On Monday, the decision came down from the College that Alpha Delta fraternity — one of the most well-known and historic houses on campus — will be derecognized. Effective April 20, this derecognition means that AD will no longer be considered a campus organization and will not enjoy the benefits that accompany that designation. One such benefit is the fraternity’s ability to allow students to live in the physical plant as an option for campus housing, a privilege of which a good deal of older members often take advantage. Therefore, as a condition of the derecognition, we can assume that the students who currently live in AD must vacate the house by next Monday and instead move into College housing. I personally don’t agree with the decision to derecognize AD, but I have neither the qualifications nor the desire to use this platform as a medium to approach that argument. I do believe, however, that the students who currently live in the house — particularly the seniors — should be allowed to remain in their current rooms until the end of the term.
Given that AD’s derecognition implies a loss of privileges afforded by Greek Letter Organizations and Societies policy — such as a special determination under Hanover zoning laws — AD residents will be required to move all of their belongings with one week’s notice and will likely not have much say in where they move for the remainder of the term. They will be forced to choose from a list of the sparse number of available rooms. When the College’s housing system is rooted primarily on a system of seniority, it seems unfair and illogical that a senior could have to now spend his last term thrown into less desirable accommodations — given how housing numbers function, seniors essentially have last pick after the sophomores with the worst numbers. Moreover, many of these students will also have little or no choice in terms of who will live with and around them. Imagine being told three weeks into the term that instead of living in your house, surrounded by your closest friends, you are required to move to an undesirable dorm surrounded by people you don’t know. It can’t exactly be a pleasant experience.
It would be different story had AD been closed last term and its residents given time to find new accommodations. The College’s decision to announce the derecognition three weeks into the term, and the implication of relocation for students that decision brings, is wholly unfair. This is especially true for seniors — as if the stress of graduating is not enough. If members of AD must relocate this term, at least give them a few weeks to make arrangements.
This is not an argument around the College’s treatment of the Greek system at large or a debate of the nuances involved in the choice to do something to your own body. I do think, however, that derecognition alone is punishment enough, and the College can find a way to accommodate the students living in the house. The College could grant the house a temporary status as a residence building and potentially assign an undergraduate advisor or residential director to ensure that no shenanigans are afoot. I don’t see any harm in letting them stay in the physical building, especially under terms that would forbid any fraternity activities — which would be much easier to monitor with an authority present.
Many would argue that AD deserved to be shut down. Regardless, I think that they still deserve a base level of respect as students of the College — and that includes letting the brothers finish off their year in their own rooms.
