While the event may have served to illuminate some points of the debate for those who had not thought critically about the issue before, this is, of course, contingent upon them having listened. I am skeptical as if the majority of people on either side of the issue found themselves particularly enlightened by the comments made by any of the panelists - not that the panelists were not making good points - rather that the point at which anyone hears criticism in that context, he is likely to shut down the higher faculties of intellectual thought and become defensive.
Being rather anti-Greek myself (for reasons which I will lay out shortly), I found two points to be of particular interest on the other side. First was the argument that the Greek organizations are more different than they are the same. While it is true that non-Greek students very often tend to lump Greek organizations together, I find this argument that the Greek organizations are more different than similar difficult to swallow. The recruitment process, as one questioner pointed out, is the same for all of the traditional Greek organizations. The pledging process and the group philanthropy are also elements in common that apply to few non-Greek organizations, with the exception of the athletic teams, with which Greek organizations overlap considerably, and organizations specifically designed to do philanthropic work. So yes, although non-Greek students should strive to understand the more nuanced role of the Greek organizations on campus, it seems a far cry to suggest that there are more distinctions to be made between the Greek organizations than there are commonalities among the them.
Another point I found elucidating is that Greek students feel at times marginalized by the wearing of their letters. One panelist's comment that people ignore her on days when she wears her letters was disturbing. I would have expected more of my fellow students than to assume that a particular organization to which a student pertains becomes more of her identity than the totality of other interests and affiliations. But there is a certain irony in this problem as well, for I know it to be the case that within one female Greek organization on campus, the pledging process requires that recruits not talk to members of the opposite sex. It is certainly befuddling in this context that while with one hand a Greek organization can be mandating the exclusivity of its members at the same time with the other be upset for being excluded.
Although these points were interesting and important, there were other essential components to the discussion that, unfortunately, I felt were not adequately addressed. The first of these issues is about space. Although this was brought up briefly, it wound up being swept under the table without a good response from the Greek students on the panel. The criticism, which I found to be a quite astute one, was that the type of conversations such as were being had, never take place in a neutral space on Dickinson's campus. When there are discussions that involve Greek students about Greek life, they invariably (it seems) either include practically the whole of the Dickinson Greek community or none of it. And from the array of letters and seating patterns of the Greek students at this discussion, it seems as if that fact has not been understood to be problematic by the Greek community. Surely one must be able to understand that sitting in such groups displaying loyalty to them is intimidating to those not in them, especially when the vast majority of the audience was Greek.
The second point that I felt was not adequately addressed was the fact (I don't believe it can be debated) that Greek culture wields a disproportionate amount of social power on Dickinson's campus. Because Greek organizations have the venues, the numbers, and the money to host parties, they do. And one faculty member was correct to point out that surely this must be the reasoning behind some students' decision to join Greek life. Good evidence of the disproportionate amount of power wielded by Greek organizations is the fact that many students who don't go to parties feel as if they are, in some way, not partaking in the quintessential college experience. That these assumptions about college life are present in students is unquestionable, but the college should be (and is) working to make sure that they go away. I would have been curious to hear the responses by the Greek students on the panel to whether or not they agree that they have a disproportionate amount of social power, and how partying is viewed in relation to the college experience within their particular Greek organizations. Perhaps this post will generate such a discussion.
Other discussion points about Greek Life about which I am not well-informed enough to make a good argument are how these organizations relate to class, race, and sexual orientation. Some statistical information would be useful in this regard. What percentage of students in Greek organizations are on financial aid? What percentage of students in Greek organizations are minority students? What percentage are international? And given the perception that professors apparently have that belonging to a Greek organization is detrimental to one's academic performance, how does the average GPA of a Greek member compare to the average of the student body as a whole?
But of course, during the discussion, the elephant in the room was the question of the continued relevance of Greek Life at Dickinson; and I think this could rightly be extended to liberal arts colleges more generally. If Greek the exclusivity of parties, one of the most problematic components, and the lack of transparency in the affiliation process, another large issue, were to be reformed, what would be left of Greek life other than a collection of friends who did community service together. I challenge Greek students to offer a unique contribution their organization makes to the college community that could not be made through a more transparent and inclusive organization. If such an argument could be made, and I have my doubts, I would be willing to consider that the retention of Greek Life would have value. Of course, the unique contribution would have to overcome the problems associated with Greek Life, such as the objectification of women, the disproportionate social influence, the exclusivity, the lack of transparency, etc.
There are other points to be made, but my goal here is to start a discussion, civil and respectful, that treats some of the harder and more contentious issues pertaining to the continued existence of Greek Life at Dickinson College, so I will leave those additional points for the discussion. The contributions of all are welcome.
You Point out problems and offer no solutions
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