concern of most Zetes. For the most part, the brothers are convinced that they are guilty of nothing more than tasteless humor. They are baffled by the vitriolic reaction of campus women, especially considering, as one brother put it, Zete's 'history of good behavior.'

One '04 female, who has asked to remain anonymous, reported that 'Zete was surely one of the most welcoming houses on campus...as a girl. I always felt safe there. The brothers were respectful and nice, and this hasn't changed my opinion of them. I know four brothers personally, and they are as respectful now as ever.'

This opinion is in line with the sentiments of many Zete brothers, who refuse to sell themselves short in the wake of recent attacks. One brother states emphatically that 'not a single relationship has been broken up over this, and every girlfriend [of a Zete brother] whom I've talked to has been more concerned with her boyfriend's well-being than with drawing lines in the sand.'

Most brothers resent the manner in which they have been characterized (or, more accurately, caricatured) by administrators, protesters, and Daily Dartmouth columnists. They know full well that they are not monsters or misogynists, and that they continue to maintain meaningful friendships, relationships, and academic careers, in spite of the demoralizing 'sex papers' (to borrow the Daily Dartmouth's generous appellation) fiasco.

Unfortunately, precious few in the Dartmouth community are willing to acknowledge Zeta Psi's record of fine comportment and contribution. Swept up in a torrent of angry denunciations—and bandying about words like "misogyny" and "institutionalization" —most are far more willing to leave the brothers of Zeta Psi behind.

Life Goes On at Zeta Psi

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