To the Editor:
I do not envy the position in which the brothers of Zeta Psi fraternity now find themselves. I do not believe anyone in the world would trade places with them. It is a position that is utterly indefensible. And so the question arises: what should an organization do that has been caught behaving in a way that the community to which it belongs deems to be intolerable?
What has been exposed in the so-called "sex papers" is that their fraternity is guilty of having perpetrated despicable acts of misogyny, aggression and depravity that amount to vulgar, callous cruelty.
It must surely occur to all the brothers, regardless of what their involvement in or feelings about the "newsletter" might have been, that it is impossible for Zeta Psi to continue to function as an institution in the Dartmouth community. The irreparable harm they have done not only to individual women, but also to gender relations on this campus, the integrity of the Greek system and Dartmouth's reputation in the nation makes any sort of reconciliation impossible, and perhaps not even desirable. There are so many victims, not the least of which, ironically, are men " especially fellow Greeks " who now have the added burden of one more example of Dartmouth men behaving outrageously.
Because of this violation of trust and common decency, the removal of Zeta Psi from the Dartmouth community is warranted. While College regulations or the actual laws that have been broken might well justify the derecognition of the fraternity, it is my fervent hope that the College will never be confronted with that decision. While we all must respect the right of the house to a fair hearing by the Judicial Committee and Office of Residential Life, I urge the brothers of Zeta Psi to consider seriously the harms such a process might produce. Moreover, they ought to weigh the possible benefits of preempting such a disagreeable process, and its imminent outcome.
Many a man or woman, when faced with the prospect of disgrace and dishonor, and given the opportunity to show the ultimate display of remorse, has chosen resignation, withdrawal, or even death, as an alternative to official condemnation. Such an act is always looked upon as a dignified acceptance of guilt and a redeeming expression of regret.
Given the nature and context of the offenses, and that it has understandably led some to call for an end to the Greek system altogether, the brothers of Zeta Psi should consider whether or not they owe it to their fellow Greeks to withdraw. Indeed, here is an opportunity for Zeta Psi, having personified nearly every negative stereotype about men in fraternities, to disprove one by volunteering to close without a battle.
The most compelling reason why voluntary closure is prudent is because it is the only way that Zeta Psi can meaningfully accept responsibility for their actions. We are bound to accept the consequences of our actions, even when the consequences were not imaginable to us or intentional. I believe President of Zeta Psi Gene Boyle '02 when he says that they never meant to hurt anyone, but they did, and no amount of apologies will ever undo this particular wrong. Therefore, some act beyond apology is needed, and that, I believe, is the painful duty of Gene Boyle. As the leader of this organization, he and all his brothers must do more than say "it was never our intent to hurt, embarrass, offend or threaten any member of the Dartmouth Community," nor is it sufficient to say that, "we are deeply and truly sorry." While these statements are necessary, they do not constitute the assumption of responsibility for their actions. What is required is that the brothers believe what they did deserves the highest penalty that the College can mete out. If they have the courage to act out of an unprecedented level of integrity then, and only then, might they restore honor to the Greek system and to Dartmouth.
The time for mere dialogues is clearly at an end. In cases of conduct so egregiously wrong as the production of those "newsletters," the only way to truly assume meaningful responsibility is not by apologizing, but by demonstrating to the entire community that the house understands the severity and scope of their behavior. Accordingly, they must join the ranks of those students who recognize the need for Zetas Psi's withdrawal from our community. If the brothers of Zeta Psi become one and the same with the students who understand why they deserve derecognition, only then shall "this incident... provide an impetus for positive change within... the entire Dartmouth community," a goal that Boyle himself professes.
I urge Zeta Psi to consider volunteering to close before the Judicial Committee or the Office of Residential Life needs to consider removing them. Such genuine contrition might redeem the individuals involved, might offer some solace to the named and unnamed victims of their behavior, and might help to mitigate the effects of the powerful blow this incident dealt to the Greek system and the College.
Zeta Psi can empower itself to retain their dignity. They will not go down in college history as a fraternity of men who did nothing but detract from this community, demean and degrade women, and embarrass men and the Greek system. They might be remembered as men who though they committed or tacitly condoned acts that are a disgrace to humanity, and certainly to Dartmouth, they nonetheless had the courage and the integrity to do everything within their power to rectify their wrongs, to heal the victims, and to accept the consequences of their actions.
