Editorial: Spring rush

Majority:

Last year, the University announced a new policy regarding Greek letter organizations on Princeton’s campus, forbidding freshmen to take part in any activity sanctioned through these organizations. The rationale given by the University was that Greek organizations isolate students from meeting people outside their organization and are dominated by white, upper-class students who have social connections and a prior knowledge of the system that increases the likelihood they will participate in Greek life.

Although we sympathize with some of the University’s concerns, the board continues to disagree with the policy. In order to address the concerns of the University while considering the desires and rights of students, the board proposes that freshmen be allowed to participate in Greek organizations beginning in the spring semester.

Restricting freshmen from joining fraternities and sororities for one semester is as likely to achieve the University’s objectives as an entire yearlong ban would be. Moving rush to the spring allows freshmen adequate time to meet students from a wide array of backgrounds. Moreover, with spring rush, students without prior connections to the University would have the opportunity to meet upperclassmen in Greek organizations, addressing the concern that these organizations only currently appeal to a certain segment of the Princeton community.

The board acknowledges that the timing of rush in the fall barred many students without prior information about the system from participating in Greek life. Previously, fall rush would come and go before some students were even aware of rush events. Spring rush would address this problem and also allow freshmen to learn more about Greek life on campus so that they can make an informed decision about whether to join a fraternity or sorority.

Moving rush to spring also allows the University the opportunity to work with Greek organizations to improve the rush process. It is no small secret that relations between the University and campus Greek organizations are poor, but this decision could hopefully foster better policy in the future and a more cordial environment between Greek organizations and the administration. In spite of the University’s insistence upon non-recognition of Greek organizations, we believe that the process of rush could be further improved if the administration and Greek organizations worked together. In this vein, the University could mandate that Greek organizations host events that are well publicized and open to a wide array of students in order to ensure that the rush process is as accessible as possible. Princeton has demonstrated that making events like bicker more public, more uniform and more open can have positive consequences. The University has already demonstrated a willingness to regulate these groups while denying them recognition; it can at least begin to regulate them effectively.

The board recognizes the well-publicized coverage of the negative stereotypes surrounding Greek organizations across the country, but does not believe that these incidents constitute grounds for the current policy, as these negative stereotypes do not necessarily applying to Princeton Greek life. In contrast, we believe that Greek organizations can be an important source of mentors and friends for freshmen. In Greek organizations, upperclassmen and freshmen can form bonds that they would likely not have otherwise forged. These relationships can be meaningful for upperclassmen and can provide freshmen with an invaluable source of guidance.

While we recognize the issues with the previous timing of rush, this board disagrees with the University’s decision to prevent freshmen from participating in Greek life for an entire year. The proposal of spring rush addresses the University’s concerns without completely barring freshmen from participating in an experience valued by many Princeton students. The University’s policy has now been in operation for one year, and the board continues to believe that a spring rush policy would be an appropriate compromise between the administration and Greek organizations.

Dissent:

President Tilghman and her administration were justified in their decision to ban freshmen from rushing Greek organizations. Statistics demonstrate that members of Greek organizations at Princeton are whiter, wealthier and much more likely to come from private schools than their non-Greek peers. Fraternities and sororities, by selecting students based on social factors rather than any talent or shared cause, are a channel through which students from similar backgrounds of privilege can self-segregate, to the detriment of broader campus integration and social diversification. Princeton has made significant gains in diversity and Greek organizations represent a pull backward, rather than forward. Credible concern for the risk of hazing, through use of alcohol, physical or emotional abuse, adds to this negative effect. (see the account by John Burford ’12 from this newspaper in 2010).

Banning freshman year rush is a step in the right direction, encouraging freshmen to explore a wide range of extracurricular activities before choosing to segregate themselves in Greek organizations. As opposed to the majority, we believe that maintaining the rush ban for an entire year is necessary to give freshmen adequate time to explore these other options. The main attractions of Greek organizations — access to alcohol, parties and as feeders for selective eating clubs — all naturally have less appeal for better-grounded sophomores than freshmen. The administration's reasoning for the original ban still holds true and the majority is mistaken in suggesting otherwise.

Signed, Robert Joyce, Connor Mui, Christina Campodonico, Lily Offit, Sean Andrew Chen, Daniel Cullen