With Rush occurring this past week and the recent request by President Berger-Sweeney to repeal the Co-Ed Mandate, I thought it would be fitting to discuss Greek life and it's role at Trinity. Prior to coming here freshman year, I had heard much about the Co-Ed Mandate and did not have a position on it or Greek life in general. After being here for a year, I feel that Greek life plays an important role on campus and that to get rid of it would be doing a great disservice to students.
In a recent Tripod opinion piece by Professor Daniel Lloyd, he discussed the social domination by St. Anthony's Hall, Psi Upsilon, and Alpha Delta Phi. He stated that these three organizations are the "paradigms of exclusivity and privilege on this campus." Consequently, there are three options for the future of Greek life. The first option is to have the three aforementioned organizations continue but without their houses. As a result, their houses would be opened as social houses and Ogilby would become part of campus housing. With this option, which is similar to Bowdoin's social houses, there would be more social options for students without exclusivity. However, I feel it would alienate many alums who would see this as another threat to the Greek system. Yes, I suppose that the Greek organizations could find houses nearby on either Allen or Vernon, but it would cause a rift between the administration, alumni, and Greek organizations.
The second option as all Trinity students know is the Co-Ed Mandate. With the Co-Ed Mandate, the fraternities and sororities would continue in their houses but membership would be evenly distributed between male and female members. This mandate was voted upon in both 1992 and more recently in 2012, and caused vehement opposition from students and alumni alike. With this option, national chapters would lose their charters. I do not believe this option would solve the problem, and in fact I believe that it would do a great disservice to students. The main problem many have with the fraternities and sororities is exclusivity. One goes through rush week trying to meet more and more people to convince them that he or she the right fit for a specific Greek organization. Some get bids, some do not. The fact that not everyone is accepted is looked down upon by many in today's society. By abolishing Greek life and making it more inclusive, I feel this perpetuates the widespread belief that "everyone's a winner." This, however, this is not conducive to the real world. Not everyone is accepted to the college that they want. Not everyone made that sixth grade travel soccer team. Not everyone will get a bid. Not everyone will join Greek life. Not everyone will get that job on Wall Street, even if you did go to Wharton or Tuck. Does exclusivity suck? Yes, but it is a fact of life. Through the Greek system one learns to deal with exclusivity that is present in the real world.
The third option is to keep Greek life as is. I do not believe the Greek system at Trinity is perfect, it has it's flaws. Don't get me wrong, but there has to be a better way to deal with the Greek system. If the issue is exclusivity, maybe create more Greek organizations. Add a sorority or two. Maybe add a social houses with the continued existence of the fraternities or sororities. By adding a plethora of options for us, it could give students the options they desire in order to have a well-rounded college experience. If the issue is student's feelings as they're being turned away at the door to a fraternity party, social houses are a great option. Yes, the fraternity has the right to choose who comes and goes to their parties, but they have no right to be rude about it. Likewise, by going to fraternities on the weekend, you are choosing to be placed in that position.
When rushing for Greek life, there is the notion that you have to be chosen and the belief that you are judged based on physical attributes, wealth, or social status. For the most part, this is another reason why Greek life is viewed negatively. From a pro-Greek perspective, those who rush are choosing the organization that they believe is best for them. Which organization is composed of people who share values similar to my own? Which organization is the best fit for me? By going through the rush process, there is a "you choose them, they choose you" relationship. By personally going through the rush process this past week, I can say that yes, in the end, organizations choose people they believe will be the best fit for their organization, but I was the one who chose to place myself into that position and chose to participate in the rush process in the first place. Did I end up getting a bid? No. Am I angry? No. I am happy for all of those who got bids and hope that it will be a positive experience for them. Just because I, like many others, did not get a bid does not mean it will define my college experience. It is all a matter of perspective. Greek life certainly does not define a person. I am happy I chose to partake in the rush experience as I met a great deal of people that I would never have met or talked to otherwise.
Whether or not you support Greek life at Trinity, we can all agree that there are two sides to it and that the only way we can make positive change at Trinity is to understand these two sides. Students who dislike Greeks: do not generalize that all members party all the time and are stuck-up wealthy prep school kids. Some of the nicest people I know and have met are members of Greek organizations on campus. Students who rag on non-Greeks: just because you are a member of a Greek organization, you are not superior to non-Greeks. It should be your goal to be the best representative you can be for your organization, and that means playing a positive role on campus. Only by helping these two sides come to a better understanding can we come to have a positive campus social structure.
