To the world outside of Hanover, it seems that Dartmouth is known for being really cold and really fratty. With approximately 60 percent of eligible students affiliated, it doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to see why our school is regarded as the frat star's natural habitat, for better or for worse.
Although the clear majority of affiliated students rush single-sex fraternities and sororities, others opt to join one of Dartmouth's three coed fraternities: Alpha Theta, Phi Tau and the Tabard. Try to step back and imagine what our campus would be like if all Greek houses were coed and if pledging a house meant that half the members of your pledge class were of the opposite gender.
All interviewed students, regardless of affiliation, said that the transition to a system of only coed houses would certainly affect gender dynamics on campus.
"If you look at gender stratification now, by and large, it's very male-dominated in terms of where people can go," Kurt Prescott '12, who is unaffiliated, said. "[Coed houses] wouldn't completely dissolve gender stratification on campus but would certainly be a step towards that."
Phi Tau president Leah Nicolich-Henkin '12 said students would "probably complain less that places are controlled by one gender."
Additionally, Prescott, who is also an OUTreach peer mentor, said that having more people involved in coed fraternities might create a friendlier environment for LGBT students.
"The shift to a coed system would make it easier for people in the closet to come out because they're not in a male-dominated space," he said.
Although it is impossible to say for sure, the shift to coed houses would likely affect the number of students rushing. Mary Van Metre '14, a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, said that "absolutely" fewer students would rush, especially males. Many affiliated students value having their "own space and a sisterhood or brotherhood," she said.
"It gives you space where you feel comfortable, and there's no pressure to impress anyone more like a family atmosphere," she said. "It's a lot better having guys and girls. We just have different interests."
Nicolich-Henkin said that current coed houses serve a "certain demographic that is not necessarily mainstream." She expressed interest in the existence of a coed house that is "more mainstream" at Dartmouth, as she said it would appeal to a broader base of students. Nicolich-Henkin also pointed out that in any organization that does not limit its constituents to one gender, members do not necessarily focus on gender issues.
"I think that being in a coed house, you don't have to deal with as [many] issues of how the house as a whole deals with gender," she said. "People are friends with each other. I think there is less emphasis on masculinity and femininity, and it's not really something that's discussed a lot."
Furthermore, Nicolich-Henkin said that members of Phi Tau occasionally date one another, "which changes the dynamic of the house in both good and bad ways."
Living in a coed house also changes how members interact with the opposite sex on a daily basis and creates bonding experiences, Tabard president Chris Valleau '12 said.
"You share a bathroom, so you sort of stop normal boundaries with nakedness and worrying about the opposite gender seeing you floss," he said. "People speculate a lot about people in coed houses hooking up with each other, but it's not actually that common."
Alpha Xi Delta sorority president Liz Fairchild '12, however, said Dartmouth would ultimately be worse off with a completely coed system because exclusively male and female social spaces would be eliminated, which she sees as important to campus life.
"I think it's important for there to be some sort of space where all men and women can find a gendered space where they feel most comfortable with each other," she said. "I just love being able to go back and have an all-female space I think it's very empowering."
Regardless, the existence of single-sex houses should not preclude the expansion of the coed system, which would be "very beneficial" to campus, Fairchild said.
No matter what students on campus think about the change from single-sex to coed houses, it's very unlikely we'll see it happen anytime soon. After all, the administration under former College President James Wright attempted to institute the ill-fated Student Life Initiative, which sought to transform Dartmouth's fraternities and sororities into coed organizations. Announced in 1999, the SLI aimed to reduce the presence of single-sex Greek organizations and postponed rush until sophomore winter, much to the dismay of devoted alumni and hopeful frat bros. Fall rush resumed in 2004 as many students happily drove the final nail into the SLI's coffin.
While fraternities and sororities probably aren't going anywhere soon, it's clear that without them, Dartmouth would have a decidedly different social scene. Still, the College could benefit from having a few more coed organizations on top of its numerous single-sex houses. After all, we live in a coed world.
