In his viewpoint "The sorry state of social affairs at Tufts," Mr. Ari Allen contributed nothing the least bit persuasive or original to the ongoing campus discourse regarding the health of the Greek system at Tufts. In fact, the tenets brought fourth in his poorly argued viewpoint only perpetuate the internally-generated collapse that is the state of the Greek system at Tufts.
I write this article not as a member of the Greek system, but rather as a person who has never been won over by the same rehashed arguments brought fourth by some of the Greeks in their self-defense. I almost joined the Alpha Phi Delta fraternity with the hopes of bonding with my friends and providing a marked alternative to the current Greek mindset. Unfortunately, the lackadaisical attitude of the organization brought about its closing. I hope this viewpoint clearly articulates the feelings I have had since coming here in 2003 while responding to the arguments in the aforementioned viewpoint.
Mr. Allen articulated two main points in his viewpoint: that the current school administrators are stifling the social health of the university by punishing fraternities, and that the Greek system provides an environment of leadership development at Tufts - therefore providing a necessary function to the Tufts experience.
Let me first state that I believe that the current administration is not exacting an overly harsh punishment on the Greeks. Indeed, compared to the Board of Trustees and national Greek organizations, the administration has been more relaxed with punishment. If I'm remembering what I heard from Todd Sullivan, about 10 years ago the Board actually voted to close down the Greek system, but some force within the administration saved the fate of the Greeks.
When President Bacow first came onto the scene, he was vilified by many as a man hell-bent on destroying the Greek life at Tufts. Many also argued that he was trying to come up with a new organizational system for the Greeks; one that would promote responsibility and legitimacy for the Greeks. The latter image seems to be the truth. I point to news from this September when the national DTD organization revoked the local chapter's charter. The administration offered a lesser punishment for the fraternity.
I cannot help but think that many in the community have chosen to throw away their opportunity to redeem themselves. National Greek organizations explicitly outlaw alcohol use for pledging and induction (hazing) purposes. The school administration made it clear that to survive, the Greeks had to play by these rules. Following a predictable path, a select few violated these rules and faced harsh retribution. It has happened so many times that now the whole system is in jeopardy.
The Greeks who are playing by the rules should be lauded for making a positive change. I have many friends in the Greek community whom I feel exhibit the right attitudes needed in order for the system to revitalize itself. I also have self-interest in seeing fraternities stay open; I like to perform and see other bands perform in frat basements. I think I am in my element singing the refrain from Baba O'Riley - "Teenage Wasteland" - with 150 sweaty and tipsy people. No other environment exists for this at Tufts. Indeed, no other place exists in Boston for us Jumbos.
Sadly, people with Mr. Allen's disposition feel that the Greeks are unfairly punished. They also think there is some intrinsic goodness in the status quo Tufts Greek system that ought not to be altered. Sadly, this is false and there needs to be continued reform. Social psychology has studied the inefficiencies within group behavior and it has pointed out that the persistent disciplinary trouble exhibited by Greeks nationwide is the painful symptom. I will not go so far as to say that the fraternal lifestyle is so inherently flawed that it should be banned outright, but I do feel there is a certain destructive attitude that is ingrained and fostered amongst some Greeks.
Also, I do not feel that there is a convincing causality between fraternity membership and Fortune 500 exec status and/or Presidential election. It seems to me that these powerful men in society were part of powerful families before they joined their fraternities at elite universities.
I can't think of any reason that the values gained from living in a fraternity are exclusive to the Greek Life. It is actually laughable to think that a crowded and noisy "social event" at a fraternity would provide the kind of international forum for leadership breeding that Mr. Allen suggested. Again, this is the same sort of argument that gets reiterated every year; and it is hardly persuasive. Let's try a new route.
Fortunately, I know my friends and my peers at Tufts have what it takes to overcome these flaws. I can see no reason why fraternities would want to flagrantly violate alcohol policies and throw away their opportunity to exist on campus. They can do so even without the constant babysitting of the Tufts police. Does one really want binge alcohol consumption to be a precondition for joining a group that exists to provide charity work and giving?
The Greek system should merely sober up and smell the coffee; don't poison your chance to provide a positive force on our campus with alcohol at your pledge events. Moreover, the Greeks ought not blame an administration trying to give them a second chance for the current demise of the Tufts Greek scene.
Lastly, I feel that the reasons I came to Tufts - academics, international focus, Ultimate Frisbee - would exist fine without the Tufts Greek scene.
Indeed, I feel the Tufts social scene is vibrant. Just look at how many speakers, debates, cultural events, performances, et cetera happen outside of the Greek system! My gosh. To think that some people feel that the social scene is in a "sorry state" is scary and misguided.
Let us think that the Greeks are not "the social scene" but rather "a part of the social scene." This way, the Greeks can make as much of a positive contribution as they would like and receive praise for it.
If some don't want to play by the rules, we at Tufts "won't get fooled again."
Kenneth Kitchin is a junior majoring in international relations.
