Signatures
A total of 191 students have signed the petition as of 10 p.m. on Feb. 20.
Signatures with comments:
Patrick Ammerman ’14
I have full confidence that a sorority on campus will benefit the sisters that join it, but I feel that there has not been sufficient conversation about how it can serve a positive role for the entire campus. It has been my experience that Greek life at Swarthmore is a positive influence for some students, but that many find that the activities of the current fraternities are not pertinent to their college experience and that some are even repelled by activities associated with them. Before we drastically expand what is already a polarizing presence on campus, I hope we can critically examine our current Greek culture and discuss how it can be a positive presence to our entire community.
Marian Firke ’14
I believe that we must be egalitarian in our approach to Greek Life. If we continue to permit the existence of fraternities, then we must also give KAT the same rights and responsibilities on campus. However, I would feel safer and more satisfied with the social scene of Swarthmore College with no greek life whatsoever.
Paul Green ’16
From what I know about it in my time at Swat, Greek Life isn’t what I want a part of our school to be. I think there’s definitely a place for campus-wide parties, but I see no strong other reason for their existence. Obviously many peoples’ personal feelings run counter to this. But, I think there should be a discussion about it’s continuation, especially given the addition of the sorority to campus, which adds a 3rd Greek body to an already small school population.
I’m on the track team, which I realize is like a Greek ‘group’ in its own ways, but I feel like and like to think that we’re brought together by the love of our sport.. we may be occasionally cliquey, but the main vehicle for coming together is something positive– athletics. What is the vehicle for fraternity in our campus Greek Life? Could it be alcohol abuse? I don’t know, but I think an investigation of their ‘vehicle for togetherness’ would be good. That’s why I sign.
Jong In Jun ’16
I think we only hear from those who have a strong opinion on the issue. We need to know what the silent majority feels about the issue.
Aaron Kroeber ’16
Greek life supports a culture of division, of drawing lines between peers. The college has no place endorsing such behavior, particularly by giving them their own space. The seemingly-well founded accusations of misogyny and belittlement of women at the fraternities, as well as the unsafe drinking practices conducted during rush, further show how the culture of Greek life is incompatible with the college.
There is no place for exclusionary, divisive organizations at a college that seeks to be all-inclusive.
William Lawrence ’13
Based on conversations I’ve had, it’s clear that participation in Greek Life is a valuable experience for many people. It’s also clear that some people feel unsafe because of the influence of Greek Life on Swarthmore’s campus. These two viewpoints need to come into conversation. The outcome will likely be antagonistic, but it will hopefully also allow us to understand each other better.
Aurora Martinez del Rio ’16
Everyone should get a say in this matter.
Peera Songkunnatham ’15
I don’t have strong positions; I sign this petition because I want to hear all sides and fractions within them, so that I settle on a position. I do see this as a dialogue: it’s true that some of us will hear what we want to hear, but I’m sure there will be others who listen. I see this not as a threatening move, because to talk about it at an institutional level brings people together to decide on what many of us think is important to decide.
Erik Tvetenstrand ’14
The small, non-intrusive presence of Greek life on campus was one of many reasons that I came to Swarthmore over other similar schools. I feel like campus is a small place already, and there is no need to further segment it with exclusive groups. Swarthmore was once famous for removing its sororities to combat discrimination and cliquishness. Now, with the reversal of that decision, I feel we are slowly beginning to erode that progress.
Patrick Walsh ’14
I do not think Swarthmore should have officially chartered fraternities and sororities. I am supportive of any group on Swarthmore’s campus. However, as institutions themselves, official fraternities and sororities are (by definition) exclusive based on gender. No matter how Greek life might be enacted on Swarthmore’s campus, the ties to the official institutions will ensure that trans* identities are excluded or marginalized.
Joyce H. Wu ’15
Reports of misogyny and homophobia by brothers both inside and outside of the houses; the ways that fraternity and sorority culture perpetuate unsafe drinking and sexual assault; and the increased marginalization of people of color, and queer and trans people in the fraternities are all based on individual experiences, but that does not mean that they should be discounted. The fact still remains that the fraternities make some people uncomfortable. Furthermore, the fraternities get space and privileges that are not afforded to other student groups.
Maybe getting rid of Greek organizations doesn’t seem like it makes sense based on these arguments — after all, they all seem like issues that can be dealt with by reform. My last point, though, comes from colleges with similar backgrounds to ours — small liberal arts colleges founded by Quakers, that still hold Quaker values whether or not they’re still affiliated. We have only to look to the colleges closest to us, those in the Tri-Co, to see that very few other small, historically Quaker colleges ever had or still have Greek life. That’s because the exclusion that Greek life promotes goes against Quaker notions of equality.
Eddie Zhang ’13
“The demand to give up the illusions about its condition is the demand to give up a condition that requires illusions.”
Anonymous ’13
The fraternities and sororities should be disbanded since they are exclusionary, harmful, and antiquated institutions.
Anonymous ’13
No matter how hard their members try to be welcoming and open, fraternities and sororities, are inherently exclusive in a way that is different from other groups: rather than coming together around a particular activity or interest, members of fraternities and sororities choose each other purely to be members of a social club–a role appropriate for informal friend groups, not institutionalized, funded organizations. They foster divisions in the college community that are incompatible with the values Swarthmore was founded on. Finally, Greek organizations explicitly promote an alcohol-fueled party culture that is toxic, destructive, and largely illegal.
Anonymous ’13
As a woman who has personally experienced discomfort/harassment at the fraternities, I feel I should express my disapproval of the strengthening -via the sorority- of the Greek life on campus.
In my humble opinion, a Quaker institution cannot stay true to its values while upholding those inherent to the Greek system.
-Also, to those women arguing that they want to meet new people – SIT AT A DIFFERENT TABLE FOR MEALS
– To those that want to provide charitable services to benefit the community – JOIN A CLUB WITH YOUR INTERESTS or START A NEW CLUB
– Those arguing that women need a safe space – THE WRC IS AMAZING! CHECK IT OUT!
– Those that want connections upon graduation? – CAREER SERVICES ALWAYS HAS THEIR DOOR OPEN.
There is no need to integrate a potentially “toxic” organization when we have a plethora of benefits at our fingertips. Please don’t overlook our opportunities and our privilege.
Anonymous ’13
No. Just no.
Anonymous ’13
I think that the spaces that the fraternities occupy serve a necessary function as party spaces, but they could do so without them being the home to fraternities, which inherently carry connotations of exclusivity and misogyny. If there are people on this campus that want to create exclusive clubs, they have the right to do so, but they should not have a physical space to call their own where others may not feel as welcome. Both the Phi Psi and the DU houses should be reclaimed as public party spaces, similar to Olde Club and that hellhole we call Paces, where the Fraternities/Sorority can hold parties but have no more precedence than other student groups. In that way, they might not carry such a stigma and prevent a large portion of campus from enjoying having fun in those buildings.
Anonymous ’13
I understand that Swarthmore is an exclusive institution that requires compensation, but that doesn’t mean students groups should also be able to require dues. Even though I will be gone next year, I think Swarthmore should maintain its identity as a safe haven away from elitist malarky like the Greek system.
That being said, I frequent the fraternities on the weekends and I consider many members to be close friends, but I think moving away from the monopoly Greek life has on social events would be pretty cool. The sorority probably won’t change the overall feel of the college, but abolishing the Greek system certainly will! Let’s try it, please.
Anonymous ’13
No matter how hard their members try to be welcoming and open, fraternities and sororities, are inherently exclusive in a way that is different from other groups: rather than coming together around a particular activity or interest, members of fraternities and sororities choose each other purely to be members of a social club–a role appropriate for informal friend groups, not institutionalized, funded organizations. They foster divisions in the college community that are incompatible with the values Swarthmore was founded on. Finally, Greek organizations explicitly promote an alcohol-fueled party culture that is toxic, destructive, and largely illegal.
Anonymous ’13
I am signing this petition because I believe there should be more open, campus wide discussions of issues with the greek system as a whole (the interest meetings for the sorority last year were not an appropriate avenue for that– those who were not interested in joining did not feel like they belonged at such meetings, plus it wasn’t a place to discuss both fraternities and sororities as a whole). I personally do not think that greek life should be banned, but I think there are problems in the system at Swat currently and a better understanding of grievances on both side of this issue is necessary.
Anonymous ’15
I’m neither for nor against the fraternity, because I honestly don’t think it will affect campus life all that much. However, I do feel that not enough attention has been paid to the opinions, thoughts, and reasoning of girls who have chosen to be in the sorority. I hope this can be a chance for them to express to the campus why they have interest in it, so that the campus has a better sense of what both sides are saying. I think the campus community will be surprised that many of these girls have the same reasons for being in the sorority as non-sorority members have for being in the groups of which they’re a part. Only after all sides of the story have been presented can the campus truly have a fair, open-minded, Swarthmore-style discussion about how to proceed. While many opponents of the sorority have been claiming that Greek life goes against the the institution’s Quaker values, it also goes against our Quaker values to criticize something before we’ve heard all their is to say about it. That’s why I’m pro-referendum.
Anonymous ’15
I think there should be a space to talk about this.
Anonymous ’16
I do not believe Greek life at Swarthmore should be so prominent. I would be inclined to ban it, but then we would have a harder time organizing social events and using spaces for said events. The frats provide a structure for throwing parties, for those of us who want them. I am more concerned with frats than sororities, in fact, because of the frat’s access to alcohol which is ultimately more harmful.
Anonymous ’16
If you want to have a tight-knit group of friends, I have no problem with that. However, taking that close group of friends and making it an institution among your peers who may not want it is essentially analogous to the creation of a social fiefdom. You are creating a place where people have to pass tests or perform initiations in order to have friends. Social grandstanding, attention grabbing, and exclusivity. These are the three main facets of Greek life, and they really only serve the function of over inflating egos and making life miserable for those of us who do not wish to be part of it. Traditional? We are part of Swarthmore. We break traditions. We scream, and kick, and fight like hell, but we do not close ourselves off by establishing limits on ourselves.
Anonymous ’16
I think the primary benefit of the new sorority provides that we don’t have yet is a socializing and party space for women that can be more active than what the WRC currently hosts. I don’t like that the frats and sororities effectively institutionalize and exclude non-members from what should be informal social groups.I think the primary benefit of the new sorority provides that we don’t have yet is a socializing and party space for women that can be more active than what the WRC currently hosts. I don’t like that the frats and sororities effectively institutionalize and exclude non-members from what should be informal social groups.
Signatures without comments:
Alex Ahn ’14
Atish Agarwala ’13
Carolyn Anderson ’14
Ximena Anleu ’15
Murphy Austin ’15
Lisa Bao ’14
Victoria Barber ’13
Pravin Barton ’15
Gabe Benjamin ’15
Benjamin Bernard-Herman ’14
Thomas Boucher ’14
Canaan Breiss ’16
Samuel Buchl ’14
Christopher Chalaka ’15
Julia Chartove ’14
Nate Cheek ’15
Bryan Chen ’15
Stephanie Chia ’13
Laina Chin ’16
Paul Chung ’14
Jason Clayton ’16
Andrés Cordero ’16
Natali Cortes ’13
Maria Elena Covarrubias ’15
Ezra Day-Roberts ’13
Amelia Dornbush ’15
Olivia Edwards ’14
Gail Engmann ’14
Amanda Epstein ’15
Janessa Esquivel ’13
Rossana Estrada ’15
William Fedullo ’16
Nick Felt ’13
Leah Foster ’14
Rachel Fresques ’14
Chase Fuller ’16
Rebekah Gelpi ’15
Benjamin Geselowitz ’13
Rachel Giovanniello ’14
Yin Guan ’13
Joelle H. ’16
Miriam Hauser ’13
Sachie Hayakawa ’13
Jovanna Hernandez ’13
Joan Huang ’15
Ben Johnson ’14
Nora Kerrich ’16
Henry Kietzman ’14
Sarah Kim ’13
Tiffany Kim ’16
Hanna King ’14
Elizabeth Kramer ’15
Brian L. ’14
Laura Laderman ’15
Koby Levin ’15
Mark Levine-Weinberg ’14
Vasomnoleak Ly ’15
Maya Marzouk ’13
Daniel May ’16
Maura McGuire ’14
Allison McKinnon ’13
Joshua McLucas ’15
Ben Mercado ’14
Samuel Mori ’16
Parker Murray ’15
Peter Nilsson ’15
Abigail Norling-Ruggles ’16
Hannah Pugh ’16
Yena Purmasir ’14
Jackson Pietsch ’13
Raisa Reyes ’15
Anya Rose ’16
Alison Roseberry-Polier ’14
Chayanon Ruamcharoen ’15
Stuart Russell ’14
Mario Sanchez ’16
Karim Sariahmed ’13
Jonah Schwartz ’15
Allison Shultes ’15
Nathan Siegel ’15
Alexander Simms ’16
Mitchell Slapik ’14
Eugenia Sokolskaya ’13
Chloe Stevens ’13
Anna Stitt ’13
Nithya Swaminathan ’16
Greg Taschuk ’13
Doriana Thornton ’16
Melissa Tier ’14
Treasure Tinsley ’15
Alec Toro ’15
Vienna Tran ’13
Ximena Violante ’14
Jonah Wacholder ’13
Emma Waitzman ’14
Adrian Wan ’15
Alexandra Willingham ’15
Benjamin Wolcott ’14
Shinae Yoon ’16
Patricia Zarate ’14
Elaine Zhou ’16
Zhenglong Zhou ’16
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Petition for Referendum on Greek Life at Swarthmore College 
Maybe Greek life at Swat should just like, you know, take a fraternal leave of absence… it’s like that song that goes like “yeah then you really might know what it’s like yeah then you really might know what it’s like yeah then you really might know what it’s like yeah then you really might know what it’s like.” Idk, just a suggest 😛
One HUGE pro influencing my decision to come here was that there was NO SORORITY. A sorority would invite an unfavorable culture to the campus environment.
Have you ever been to a school with a sorority? Rhythm and Motion is an exclusive group with closed events and a heavy influence on campus. Tons of people try out every year and only a few are selected yet no one has a problem with them. While greek life here at Swarthmore does have an initiation process IE pledging, everyone who demonstrates interest receives a bid.
Rhythm and Motion is definitely not the same thing as greek life. First of all, auditions and selectivity are a huge part of performing arts, not just RnM. Students who don’t get in to the group have many other opportunities to dance, and the group actually has a focus (to dance). While I understand that fraternities and sororities are meant to create a brotherhood or sisterhood of some sort, can that not be found in other groups? What, dare I ask, is the common interest shared by the “brothers” or “sisters” of greek life? I’m not trying to argue that greek life has no purpose, but rather I am trying to express how greek life is not comparable to other student groups such as Rhythm and Motion.
Also, I don’t find it fair to use “Have you ever been to a school with a sorority?” as an argument against roberta’s comment. I know plenty of students, including myself who had “no greek life” as a criterion when looking at schools to apply to. I recall speaking to another female student here who explicitly told me that she was hesitant to apply to Swarthmore because it had two frats, and if the sorority had been in place she would never have considered Swarthmore. By the way, this student applied early decision. The face that the mere presence of one sorority would have prevented that from happening just goes to show how big of an influence greek life is on the prospective student and that not everyone wants to go to a school with a sorority. The whole “if you haven’t tried it, you don’t know” attitude isn’t really productive in any way. At the end of the day, greek life is greek life. There is not some big secret about what fraternities and sororities are like on campus, and some people simply don’t want that kind of presence on campus.
People that are that inherently bigoted against a specific type of student group are not welcome in an open-minded community.
I’d prefer not to sign this petition because I don’t think there should even be a chance of shutting down Greek life at Swat. I have yet to hear a constructive discussion on the matter and feel that it is absurd to even entertain the possibility of banning anything until this happens. I guess however if there is a referendum and it fails – as I am nearly entirely certain that it will – that would at least end this once in for all. I have never felt excluded or uncomfortable by the Greek life on campus and honestly don’t feel like it has really affected me at all, negatively or positively. I don’t know why so many people are adamant about taking away something many others enjoy when it really is not all that a pervasive part of Swarthmore culture, especially when the primary argument seems to be “Fraternities and sororities are inherently bad.”
I’d like to push back on what you’re saying a bit. I absolutely agree that constructive discussion is usually much more effective than a simple vote. However, I firmly reject the notion that nobody ever tried to have discussion. I personally had set up a meeting with NYS members, several deans, and faculty members. This meeting was cancelled four different times. I sent friendly emails with lists of questions to NYS leaders and never received a reply. I made every effort to create discussion yet it did not happen. To me, this referendum feels like the next best thing.
While I did not start the petition, I can already see its positive effects. Last night I walked into my dorm to see my entire hall sitting in the lounge discussing and debating. These were students who are from every different part of campus life. There was a frat brother, sorority sister, there were queer people, straight people, survivors of assault, people who go out all the time, people who don’t drink, and many more. I saw lots of active listening and respectful discussion and it was really amazing to me. This is the first time I’ve ever heard discussion like this about Greek life on campus.
Finally, I want to bring up the issues of sexual assault in the fraternities which is one of my largest concerns with the frats. I alone personally know of women on this campus who have been sexually assaulted by six different frat brothers, though there are certainly more. I have brought this to the attention of frat brothers and administrators. Brothers know about even specific incidences. Nothing has been done. It feels to me like the frats in some ways protect perpetrators. They are aware of these issues but haven’t done anything concrete at all. As a result, I do not feel in the least bit safe attending frat parties for fear that there is a culture that condones sexual violence against women.
I would encourage you to continue the conversation about this both here and at the upcoming discussion venues. I’d love to hear about ways we can effectively create discussion particularly around ways to address the issue of sexual assault in the fraternities. Look forward to hearing from you!
While I understand the sexual assault concern, this is an issue that is rooted much more in Swarthmore’s unique drinking culture than just in the fraternities. Students who choose to act despicably and disrespect another person sexually cannot be categorized by just the organizations they are apart of but their questionable character in general. The fact of the matter is members of our community, unfortunately, do not always do the right thing in certain social spaces based on the nature of parties here. This includes Paces parties, Pub Nite, Olde Club, and both frats. If a discussion is made about the dangers of Greek life for this reason, it must include the dangers of night life in general here at Swarthmore. If we get ride of the fraternities, it would only be fair to make this a dry campus. Not every sexual assault case here happens in the fraternity lodges and not every culprit is a brother.
I absolutely agree with what you’re saying about sexual assaults happening outside the fraternities. What I wrestle with though is the fact that many assaults I’m aware of by frat brothers occurred in the context of fraternity events. This is what differentiates assaults by frat brothers from other assaults and makes me concerned about a rape culture that exists in the fraternities.
Just to make sure what I’m saying is clear, I want to give an analogy. For instance, if the cross country team had a party space, consistently threw parties, and also were known to be perpetrators of sexual assault, I would believe that there is a rape culture within the cross country team.
Because frat brothers are affiliated with Greek organizations and commit atrocities in the context of their own group’s events, I’m inclined to connect the individual action with the institution itself. This is different from the way that Paces parties or parties at Olde Club function. Students and student groups take turns throwing parties in Paces. As a result, it’s difficult to isolate a distinct Paces culture and draw connections between individuals and institutions (though perhaps you could make an argument for Pub Nite which is a consistent event occurring in the same space). Perhaps my reasoning is off though.
Then shouldn’t the discussion be about, again, party spaces in general and not just Greek life (at least from this part of the argument). It’s not a rape culture within a group, but more within a space. Knowing many brothers myself, I have discussed with them their sober brother policies at bigger events and a lot of the problems they observed (and actively disrupted) were by non-brothers within their space. Just another thought
I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Are you saying that if for instance, the Quidditch team had a party in a Phi Psi house that the same issues would be present? I feel like I’m missing something.
Removing Greek life from this campus could be one of the most harmful things done to our students’ freedoms and social life. If you do not enjoy the Greek aspect of campus, you don’t have to join – I would hardly call an open party, where the doors are practically left open for any member of the Swarthmore community, “exclusive” by any right.
The fact that some members of the community feel uncomfortable around members of Greek life or in their houses has more to do with a national stigma which has arisen surrounding the traditions inherent in such a community. Swarthmore is a naturally more liberal, progressive institution than the ones which gave rise to these stereotypes, and it’s entirely unreasonable to apply them to our college.
Seeking a brotherhood – or sisterhood – at your college doesn’t make you inferior, or inherently superior. Instead, it simply indicates that your social preferences lend themselves to such a close-knit organization. It’s a matter of preference, not social hierarchy.
I’m not even a member of Greek life at Swarthmore, but I believe that those who care enough about the Greek community to vote for its destruction have personal inferiority issues which can’t be solved simply by destroying organizations which are positive influences for others out of spite.
I’m interested in hearing more about Swarthmore being inherently more progressive and liberal institution. Could you speak to that a little bit?
You’re ducking the point.
Would you mind explaining how? If I’m missing the point it’s not intentional.
By ignoring the relevant points made about Greek Life, which is the topic of discussion, and instead focusing on some tangential point about Swarthmore being progressive and liberal, which is not a topic worth debating. It’s a fact. That’s how.
I would disagree. Steve stated that Swarthmore is an inherently progressive and liberal institution and thus it should be assumed that Swarthmore could not fall ill to the problems of the broad issues of Greek life. I’m not seeing any justification that Swarthmore is “inherently progressive” and thus able to resist issues that come with Greek life.
I’m really not sure why this is such a big deal. Most of the people in the fraternities and sorority are pretty much just as awkward and non-threatening as the rest of campus, potentially more so when you factor in the part with a bunch of guys (or women) having strange secret rituals..
Also, can we stop shaming people who drink? Let’s get off our high horse and get over the Prohibition. Many people who go out a Swarthmore drink, either cheap keg beer at the frats (that they pay for) or watered down Paces juice. I think other parts of the conversation (like gender and socio-economic inclusion) are important to address, but let’s not dilute that with drivel about a drinking culture.
Hi there — did you intend to reply to a specific comment? I’m not sure what this is in response to.
This is not so much an issue of Greek life, but how I’ve seen many people framed the discourse around the opposition to Greek life:
“It is mob rule. Giving students the power to vote against the existence of student groups is antithetical to the principle of inclusiveness we so value here at Swarthmore. Doing so can lead to the decision to get rid of other students groups, e.g., identity-based groups.”
Herein lies the idea that opposing Greek life amounts to a “marginalization” of students who are part of the Greek system. Using this language configures the issue in a way that likens the supposed marginalization of students who choose to be part of Greek life with students who are actually marginalized. Queer students, students of color, do not need this false, dangerous comparison.
This language comes from white heterosexual privilege. When organizations that predominantly attract affluent, white, heterosexual constituents play the “we’re marginzalized card,” it ignores the way in which queer and/or students of color feel discomfort in Greek spaces. This is not to say that no queer and/or students of color support, enjoy and want to be part of Greek life, it is simply a statement based on observation that even as egalitarian as the Greek system at Swarthmore purports itself to be, they are still associated with white, heterosexual exclusivity by many queer and/or students of color.
Furthermore, it ignores the impetus for the creation of identity-based groups and simplify the situation into a case of “if they can have theirs, why can’t we have ours?”
Institutional, identity-based groups at Swarthmore are created out of a need to fulfill a communal and/or political function for students who are systematically excluded because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, or race, etc. Queer and/or cultural groups do not confer badges of pride for privileged identities. They seek to reaffirm marginalized ones. The comparison of Greek organizations to these organizations is not only misinformed, but harmful to queer and/or students of color. It is blinded by white, heterosexual privilege.
You are a badass. Just saying.