<p>Sorority</a> to Accept Bids on Saturday | Daily Gazette</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings, as my aunt was involved in getting rid of sororities at Swarthmore 79 years ago. But if this is what students want, I guess I'm OK with it. I don't think Greek life will ever be a dominant force in the Swat social scene.</p>
<p>[Molly</a> Yard](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Yard]Molly”>Molly Yard - Wikipedia) must be spinning in her grave:</p>
<p>[The</a> Meaning Of Swarthmore](<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/news/meaning/garrett.html]The”>The Meaning of Swarthmore :: Swarthmore College)</p>
<p>I didn’t know Molly Yard had attended Swarthmore. She was a local treasure.</p>
<p>I have never been a fan of sororities, however, my oldest joined a professional service sorority at her college. While they didn’t live together, they had some of the typical sorority structure. I know she did not like that they could not admit everyone who wanted to join. Are there other clubs/organizations at Swarthmore that limit membership to those who receive ‘bids’? Obviously one has to try out for sports teams/club teams.</p>
<p>I’m a Swat alum who (among many other reasons) chose Swat because it didn’t have sororities. Oh well. But it’s true that even though we had fraternities, they weren’t very prominent on campus.</p>
<p>The decision to bring back the sorority was a pretty controversial one and illustrates the importance of dialogue at Swat. The proposal was… definitely a surprise. Last year, there were several “Occupy Sharples” open forums where the sorority issue took precedence. Some groups proposed a Women’s Union instead. Others decried the Greek life institution as a whole. And others still supported the sorority to at least be given a chance. </p>
<p>Ultimately, it was decided that (especially in accordance with Title IX laws against gender-based discrimination) it would not be fair to deny an organized proposal for a sorority, since there are already fraternities. I’m an alum and I’m interested to see how the sorority’s presence affects the social sphere. My guess is that it won’t affect things any more than the fraternities do - Greek life makes up a pretty small percentage of the Swat population, but of course they’re Swatties too.</p>
<p>[The</a> Phoenix | Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter Official at Swarthmore](<a href=“Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter Official at Swarthmore - The Phoenix”>Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter Official at Swarthmore - The Phoenix)</p>
<p><a href=“daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed”>daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed;
<p>Students opposing Greek life have gathered the necessary signatures (approx. 150, 10% of the student body) to move forward with the discussion on the place of Greek life in Swarthmore’s community. Wow! Nothing’s official yet - the referendum hasn’t been officially proposed to Student Council (because if it did, the official referendum + vote, which then requires at least a third of the student body to participate, would have to be held within two weeks), but things are moving forward.</p>
<p>There are now several articles in the Daily Gazette about Greek life. Before saying more, I should note that our Swattie has zero interest in Greek life. Having said that, I am troubled by many of the recent articles in the Daily Gazette and the replies to those articles. Most troubling, of course, are the allegations that sexual assaults are being mishandled by the administration. But I am also troubled by the intolerance of many towards the frats and the sorority. If I were the parent of a fraternity or sorority member, I would be disappointed, to put it mildly, by the attitude of many posters toward Greeks. If I were the parent of a prospective student, I would be unsure whether this was the right environment for my child. Fortunately, our Swattie loves the school and ignores campus politics, but I find the arrogance and condescension of many Daily Gazette posters to be far beyond the pale.</p>
<p>Hopefully these two articles help illuminate some of the reasons behind feelings seen as “tough,” “unforgiving,” or “close-minded.” </p>
<p>[Op-Ed:</a> Greek Life Institutions Condone, Cover Up, and Reinforce Bad Behavior | Daily Gazette](<a href=“daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed”>daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed)</p>
<p>[Op-Ed:</a> More Out Than I?d Hoped | Daily Gazette](<a href=“daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed”>daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed)</p>
<p>Email me if you have any questions regarding either article or the situation.</p>
<p>The articles that SwatLife mentioned describe acts that I find abhorrent. Those who read the first article might be interested to know that the assailant identified himself in the comments section and took responsibility for his actions. The time stamp for his comment is February 25, 2013 at 4:11 pm. </p>
<p>A third article describes a very different experience that one student had with members of a frat: </p>
<p>[Op-Ed:</a> An Alternate Perspective | Daily Gazette](<a href=“daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed”>daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed)</p>
<p>Yes, coase, he did come forward. Yes, he did apologize. He is, however, still an active member of the fraternity and (as someone who was a first hand witness to many of the events detailed in Firke’s Op Ed) was repeatedly defended by students in the fraternity in a way that eventually became systematic. </p>
<p>I would also like to draw attention to Mr. DU’s last string of responses–at one point he compares himself to someone being held at a “Japanese Concentration Camp.”</p>
<p>Swarthmore is currently alight with discussion about this issue. Many fear, though, a stagnation all too often associated with “discussion.” Discussion is great and necessary and liberating, etc., but as someone who has been privy to a couple campus wide “discussions,” the trend is sadly indicative that these discussions have a curious tendency to remain just that: discussions.</p>
<p>My D is a reconet alumnus who would not go near the frat parties her jr and sr years at Swat because of the “culture” and real risk of sexual assualt. (She had a good friend who was an RA and first responder to the emotional aftermath of the victims.) The admin swept these occurrences under the carpet, and the strong feeling on campus is that the current planned referendum on greek life (vote to accept or reject) has been postponed by the admin because too many donor dollars are tied up with the presence (however small) of greek life. It’s apparently all about the money.</p>
<p>I recently came across an article discussing Washingtons Womens Suffrage Parade. It was organized by Alice Paul, of course, but many may be unaware of the roadblocks faced by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority from Howard University, the only African American womens organization to march. </p>
<p>[The</a> day the Deltas marched into history - The Washington Post](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-day-the-deltas-marched-into-history/2013/03/01/eabbf130-811d-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html]The”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-day-the-deltas-marched-into-history/2013/03/01/eabbf130-811d-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html)</p>
<p>@momuv2: If you have information about assaults that were swept under the rug, you must act on that information. President Chopp makes many public appearances so it should not be difficult to raise the issue with her. If you truly believe that money is all that matters, contact Gil Kemp or other prominent benefactors. </p>
<p>When President Chopp was at Colgate, she presided over the purchase of all Greek houses in order to create a residential college system. She also expelled a fraternity. Do you believe that her Colgate experience makes it less likely that she would act at Swarthmore? It is hard to reconcile her taking on the frats at a conservative university with her being unwilling to do so at Swarthmore. What exactly is the source of the strong feeling you mention? </p>
<p>I am also curious about your claim the “the current planned referendum on greek life (vote to accept or reject) has been postponed by the admin because too many donor dollars are tied up with the presence (however small) of greek life.” The Feb. 26th edition of the Daily Gazette say this alout the referendum: </p>
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</p>
<p>See [StuCo</a> Report: Referendum Not Binding | Daily Gazette](<a href=“daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed”>daily.swarthmore.edu domain has changed)</p>
<p>The article claims that StuCo has not recevied the referendum.</p>
<p>@SwatLife: Yes, I saw JYs reference to a concentration camp. I have a great deal of experience working with non-native English speakers. Many of these students use bombastic language from time to time. So, I choose to forgive him for that peccadillo (not that he needs my forgiveness). Other posts stick out far more than that one. For instance, the first poster to respond to the concentration camp reference used the name LOL, mocked him for mentioning the great nation of the USA, and went downhill from there. That post was simply unkind, but I digress. </p>
<p>The general tone of the comments leaves a lot to be desired, even after the Daily Gazettes plea for civility. When someone is the target of intimidation, taunting or bullying in real life, it is natural for that individual and supporters to seek redress. But going on line and engaging in intimidation, taunting or bullying is not the right response. Righteous indignation and moral licensing are powerful forces, but we should not give in to them. Bullying is bullying, and no amount of rationalizing will change that.</p>