Two years ago, when President Wright smugly announced an “end to the Greek system as we know it” over the boos and hisses of much of the student body, I was among the hundreds of concerned students who flooded the lawn in front of the Psi Upsilon house in protest. As a sister in one of Dartmouth’s sororities, I demanded that the administration respect our right to decide for ourselves what a quality social life should look like.

On Friday, April 6th, I joined a large number of concerned students rallying in front of Parkhurst Hall, demanding that the Trustees (in the borrowed words of Hillary Miller ’02) “stop beating the dead horse” and begin to actualize the intentions laid out in the Student Life Initiative two years ago. The time has passed for attempting to “fix” the Greek system—the sooner we realize it is irreparable and look past it, the sooner we will truly create a stronger Dartmouth.

My experience parallels that of many others; it took two terms of being off-campus for me to see the fundamental flaws in Dartmouth’s social scene. While away, I lived among friends, worked, volunteered, and even (gasp) partied. My friends and I didn’t meet every Wednesday night to tell stories about drunken blacked-out hookups, or spend time picking out little black outfits and glitter to go scraping men off the floors of fraternities to bring home with us.

After having such a great time off campus, I came back to Dartmouth and became increasingly dismayed with the life to which I had returned. Late one night, I began to feel sick with frustration and disgust. I couldn’t stop thinking about the incidents that had contributed to the loss of my self worth and the fact that other women must currently be experiencing the same, all in the name of a good time

At 4:00 AM, I decided to de-pledge from my sorority and began writing the letter I would send to my sisters to explain my decision. I fell asleep three hours later, exhausted, but with the knots and butterflies in my stomach finally at rest. I haven’t regretted my decision for a moment since.

When hearing stories such as mine, many assert that we, as individuals, should take greater responsibility for our own happiness and for the type of lives we lead.

If I got myself into “sketchy” situations by fraternity hopping and consuming inordinate quantities of alcohol, it’s my own damn fault, so they tell me. This is probably true. It is also true, however, that the organization of our communities has a tremendous effect upon the behavior that takes place within them, and it is far from easy to take a stand against entrenched cultural norms—as destructive as they may be.

Students enter Dartmouth with varying degrees of self-knowledge, and the greater community helps shape who we become. Some, in response to the popular lifestyle, become defiant and pursue a change in the culture. Far too many blindly join the culture and become people they themselves no longer recognize. Some even shout “Wah-hoo-wah, scalp those bitches” from their lawns, print misogynistic tee shirts, or publish newsletters detailing their sexual conquests.

Implicit in these actions is the belief that maintaining Dartmouth traditions is more important than respecting their peers. To varying degrees, we are all undeniably affected by the norms of the communities to which we belong.

The Greek system “as we know it” is a mess. There may indeed be positive aspects, but the system as a whole is overwhelmingly unhealthy for Dartmouth, and no one is exempt. In my three years here, nearly every fraternity on campus has been at the center of some controversy.

One fraternity president that I know is “challenged”, every week, to chug beer until he vomits as his brothers look on and cheer. At “Sink Night” of another fraternity this winter, pledges stood up and recounted their “worst hookup ever” along with the name of the woman who had been involved. Everyone I know has similar stories. I cringe to think of what goes on that doesn’t become public knowledge.

The Trustees were right on when they announced their disapproval of the Greek system two years ago, and they need to back up those words with action NOW. Several proposals have been put forth by various student groups, many of which meet the objectives declared by the Trustees; among other criteria, they don’t revolve around alcohol and they don’t segregate students by sex or race.

To my knowledge, these proposals have not been addressed. They are likely piled away in a corner while the Trustees think about how to craftily oust Greeks from campus with as little notice as possible. Nothing substantial has been accomplished in these last two years; instead of seeing REAL change, we’ve gotten “taps on wheels” and Poison Ivy. I think I speak for a great many students when I say that we expect, and deserve, better.

Students at the protest on April 6th had a lot of items on their agenda: socially responsible investment, more space for the arts, more co-educational social space, a greater commitment on behalf of the college to environmental issues, a Korean language program, and a more centrally located Women’s Resource Center, to name a few. Amidst this myriad of proposals, one thing is clear: tinkering with bits and pieces of Dartmouth’s social structure will no longer placate students who are committed to making Dartmouth a better place.

The student body has clearly started to think beyond “fixing” the Greek system, and I think it’s time the Trustees do, too.