Let me start off by saying, I have never been a huge fan of fraternities or sororities at Tufts. When I came as a freshman in the fall of 2002 the fraternity scene was the crux of social life, and frankly I did not enjoy it all that much.
Yes, there were the memories of going onto Frat Row (Professor's Row for the fraternity-ignorant) with my Tilton floor and drinking, partying and just having a plain old "good time." However, the "fun times" soon faded and the mundane routine of trekking out into hoards of booze-seeking first-years looking for a keg full of Beast every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights quickly lost its luster.
One day, when I was running past Professor's row, I thought to myself, "What is really the point of fraternities or sororities? Are they just school-sponsored places to party and get free beer?" After a little thinking and discussions with my roommate (a fraternity brother), Todd Sullivan (director of fraternity and sorority affairs), Rajit Kapur, (president of the Inter-Fraternity Council), and Alexis Liistro, (president of the Inter-Greek Council), I came up with a couple of conclusions.
Greek life is a way for students to become more a part of a community. That community can center around 123, Sig Ep, DTD, Chi O, AOPi or any other of the myriad of fraternities or sororities on campus. However, the community can also revolve around your dormitory floor, your pre-orientation group or your sports team. What makes the Greek system different is its commitment to leadership and community service.
Community service takes many forms. On one hand, community service can be considered in its broadest sense; as something that benefits the community generally. The weekend parties are a crucial aspect of the social scene of underclassmen and should not be done away with no matter how much a "tough guy" president tries to rid the campus of fraternity parties. Maybe underclassmen should have access to alternative forms of entertainment. Or perhaps there should be more school-sponsored social events. These are important questions that need to be addressed, but are beyond the scope of this column.
On the other hand, the Greek community espouses supposed commitments to community service in a narrower sense; traditional forms of philanthropy and volunteerism such as raising money for cancer research or mentoring youth are several examples. It is in this area that I see great potential and opportunity for Greek life. Fraternities and sororities are great people mobilizers. On any given day a group of 15 brothers or sisters can be brought out to do something, be it in the form of hanging out at the house, cleaning up after a party or serving food in the local soup kitchen.
The Greeks are currently doing many great things. They are developing basketball tournaments to raise money for leukemia research, raising money for the local Boys and Girls Club, and participating in several school-wide community service events such as Read by the River and Halloween on the Hill. However, I think the Greeks can do more with the multitude of resources currently available to them not only to benefit the community but also to benefit themselves. This concept might seem self-interested to many and somewhat wrong. But community service, like all relationships, must be jointly beneficial on some level for there to be a meaningful connection.
If the Greeks do more in the Medford and Somerville communities, maybe their position with the City Councils and Mayors of each city will become more favorable. The social services these organizations give to the Tufts community (namely the parties) will have less of a chance of causing tension between Medford/Somerville residents and Tufts students. Direct contact between students and community members will help bridge the current gap in town and gown relations. Perhaps community members will be less prone to calling the authorities at the start of a party if local residents see that fraternities and sororities are having more of a positive impact on the community. Greek life will become more appealing in both the community service and party service sense, which will ultimately help the social scene, community relations, and the membership roles of the Greek community.
If the Greek community uses its human resources more effectively, the administration, faculty, community residents and fellow students (Greek and non-Greek alike) will view Frat Row as a more complete center of social life for the Tufts community. Fraternity and sorority members should use the opportunities available to them to the fullest advantage for the sake of their individual chapters, the Tufts Community and Medford and Somerville.
Loi To is a junior majoring in political science and Russian. He can be reached at loi.to@tufts.edu.
