Should we get rid of the fraternity system? According to the harshest detractors, fraternities and the environment they foster are the principle contributors to sexual assault at Dartmouth and removing or reforming them significantly would do away with the problem. However, I would like to suggest that claims of this nature shirk an important problem with a simple panacea. As much as it would be convenient to say that fraternities are the cause of the problem, I am wary of the claim that removing or reforming Greek organizations would eliminate the incidence of sexual assault.
More »
Legislators in Concord are hard at work right now not only showing complete disregard for the traditions of the state, but also treating their constituents like toddlers who got a hold of mommy’s matches.
More »
To the Editor:
I disagree with Matthew Nolan ‘07 (“Sex: Not at all Like Steak,” Feb. 21) that “sometimes the reason we do not talk about certain issues is that they are not acceptable.” As a senior fellow writing a book on sexual expression, I would argue that those professing more “wholesome” brands of sexuality, like Nolan, are the reason others keep their more “perverse” sexual acts and desires to themselves. Many people don’t want to risk stigmatization or being labeled as “perverse” for the myriad ways they have sex. Meanwhile, Dartmouth students are having threesomes, using sex toys, role playing, blowing each other in bathrooms and masturbating to all kinds of pornography because it’s fun, pleasurable and makes them happy. What’s “unwholesome” about that? Why should Nolan, or anyone for that matter, set the standards of “acceptability” for others? Keeping quiet about our sexualities simply reinforces a hierarchy of sexual acceptability — the effect of sexual silence, not its cause. Those who are most silent never come out on top.
More »
