Setting the record straight in the Greeks
By Jeff Wagner, Respectively, President, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Former Co-Chair, Gay Straight Alliance, Memmber, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity
Published on Friday, February 3, 2006
To the Editor:
While we fail to see the logic or justification of the attack on Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity in the letter to the editor ("Greeks must responsibly address homophobia," Feb. 2) written by Michael Amico '07, we feel compelled to set the record straight. The letter was written in response to Sig Ep not attending a discussion among six selected Greek houses designed to work on eliminating the problem of homophobia in the Greek system. We doubt anyone would debate that this is a noble goal. What Amico fails to mention in his letter, is the fact that while Sig Ep was invited to the originally scheduled Lambda 10 project, we were not invited to the rescheduled Lambda 10 program in the winter. This fact was made clear in a Jan. 30 article in The Dartmouth ("Lambda 10 works to erase homophobia").
Amico states that our absence was due to "pervasive paranoia that [Sig Ep] may continue to be branded as 'the gay frat.'" This claim is unfounded and untrue. Our initial lack of interest in the program had nothing to do with a fear of how we might be perceived. Furthermore, our absence from the program does not mean that we as a house are homophobic or uncaring about the issue of homophobia, as Amico implies. The brothers of our house, regardless of their sexual orientation, are offended and insulted by these accusations.
It would be foolish to suggest that homophobia is not an issue within the Greek system at Dartmouth, or even within the walls of Sig Ep. However, Amico's assertion that we "roundly dismiss the need to discuss homophobia" is patently false. In fact, it continues to be a topic of both formal and informal discussion within our house.
The ultimate goal of Sigma Phi Epsilon is to promote a diverse group of people who believe in the ideals of virtue, diligence, and brotherly love. Based on these ideals, we strive to see that a man is judged by his character and not his race, creed or sexual orientation. We believe this to be a worthy goal and will continue to do our best to see this ideal promoted.
Jeff Wagner '06
President, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity
Jamal Brown '08
Former Co-Chair, Gay Straight Alliance
Member, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity