Quit Your Whining Already!!

(I must admit, however, at the risk of being hypocritical that quite a few of them have appeared on the editorial page of this paper.) People whine about attitudes toward women and minorities, the strength of the Greek system, the need for a diversified Walk and so on. If they really want something to complain about, they should try attending another school for a while. I went to Duke University for a year before I transferred to Penn, and as a result I realize how happy everyone should feel to be here. Penn students complain that women don't receive equal respect; people call them "girls" and, at fraternity parties, treat them like meat. However, students do seem aware of women's issues. The DP recently ran a survey and series of articles about acquaintance rape. Penn has the Women's Center and Women's Studies department. Clubs such as Wharton Women, Bloomers and the Women's Alliance promote camaraderie and identity among women. This was not the case at Duke, where there are "guys" and there are "girls," where the administration's only response to a series of on-campus rapes was to send reassuring letters home to students' parents. At Duke, a fraternity annually held a "Red Light District" party which encouraged women to dress as prostitutes. Minorities, as well as women, receive respect and consideration at Penn. The administration is making an effort to change the name of the Oriental Studies department because many students find it offensive. At Penn, people of different races live together in the same dorms. This was not true at Duke, where self-imposed segregation of undergraduates was the tacit rule. Whites lived on West Campus, and African-Americans lived on Central Campus. White sophomores with low lottery numbers moaned about being "stuck on Central with the black people." At Penn, students complain about the strength of the fraternity system. Fraternity parties, however, are usually open to everyone, and there are many other things to do on Friday and Saturday nights; there are bars, restaurants, and movie theaters within walking distance of the campus, and Center City Philadelphia is a subway ride away. At Duke, unless you have a car, there is nothing to do except go to fraternity keg parties, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or a run-down mall. Often, fraternity parties would not let my male friends in because they weren't "brothers" and therefore would increase the competition for females. Pressure to rush is so bad that every year on Sorority Bid Day the administration locks the Chapel tower so that disappointed rushees won't jump. People complain that there are too many snobs at Penn, and that it is a conformist school. At Penn, I have no idea how much money most of my friends have, and that's how it should be. I can listen to strange music and watch Jeopardy! without worrying about being laughed at or called a geek. Duke, however, is a J. Crew catalog come to life; people made snide remarks, such as "God, you're such a liberal," when I wore my non-preppy attire. One fraternity at Duke required rushees to prove that their parents made at least $100,000 a year before letting them pledge. Students would not say hello to people who lived in their dorm or who they knew from classes if they felt that those people were "socially beneath them." Penn students seem to envy Duke; articles in the DP mention it frequently, I see lots of people on the Walk wearing Duke shirts and hats, several people have told me that they applied to Duke or that it was their first choice, and I often hear comments such as "How could you leave Duke to come here? Duke is such a good school. You transferred down." What does that mean? Because U.S. News and World Report ranked Duke seventh and Penn thirteenth, I've lost six notches of quality in my college education? I think not. Duke was not a complete disaster; the basketball, weather and campus were great, and I really miss the friends I made there. Furthermore, Penn is no Utopia; a lot of things could use some change, such as the class sizes, emphasis on rote memorization instead of understanding, crime, the segregation at 1920 Commons, etc. I'm not saying that because most things aren't so bad here, we should ignore the things that are. However, before writing outraged letters to the editor, whining at UA meetings and attending every demonstration held on the Green, people should step back and realize how good they have it here. As a transfer, I can really appreciate the effort my professors make to be interesting, the basic tolerance for different tastes and beliefs, friendliness on the campus, and the fact that there is so much to do that I only wish I had the time to do it all. Recently, someone asked me if I regretted transferring, and if I was happy to come back this semester. I can honestly say that my only regret is that I didn't come to Penn as a freshman. Bonnie Fitzpatrick is a junior English and Psychology major from Flushing, New York. My Barbaric Yawp appears alternate Tuesdays.

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