Letter to the Editor: There’s a Better Way to Talk Greek

Re: Dunford: My Big Frat Greek Psychosis (May 25, 2023)

Articles that engage with the issues of Greek Life in good faith regularly make The Dartmouth a valuable part of campus-wide conversations. However, the Dunford article falls short of this standard.

There is nothing constructive about labeling all affiliated students — 60 percent of the student body — as alcoholics, deadbeats and womanizers. These types of students exist inside and outside of the Greek system. Lumping everyone into these categories only devalues the legitimate efforts that many affiliated students undertake to make their houses more welcoming.

Affiliated students are prevalent in campus initiatives such as the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault, and others serve as Sexual Assault Peer Allies. Some even hold key leadership roles in these organizations. Additionally, many houses now focus on implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives during the rush process. While these are not panaceas, they represent important steps in the fight to improve Greek culture. Writers who wish to enact positive change in the Greek system should promote similarly beneficial practices, rather than denigrate their fellow students.

I encourage the author to follow their own advice when they argue that “we should balance self-exploration with perspective and humility.” Calling for the Greek system to dissolve itself immediately — without any suggestion as to what could replace it — does not display either perspective or humility. I hope that the author will weigh their words more carefully in the future before making such unfounded generalizations about their classmates.

Thomas de Wolff is an Opinion staff columnist from the Class of 2024 and a member of a Greek organization.

Letters to the Editor represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.

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