Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Fratless Fun?
Slightly off the beaten path, this month's Dartmouth Independent has an excellent article by Michael Murov on the administration's views about social spaces at Dartmouth. Murov does a good job of explaining the philosophical intuition behind the Wright administration's approach to alternative social opportunities and their efforts to create new places to hang out and have fun. Insightful quotes from Martin Redman, the Dean of Residential Life, are featured throughout the article and really sheds light on what's going on inside Parkhurst. As always I'm surprised by Dean Redman's candor - he admits that Lone Pine is pointless and suggests that the college should pay for alcohol. Last year, I was at a public discussion where he said that he wanted to get rid of affinity housing. It's doubtful that he represents the united view of the administration, but his thoughts are very interesting. Apparently, when it comes to social life, the administration isn't as delusional and confused as I had thought.
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I think that individuals (students and alumni alike) who define their experience at Dartmouth College on the basis of fraternities really didn't really get a handle on the Dartmouth experience at all.
If you define your experience by frat parties and drinking then you wasted your four years at the college.
If I were president of the college I would do an improved Student Life Iniative and I would mandate the elimination of all Greek Life on campus. We have such a gigantic problem with housing so I would knock down all the fraternity houses and erect state of the art dorms in order to guarantee 100% on campus housing for all students for all four years.
Dartmouth should not be defined by "Animal House" or take pride in the unofficial mascot of Keggy The Beer Keg. That is disgusting. The college experience is supposed to be about the people we meet, the experiences we have inside and out of classes, and what we as individuals learn during our time here.
I know full well that many alumni dislike President Wright for the Student Life Initiative and that the college would lose much money if the Greek Life system were eliminated...but I feel that alumni who dislike President Wright or would not give money to the college if the Greek system were ever eliminated should not have been Dartmouth students in the first place.
The Greek life system is a blemish, a disgusting and immoral stain upon our campus. And the sooner it is eliminated the better it will be for the college as a whole.
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