It is a rare occurrence to find a group at a university that seems to embody so many different qualities, both positive and negative. Yet here at Tufts, and countless schools around the country, fraternities and sororities are constantly seen as the epitome of such polarity. Just think: What other organizations could have all positive aspects of a semester wiped out of the student population's collective mind with a single negative act? And what other organizations could find themselves in a position for negative actions to take place so often? The Greeks on this campus face such difficulties every day of the year.
Being one of the main social outlets for the Tufts campus means dealing with a large number of students, some intoxicated. It is easy to see how disruptions could easily involve the Greek community, simply because of their role in providing students with a place to spend time on the weekends. However, this semester has clearly been the most trouble-free of my time here at Tufts.
For the past few months, I have been fortunate enough to serve on the executive board of the Inter Greek Council. In this time, I have witnessed an extraordinary amount of effort put forth by members of fraternities and sororities in not only working to better the Greek society on campus, but to better the campus itself and even the greater community.
Charity events such as poker and Halo tournaments, community service like participation in Somerville's Big Buddy program or the anti-slavery rally in Boston, or even campus events such as Dodge, Kick, Shoot, and Win, have all taken place thanks to the Greeks on campus. And while this is not the first semester that the Greek community has been active in working to benefit those around them, I have never before seen a semester with so little negative attention given to Greeks.
Since an investigation into the fraternities and sororities was conducted a year and a half ago, the Tufts Administration has called for the Greek community to present itself as the finest that Tufts has to offer. From that moment on, it can be decisively said that the climate of this campus changed. Last year, it seemed as if every week another student was complaining that President Bacow had destroyed the social scene, and I will admit that I, too, was often disappointed in the way that my sophomore weekends went.
In fact, I had directly questioned the President's change of the alcohol policy at an informal question-and-answer session that he held last year in my dorm, something that I now realize must have been very difficult for him to do. Yes, last year was an often frustrating change for those who had seen a different kind of campus on the weekends, and the Greek community was clearly more connected to the change than any other group on campus.
But we can now say in response to the Administration's challenge to the frat and sorority houses to be more than just places to drink that we have accomplished this feat. There have been frat parties this semester, but they have been handled extremely well. In this regard, we can thank the new Director of Fraternity and Sorority affairs, Todd Sullivan, for increasing communication between the Greeks and the administration.
Also, the TUPD, who many of us do not at all enjoy seeing on a Saturday night, have been more cooperative than I ever recall. They have not been looking to write up students, as some used to believe, but more to keep incidents contained within the Tufts community so that Somerville and Medford will not have reason to complain. And while this relationship between police and students is a factor in many social situations, no one is more affected than the fraternity and sorority houses on this campus.
All in all, it has been a wonderful semester for the Tufts Greeks. I believe we are in the midst of a new era of Greek presence and responsibility, with the houses balancing between serving the campus, serving the community and serving each other. We have matured greatly since coming here in August, and I ask the administration to continue to allow us to grow, get more students involved and support us when needed. In return, we will act like the leaders you look for as Greeks.
Josh Cohn is a junior majoring in music.
