Revitalizing the Activity of Fraternities
A REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERFRATERNITYCOUNCIL ON SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS MADE THIS YEAR
ON MARCH 5, 1937 The Dartmouth ran an editorial which summed up the fraternity situation in the following sentences: ". . . . most of the moves have comefrom the top. Almost all the definite actionsince September has been originated andpromoted either by the Administration orthe Interfraternity Council. The part ofthe body membership has been largelypassive."
This statement seems on the surface to be absolutely true but we must take into consideration that the Interfraternity Council is simply the meeting of the presidents of the twenty-two fraternities in a permanent organization. We are supposedly a group representing the general sentiment, but a gap is bound to develop between our feelings and the feelings of the majority of fraternity men since they do not have our chance to get a weekly glimpse of the other members of the system and of the system as a whole. In so far as this is true the writer of the editorial was quite correct and deserves credit for pointing out the weekness so that all can see it and all can help to remedy it.
After all it is probably true that the masses of men are the ones who determine the history of the world but small groups can often help the masses in achieving their ends by providing the means and by strengthening their desire to use these means.
However, before one begins to build it Is absolutely necessary that there be a need for the construction, a strong foundation, and a plan to go by. Everyone recognized the need for improving the fraternity situation; a firm base was to be found in the twenty-two capable fellows who make up the Council and in the willing support of the Administration; so all that we needed was an outline for the future. This was obtained in short order at a joint dinner that we had with President Hopkins, Dean Neidlinger, and Professor Larmon. The suggestions were both general and specific but all had the essential quality of inspiring enthusiasm.
If the Interfraternity Council was to be the agency to carry out these suggestions it was necessary that it first become recognized as a useful body and thus increase its own strength. One of the preliminary steps was to set up a speaker's bureau to provide a file of thirty or more faculty and administration members for the use of any fraternity desiring a speaker on any certain evening. A survey was begun in conjunction with the D. O. C. to determine the number of rooms in Hanover and vicinity that would be available for girls, parents, or chaperons during house parties or on football week-ends. The rushing system was taken up and the number of weeks cut down from three to two. A list of informal initiation stunts was drawn up and copies given to each house in an effort to abolish dangerous practices without resorting to a system of rigorous "Don't's."
REAL ACTIVITY BY COUNCIL
The first attempt at any sort of general fraternity action was made in conjunction with Palaeopitus and Green Key in regard to the Harvard Game. We hoped to do away with the disgraceful actions of past Harvard week-ends which were always the fault of a minority and which came at the expense of the majority. The individual fraternities passed resolutions and through The Dartmouth the attention of all was brought to bear upon the subject. I think it is safe to say the conduct of the students in Boston was the best that it has been for a long time.
In November the Interfraternity Treasurers' Council was set up to deal with the financial problems confronting the houses. The Vice President of our Council sits in on their meetings and the two bodies have been able to work in complete harmony. Already they have developed a new and better method of dues collection and are working now on a plan to set up in the individual houses loan funds to enable men to join fraternities who otherwise would not be able to. This will undoubtedly be worked in the same manner as is the College Loan Fund.
All this time we were still trying to make the Council itself stronger and more closely knit. Meetings were held in the various fraternity houses instead of in a stiff formal room in Robinson Hall. Up to date we have had four dinners, two of them being for the members of the Council alone. We have discussed quite a few topics with the sole idea of trading information and thus making all of the houses so much the stronger. One of the most interesting topics was on planning for house parties but the presidents of the houses did not know much about the details. Therefore, we held a meeting of all the fraternity house party chairmen about three weeks before Carnival and the discussion ran from the best kind of wax to use on the floor to the number of blankets needed on the girls' beds.
Some results were beginning to show themselves even before Christmas. Some of the houses were trying various ways to improve the scholarship of their members, some were working on the idea of personality ratings or "rake-overs," while others were attempting to make their meetings more interesting. All of these topics were discussed by the Council and often committees were appointed to investigate and report but we alone couldn't make the fellows show the interest that they did. The week preceding Christmas was very encouraging. Many of the houses collected toys and food for the needy families in the district and one house put on a party for thirty-five little children with a real Santa Claus 'n everything. When the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers began to overflow their banks the men in the fraternities responded with the same spirit, and contributed fifty-six dollars as a group when many of the men had contributed individually. Some of the houses also collected old clothing and sent it to the refugees.
The main parts of our structure seem to be in fairly good shape now although the job of furnishing and decorating has only begun. One of the first problems was the Interfraternity Play Contest. A committee was appointed to work with The Players and through their combined efforts nineteen houses have signed up as this article is being written. The Interfraternity Singing, to which many are looking forward, is in the process of organization and will get under way as soon as the weather becomes a little warmer. Either this spring or next fall Interfraternity Debating will be initiated in conjunction with the Forensic Union.
SUPPORT FOR HOSPITAL BENEFIT
About the middle of January plans for the North Country Fair (for the benefit of the Hospital) were on the fire and the fraternities were given the opportunity to organize and put over a "dime-a-dance" ballroom on both nights of the Fair. The Council took it upon itself to accept this invitation and to organize the actual plans. A committee of three was appointed to act as a steering committee. Each fraternity supplied two men or more to help in the actual running of the dance and a separate group took complete charge of the decorations. It was a chance to do something for the community and indirectly to help the fraternities themselves. Everybody, directly or indirectly, connected with the project felt that it was a worthy one and it was certainly fine to see men from twenty-two fraternities all working for a common goal.
Since last Thanksgiving the men in the Council have felt that if there was some way by which they could make the members of their houses feel as they do about the whole situation, all their trouble would be at an end. Finally, after many suggestions and after a lot of hard work by a committee, a series of meetings has been planned to be held the last three Sundays in March and to include all the fraternities. The houses have been divided into groups so that the talks by President Hopkins, by a member of the National Committee of Five, and by Stoney Jackson '36 (college Adviser to Fraternities) can be on an informal basis and more like the meetings of the Council itself.
There seem to be three general stages in the whole attack:—to develop and strengthen the Interfraternity Council, to build up a cooperative attitude among all the fraternity men, and then attack the deeper problems which all have in common. We are still in the second stage but every once in a while a short inroad into the third is taken with indefinite but promising results.
In conclusion, too much credit cannot be given to the Administration working through Stoney Jackson nor to the Committee of Five representing the national fraternities. Both parties have cooperated full and unceasingly and Mr. Duerr's committee has been very helpful and generous in offering cups and prizes for the various contests.
DONALD C. MCKINLAY '37 President of the Interfraternity Counciland basketball player. His home is inChicago.
