Local, national media cover "Bloods and Crips" theme party
Following last week’s reports that Alpha Delta fraternity and Delta Delta Delta sorority hosted a Bloods and Crips-themed party on July 26, Dartmouth has once again found itself mired in reports of racial insensitivity and a flawed Greek system. Gawker was the first media organization to report on the incident, following Dartblog’s initial post on Wednesday.
Quoting AD’s blitz asking attendees to “choose wisely” between the rival gangs, the article contrasted the College’s high admissions standards with the fraternity’s lack of awareness. Gawker also called Dartmouth “lily-white” and noted that the AD social chair, who sent the party invite, was a golf player from a Massachusetts suburb. Notably, the piece’s author, J.K. Trotter, is a listed editor-in-chief of IvyGate.com, a site that collects “news, gossip, sex, sports and more” from the Ivies.
The Burlington-based news organization WCAX was next to publish an article. After sending a reporter to the door of AD’s house, where the student who answered declined to comment, WCAX spoke with both upset and unconcerned students. WCAX also filmed a television segment about the party, including clips from the AD-inspired movie Animal House.
By late afternoon, the Huffington Post had jumped on the bandwagon of media organizations reporting on the party, quoting statements from AD, Tri-Delt and the Office of Public Affairs. The Valley News also discussed the party, calling it a “rough week” for Dartmouth.
The story spread across the Atlantic by Thursday afternoon with the Daily Mail’s article, which restated past reporting.
Rebecca Rothfeld ’14 wrote an opinion piece for the Huffington Post on Friday, arguing that while campus culture has significant flaws, Gawker’s article misrepresented the situation.
“According to the dime-a-dozen sensationalist articles denouncing the college, all we ever do at Dartmouth is bathe in vomit and spout racial epithets,” Rothfeld said in the article. She called on the media to pay attention to minority students and activist groups on campus.
The Boston Globe picked up the story on Saturday, beginning its article with a dramatic account of the party. Dartblog writer Joe Asch ’79 was also quoted as saying that recent administrative turnover has created a “‘Lord of the Flies’ situation” in which fraternities have too much leeway.
One student, who grew up in a gang-plagued neighborhood, said the party’s theme hit too close to home. “I used to not be able to wear certain colors on certain streets,” the student told The Globe.
No major news organizations have reported on the story since Saturday.