The Undergraduate Chair
In recent years in the AlumniMagazine there have not been too many stories or much mention made of the fraternities at the College. And yet, in many ways, the 21 houses on campus have changed as much this past year as the College has.
Responsible for these developments has been the 1973 Interfraternity Council, made up of the presidents of the houses, and especially the Council's president; Woody McGinnis '73, president of The Tabard.
McGinnis identified three areas of major achievements for the fraternity system, in decreasing importance as regards their effect on the system as a whole: increasing the efficiency of the IFC itself; securing the financial base of the houses by hiring a fraternity business manager; and improvements in rush and the rush process, which also involves how the houses dealt with the issue of coeducation.
Up until this year, the IFC was made up strictly of house presidents, comprising a body of 21 members. Under a change proposed by the 1972 IFC and adopted by the '73s, the representation was increased to two members from each house, providing, as McGinnis had hoped, in creased representation from the junior and sophomore classes in the system. "Usually," he noted, "juniors and sophomores are harder.workers than the seniors are."
Elections for IFC members are now staggered as well; meaning that terms of office overlap. In pushing for the change, McGinnis hoped this would increase the continuity of the body's leadership." In the past, the old walked out leaving the new guys alone and helpless. It usually took almost a year before the new IFC knew how to function, and by then it was time for them to leave," he explained. "This staggered system of membership should also help the IFC meet the challenge of functioning under year-round operation, with members going off campus at a greater rate. The doubled manpower pool insures there will be enough students around to staff the various subgroups of the IFC as well as undertake specific tasks."
Increased efficiency also means better fraternity-administration relations. "In the past," Woody explained, "I've observed that the houses have been very defensive about their relations with the administration, and College policy-makers are misin- formed about Dartmouth's fraternities. These are not like houses at the midWestern campuses, the fraternity stereotype. Administrators are really isolated from the houses here, and we tried to alleviate that."
McGinnis has talked with a number of policy-makers during the past year, explaining to them what houses are and are not like, and what is important to the system's members. In the fall, the IFC hosted several policy-makers for dinner at Phi Sigma Psi. Those officials in attendance included Vice-President and Dean for Student Affairs Donald Kreider, Dean of the College Carroll Brewster, and Assistant Vice-President Marilyn Baldwin. "That was really a big step forward for all of us," McGinnis commented.
The College has also proved amenable to the idea of financing special fraternity activities analogous to the College's sub. sidization of events at the Choate Road and River Cluster dorm complexes.
"We have also managed to maintain close contact this year with the various committees that deal with student life here," he said. "President Kemeney in particular has said that he has been impressed with the IFC's ability to come up with solutions to its own problems."
Along this line, the fraternities pooled their funds and hired a fraternity business manager, John Hughes '66, former president of Phi Sigma Psi, to represent their financial interests in the business community. "Houses have realized some real savings when John deals in bulk for 21 buyers," McGinnis said. Hughes has managed to sign bulk contracts for oil and trash removal, as well as get good deals on snow removal. Currently he is working on group insurance for the system.
"With the savings that John has won for the houses, the system and its members can survive major periods of transition when fraternity membership is in decline, like the period we. witnessed several years ago," said McGinnis. "The FBM can also help houses .meet the challenge of dealing with declining physical plants. Some of the houses are forty years old and need repair work that can be obtained at bulk rate."
Hughes came too late for several houses, however. Pi Lambda Phi and Phoenix closed down last year, as did Storrs House, because of deep financial difficulties and declining rushes.
McGinnis has some definite ideas as to why there was that period of decline a few years back.
"A great change has taken place in the Dartmouth student body during the last five years, and houses have tried to cope th it by becoming less formal and traditional in their social and daily routines and pursuits," he explained. "The houses have become more easygoing in their lifestyles here at Dartmouth.
-With a number of exceptions, the fraternities are less preoccupied with ceremony: pins, secret handshakes, are all gone or at least fading. The brothers are more interested now in pursuing activities that are less exclusive of outsiders. I, think this trend needs to be expanded."
Whatever the reason, rush did pick up last spring. McGinnis points to this development as being crucial to the up-swing. For the first time, freshmen were allowed to rush houses. "It was a real boon to the entire system," he said. "There were a lot of practical reasons for the move. The brothers did not have to come back early; the three-day rush over one weekend meant less time was spent on it, making it better for brother and rushees.
The major reason for the change was to adapt to year-round operation. Surveys taken by the College showed that many freshmen would be off-campus for the fall term of sophomore year, the traditional rushing period being the week before classes began for the term.
"There was a. new energy to last year's spring rush. Brothers were more active in seeking out prospective members, and more freshmen visited houses than ever before. In addition, rush was better coordinated at-the IFC level."
What's rush going to be like this year? No one can really say, mainly because now there are girls on campus. Traditionally at Dartmouth, a major reason given freshmen for joining houses was to meet girls from women's colleges at the houses' various social functions. Theoretically, male students shouldn't have to roadtrip anymore, although the male-female ratio is still an uneven eight to,one; but roadtripping still goes on.
Coupled with this question was that of what to do with the women on the weekends if one was a member of a house: according to College policy, freshmen, and this logically included female freshmen, were not permitted in houses until formal visitations in the winter term, and then not again until formal spring term rush.
But in his convocation address, President Kemeny called upon Dartmouth men to bring the women fully into the life of the College community, and fraternities were part of that life for many upperclassmen.
Yet, if the freshman women were allowed to visit houses, it would not be fair for the fraternity system to exclude freshman men simply on the basis of sex. Thus went the IFC's reasoning. A system of a limited number of written invitations was proposed by the IFC to allow certain freshmen, male and female, into a house for one night only and only on the weekends. President Kemeny approved the idea, and that is the policy currently in effect. Both the IFC and College officials agree that the rules are difficult to enforce, to say the least. What house would kick out a prospective rushee, especially a girl?
But will all houses rush women—thatis, let them join as full "brothers"?
Seven houses at the College are still affiliated with national fraternity organizations, all of which, in their charters, prohibit women from joining the house. Six of the other fourteen—Alpha Theta, Gamma Delta Chi, The Tabard, Phi Tau, the Harold Parmington Foundation, and Foley House—decided to admit women.
"It would have been a tragic mistake had the fraternity system opted to remain closed altogether to prospective female membership," said McGinnis, and I say that without being able to answer the question of whether Dartmouth women will want to join houses. That will be tested in rush, now and in the future, but at least the opportunity has been left open. If coed dorm life is desirable, then fraternity coed living would not be any less desirable, he added.
Is being in a fraternity desirable?
"It's really true that fraternities can be a good experience," McGinnis responded, "the autonomous nature of the house develops leadership and management skills in students earlier than possible with any other College activity. The house represents, for its members, a stable bunch of friends amidst the increasing transience of the Dartmouth Plan, in a habitat immensely different from a dorm and that kind of living experience. The camaraderie is certainly not dead at Dartmouth.
"When I first got here," McGinnis continued, "I could not see myself in a house, but I have come to realize that there are as many different houses here as there are houses in number."
So, the fraternity system has adapted to the changes it has encountered, both those emanating from the College and those brought about by a changing student body.
"The big question now," said McGinnis smiling, "is, with women, do we change the name?"
A meeting of the 1973 Interfraternity Council in the third-floor conference room ofParkhurst Hall. At the head table (l to r) are President Woody McGinnis '73, Vice President Paul Feakins '73, Secretary Martin Lange '73, and John Hughes '66, graduatebusiness manager for all the houses.
An upswing in fraternity activity this year was indicated by revival of the InterfraternityPlay Contest. Above is a scene from Kappa Kappa Kappas winning production of"Hope Is the Thing with Feathers" by Richard Harrity.
