Sororities (and fraternities) serve many purposes at Tufts

Given that Daily articles appearing in the news sections usually display both quality and impartiality, many Jumbos were surprised to see a one-sided piece on page three in the Sept. 5 issue about sororities. The opinions presented in the article, which slammed the sorority system at Tufts, were offensive, foolish, and just plain wrong.

Considering that the author, Joel Wertheimer is a male, there is no way he can judge a system that is not meant for him to be a part of. He contends that "not one life on the this campus would change if we did not have [sororities]." I guarantee that many people, besides sorority girls, on this campus would be affected if sororities were to disappear. Just because sororities cannot host parties does not mean that they are worthless.

I also take issue with the opinions in the article about fraternities. Fraternities do not solely exist to throw parties; fraternity members serve as campus leaders in student organizations such as the TCU Senate, varsity athletics and, of course, in the classroom (DTD posted a 3.28 GPA last semester). However, as a non-Greek, Mr. Wertheimer should not make blanket assertions about a system to which he has had no exposure.

Further, his contention that Chi Omega is "a waste of great party space" is absurd. These women need a place to live. I doubt that moving AEPi into the Chi O house would do anything to improve the social scene. People will walk the extra block to AEPi if they are having a good party. If people don't attend AEPi parties, I assure you it is not due to the extra three-minute walk.

Another mistake made in the article is the statement that all sorority girls are rich. Not all sorority girls are wealthy, just like not all Tufts students are wealthy. They live and socialize together because they are friends, not so they can "think of themselves as superior to other people," as Mr. Wertheimer erroneously believes.

Perhaps the most glaring error Mr. Wertheimer makes is when he chastises the sororities for failing to take part in philanthropic activities. Last semester, Chi Omega sisters volunteered at Kids' Day, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Food Rescue Hunger Project, Blood Drive, the All Stars program for kids, and did cancer outreach work. Both Alpha Phi and Alpha Omicron Pi do similar amounts of charity work.

Finally, after ranting that sororities are unnecessary and wasteful, and that saying that he "barely even knows where Alpha Phi is," Mr. Wertheimer ends his piece by apologizing to a specific group of sophomores in that sorority. This sycophantic appeal is the most pathetic part of this whole article. Why berate the sorority system for an entire article and finish it by trying to stay in good graces with four of five sisters? Let me assure you, Mr. Wertheimer, there are much easier ways to appeal to cute women at Tufts than by calling them out in a poorly written, factually incorrect and journalistically irresponsible article.

Daniel Kramer is a senior majoring in economics and political science. He is the president of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.