A steering committee at Dartmouth University is considering recommendations for the president and trustees, and one thing is certain: “the only action in line with our principles of community” is to “abolish the Greek system,” The Dartmouth editorial board wrote Friday:
[O]ur “Animal House” reputation is well-earned. For many, Greek life takes precedence over academics. It is an investment (perhaps a risky one), a path to acceptance, friends, sex, drugs, love and jobs.
The editorial recounts a parade of horribles that have given Dartmouth’s Greek system a black eye for 30 years:
It facilitates binge drinking and sexual assault. It perpetuates unequal, gendered power dynamics and institutionalizes arbitrary exclusivity. It divides students — the system as a whole separates freshmen from upperclassmen, men from women. Membership draws lines among friends.
Given that half the school is Greek, abolishing the system won’t be easy, but it “would offer Dartmouth a chance to rebuild its social life from the ground up”:
Hundreds of leaders have tried to reform and change Greek life to be more inclusive, safe and fun for more people. But consider the implications of this — each year, hundreds of student leaders pour their energy and time into what boils down to social life. Imagine what we could accomplish as a student body if these student leaders cared so deeply about something else.
h/t greg
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.