Fraternity Views

AT THE ANNUAL BANQUET of the Association of Boston Alumni at the CopleyPlaza on February 26, President Dickey, in reviewing the past year at Dartmouth in his address, gave his views on the fraternity system at Dartmouth.

He said that he believed fraternities served an important social need in an undergraduate college and further stated that they, as all other campus activities, must continuously justify their existence by serving rather than hindering the work of the College. There is, he thought, every indication that the great majority of today's undergraduates accept this view. So long as these conditions are met, the President saw no conflict between college policy and the national fraternities.

President Dickey emphasized that the College does have a responsibility for all educational influences which exist on the campus and that it will not look with comp lacency upon any undesirable external educational influence being imposed on Dartmouth students. Referring to the membership policies of certain national fraternities, he stated that while he would be opposed to any attempt to require the local chapters to accept any man as a member, he was also opposed to having any national fraternity impose its prejudices upon the local chapters in the selection of their members.

"I am making it clear that personally I want the simple assurance that the undergraduates in Dartmouth's fraternities are free to take or to reject any Dartmouth student on the basis of the undergraduates' own preferences and prejudices rather than someone else's," he stated. "I do not believe that men live without prejudices but I do not believe in teaching or imposing prejudice and I believe our men should be permitted to form and to vote their own prejudices as to their fraternal associates."