I think the worst part of attending W&L is being promised a community and a university that upholds strong values and discovering that that right is not reserved for everyone.
Now, I’m an independent woman of color, and I couldn’t care less about not being in a Greek organization. I chose to be independent purely out of preference. Its members have made the decision of paying to be in one and what they do is none of my business…until problematic behaviors, manifested within the institution begins to affect the wellbeing of others.
When I write this, I acknowledge that there exists absolutely VILE students in some of these fraternities. Some brandishing Confederate flags even though they’re from Massachusetts and some writing for the Spectator to compensate for their fragile egos.
However, I also acknowledge that there are students who have the BEST intentions, and whose decision to be apart of a toxic institution was simply motivated by peer pressure or pressure to form substantial networks.
That said, these same “woke” students need to take accountability for the behavior of their problematic sisters and brothers. If these people TRULY care about you as you claim they do, they will respect your comments and be more mindful in the future.
If you are a “good guy” you will let the transgender student into your party, despite several attempts from your brothers to randomly “close the party for close friends.” If you’re really “not racist” you wouldn’t consistently let your fraternity brother throw around the n-word because “he’s just messing around.”
If you’re not homophobic, you would let the lesbian couple make out on the dance floor. After all you tolerate your creepy fraternity brother’s unsolicited attempts to grope his date at a formal. If you’re respect women, you wouldn’t watch your brother get a girl drunk so that he might get “lucky.”
Start taking accountability. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, but if you’re on mistake #5, you have a serious issue to acknowledge. If W&L is really a community, we should all work harder to ensure the comfort of every student on campus—not just for a select few.