Welcome Back: Phi Delt on the Row

By Joseph Rago | Sunday, June 8, 2003

The iron hammer of Parkhurst is slowly being lifted off the great white house on Webster Avenue. Many felt it would never happen, but it is official—the Phi Delta Alpha fraternity is back from the brink of extinction. With the return of Five Webster comes much joy from supporters of the Greek community along with much cautious speculation from administrators and opponents of the Greek system at Dartmouth. In any case, Phi Delt has returned and has its first class of new members since the Class of 2002 graduated last year. The 2005 Phi Delts are a dedicated bunch, ready to do what it takes to integrate the organization back into the Dartmouth community.

The rush process was conducted by returning Phi Delt alumni. Between Friday, January 10 and Wednesday, January 15 more than fifty alums participated in the effort. In an advertisement published in the Daily Dartmouth titled 'Back in Business,' the alumni sought to recruit 'well-rounded, high quality men interested in helping us rewrite the next chapter in our organization's history.'

More than seventy-five sophomores came through the house during rush. Nineteen sunk bids by the end of rush, a total rivaling other more established fraternity numbers.

George Faux '84, Phi Delta Alpha corporation president and a Citibank executive, was instrumental in laying the early groundwork for the provisional return of the fraternity. Faux met with Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman last spring and has been in almost constant consultation with him since. Faux remained optimistic and enthusiastic about Phi Delt's eventual return to campus.

The Corporation installed a set of provisional house officers after the rush period. President Rob Freiman '05 is excited about the return of the fraternity. 'Almost every day students approach me and say how they are psyched to have a new place to hang out, especially a Greek organization on the Row,' he said.

Phi Delta Alpha was temporarily derecognized by Redman in March 2000 for a period extending through the fall of 2002. The action stemmed from a series of misconduct incidents over several months. In perhaps the most well-known, four Phi Delt brothers broke into the Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity and attempted to set curtains on fire with citronella oil. Another stole a small refrigerator on the way out. There were several other charges involved in the judicial proceedings, including allegedly serving alcohol to minors, tolerating drug use, 'dirty rushing,' and hazing new members during pledge period. It was largely due to the convergence of these several issues at the same time, rather than a single specific incident, that led to the sanction. Dean Redman emphasized, however, that the primary reason that Phi Delt was derecognized was due to dishonesty and a failure to hold brothers accountable for their actions.

The derecognition proceedings were surely influenced by the charges of Zeev Dansinger, whose son Adam Dansinger '00, a former Phi Delt brother, was permanently paralyzed in a car crash coming home from a concert in Burlington, Vermont. Mr. Dansinger accused the College and the fraternity of culpability in the accident, alleging that the crash and the fraternity were somehow related, and threatened to sue the administration for negligence and enablement. Police who investigated the crash found no evidence that the students involved had been using either alcohol or narcotics, and Phi Delta Alpha was never found legally liable in any way for any action stemming from the allegations.

Permanent fraternity derecognition at Dartmouth has claimed several houses in the past. Phi Delta Alpha will be the first, and probably only, house to return to campus since the announcement of the Student Life Initiative in 1999.

The Beta Theta Pi fraternity was permanently derecognized in 1996. Administrators and anti-Greek activists were offended when Beta brothers allegedly shouted 'vulgar,' 'racist,' and 'homophobic' slurs at passersby and after the discovery of a 'racist' and 'sexist' poem targeting Indians that was read at fraternity meetings. Beta also came under fire for purportedly attacking a Sigma Nu brother on the front lawn of the Tabard co-ed fraternity, kidnapping and harassing a Chi Gamma Epsilon brother, and ultimately violating social restrictions that had been placed on the fraternity.

The Zeta Psi fraternity was derecognized in 2001 because of the uproar stemming from the dissemination of a house newsletter. The newsletter depicted the sexual exploits of house brothers and was apparently demeaning to women. In a letter addressed to the entire Dartmouth community, President Wright said that he was 'outraged' and 'deeply offended' over the newsletter because 'such degradation only debases us all.' The incident attracted national media coverage.

The fate of those two fraternities is one that the new Phi Delta Alpha brothers are looking to avoid. Though there will not be a total break with past traditions, the overwhelming sentiment is that the fraternity will modify the old ways to suit a radically changed campus atmosphere, changes that will be guided by adherence to the College's 'Six Principles' Greek initiative. The six principles are 'scholarship, leadership, service/philanthropy, brotherhood/sisterhood, inclusivity, and accountability.'

The process of re-recognition is a grueling one, and Phi Delta Alpha will have to comply with a long list of requirements, qualifications, and provisos in order to be fully recognized by the administration. At the moment, the fraternity is considered what the College terms a 'colony' or 'interest group.' First and foremost, Phi Delta Alpha will have to 'find an identity' and formulate an 'action plan' before they are accorded full recognition. Freiman is in weekly consultation with Assistant Dean of Residential Life Cassie Barnhardt to comply with these stipulations.

Phi Delta Alpha has been accorded nonvoting membership, pending full recognition, in the Inter Fraternity Council and the Greek Leadership Council as well.

In the meantime, new members have been largely occupied with work on the house itself, which was in need of major cleaning to reduce the grimness of nearly two years of inoccupation. Before the rush period, alumni hauled over forty cubic yards of garbage from the house. The physical plant is also undergoing major renovations to comply with College residential code and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Workmen are currently in the process of installing a new boiler, heating system, and pipe work; the second and third floor bathrooms have been completely replaced. Members are currently in the process of acquiring new furniture to outfit the house, and the fraternity will likely be accorded residential status during the summer term.

Because of the College alcohol policy and social restrictions relating to 'interest group' status, the social scene at Phi Delt itself will be nonexistent and closed for the time being, at least through the winter and spring terms. Over time, the fraternity will reemerge and be reintegrated into campus social life. New brothers hope to sponsor a band to play on the front porch of Five Webster over Green Key Weekend. 'If all goes as planned, our Green Key party will be the first open event at the house since before the derecognition,' Freiman said. In 1999, the reggae band Toots and the Maytals played over Green Key weekend at Phi Delt to kick off the Webster Avenue block party, which, before derecognition, was a popular spring bash. Toots and the Maytals were the most expensive band ever to play at Dartmouth at no cost to students.

Brothers have been engaging in joint events with other houses in the interim. They also recently held a banquet dinner for members of the Hanover police and fire departments.

Ultimately, the resurrection of Phi Delta Alpha is an exciting opportunity to restore a venerable campus institution. Coming at a critical juncture—a time when the College is not only discounting but actively repudiating many of its oldest traditions and when the administration regularly exhibits open hostility to the Greek system—it is heartening to think that Parkhurst may allow a functioning fraternity to return to Webster Avenue.

Welcome Back: Phi Delt on the Row

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