Student Response to Derecognition

by Seth Goldberg

In his letter to Dartmouth students on the derecognition of the Zeta Psi fraternity, Dartmouth president James Wright invokes Dartmouth’s "community" 9 times, frequently in reference to the community’s "values."

Besting Wright, Dean of the College James Larimore weighs in with 11 "communities" in his letter to the campus.

Dartmouth’s students, however, are much more divided over the issue of Zeta Psi’s derecognition than Wright’s and Larimore’s bandying about of "community" indicates.

Some wholeheartedly supported the decision. "I agree with the decision. I’m not a huge fan of the frats," said Teresa Harings ’02.

Katie Crawford ’04 agrees. "It was expected that they would be derecognized, and I think it was the appropriate response."

Others, however, have examined the matter and reached different conclusions. Many students interviewed by The Dartmouth Review agreed that the derecognition of Zete was merely a sign of the times, as Dartmouth has become increasingly hostile to Greek organizations.

According to these students, the administration and the activists that support it have been waiting for fraternities to fall out of public favor to move swiftly and harshly against them.

Michael Holick ‘02, president of Psi U, said that "Given the current campus climate, the derecognition of Zete was expected."

"I think it’s draconian. With the climate that we are in today, we like to prosecute people. Unfortunately for Zete, they were just an easy target," said Christopher Johnston ‘01.

According to recent alumnus Steven Wright ‘99, "The administration wants Dartmouth to be just another elite academic institution, and this is another step in that direction. This will certainly change Dartmouth and make it less unique."

Defenders of Zete have argued that such lewd behavior in private is common to both genders, and is not inherently offensive. According to Heather Reeves ‘03, "We all know what guys and girls do in fraternities and sororities, and Zete just wrote it down. They should not be derecognized for it."

Several lamented that the administration has desensitized the campus to derecognition, as it is the harshest punishment that may be levied on a Greek organization.

"Zete deserved to be derecognized for a period of time, but to permanently derecognize them is a little bit harsh. If the College is moving in the direction of eliminating the fraternities, this was a smart step," said Eric Bussey ‘01.

One member of the class of 2002 who did not wish to be identified vouched for the characters of Zeta Psi’s members. "The Zete situation was a joke. The guys there are low key, and it’s sad that they are going to lose their house."

Where the matter of individual versus group responsibility is cut and dry for the administration, as policy dictates that an organization may be held responsible for the singular actions of any of its members, campus sentiment is not entirely in agreement.

Jordan Kovnot ‘04, a campus celebrity who appeared on Jeopardy earlier this year, said, "If the administration wants to talk about responsibility and upholding community values on campus, then they should hold individuals responsible and not groups. This denigrates individual responsibility and the idea of having to act for yourself. If they just pin this all on a group, it sends the message that it doesn’t matter what you do as an individual, because administration is simply after large groups of guys."

A member of the class of 2001 who wished not to be identified considers the College’s actions against Zeta Psi unpatriotic. "The decision goes against the founding principles of our country. I don’t think it should be legal to punish them."

While the campus remains divided on the issue of Zeta Psi’s punishment, most students interviewed by The Dartmouth Review disagree with the College’s move to permanently derecognize the fraternity.