Stephen Krewson | PC 101: Gender, Politics and Frat Theory

Fraternity. The word is derived from frater, Latin for brother.

In broad terms, it means a collection of similar people joined together by a shared purpose. Most college students have a hazier definition that typically involves beer, chicks, bros and the occasional ho. Throw in a few Greek letters and you get the picture. More abstractly, fraternity forms, along with liberty and equality, France's famous tripartite motto.

A recent court decision in New York, however, skews that slogan so heavily towards equality that it makes liberty and fraternity all but disappear. Here's a recap. In 2004, students at the College of Staten Island (CSI) attempted to form a colony of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), a national Jewish fraternity. The school, which has no Greek system, rejected their application on the basis that the colony, which calls itself Chi Iota, does not admit women.

Step 1: lawsuit. Step 2: success - a federal judge ruled in 2005 that the fraternity's intimate association rights were protected under the 1st Amendment and the college could not deny official recognition. Step 3: profit and parties?

Not so fast. Last week, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the previous ruling. In an opinion more notable for its mention of "[rush] outings to a strip club . and a laser-tag establishment," than its legal logic, the court found that "the Fraternity's interests in intimate association are relatively weak" and "CSI's non-discrimination policy imposes no great burden on the plaintiffs' enjoyment of those interests."

To wrap my head around this legalese, I talked to spokespeople from CSI and the New York State Attorney General's office, which represented them in court. They were predictably guarded in their responses. Ken Bach of CSI's Public Relations had little information to offer, but did give a clue to as to why CSI remains cautious: "If you believe what you read, they [the fraternity] are looking for another appeals court."

A representative for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo merely directed me to the following official statement: "This opinion rightly enables the College of Staten Island to pursue their commitment to creating a community devoid of prejudice."

But implying that fraternities are somehow prejudiced or misogynistic is, as Vince Vaughn would say, erroneous. Erroneous on both counts!

The Greek system exists peacefully alongside the administration at countless colleges across the nation, including Penn. There is a particular empathy for the besieged Chi Iota colony at the established AEPi chapter on campus. When I asked AEPi's president, College junior Danny Sabra, if CSI was right to exclude the colony, he replied, "Absolutely not." He speculated that the denial of charter to Chi Iota was "an underhanded way of saying we don't want the Greek system at the school."

CSI is a predominantly commuter school whose student body is 60 percent female; it's understandable that they might be daunted by the prospect of a new, boisterous neighbor on campus. Unfavorable fraternity stereotypes are undoubtedly influencing CSI's administration. Sabra asked the obvious question: "I wonder what the reaction would have been if a sorority had tried to open?"

In addition, the high-handed way in which CSI has gone about quashing the Chi Iota colony could set a dangerous legal precedent. The Appeals Court decided that "Based on its size, level of selectivity, purpose, and inclusion of non-members, the Fraternity lacks the characteristics that typify groups with strong claims to intimate association."

If a fraternity doesn't have a strong claim to intimate association, what student organization does? How can we justify all-male a capella, Asian-only dance troupes, or even religious groups (some of which discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation) if a fraternity is excluded because it only invites women into the brothers' pants - not its pledge class?

Ultimately, I'm not worried. Even though OFSA failed to return my inquiries, it's a safe bet that the Greek scene won't be leaving Penn anytime soon. The Appeals Court's decision is garden-variety political correctness run amok and it will be overturned.

Ideally, fraternities should be private places for like-minded guys to associate in peace. Unfortunately, they do have a history of sporadically abusing their rights with unsafe hazing practices or disturbing surrounding communities with their rowdiness. The best solution remains cooperation between the college and fraternities, along with a reasonable degree of oversight.

The last thing we need is reactionary administrators destroying the rich, gender-specific traditions of fraternities and sororities - even if doing so would pave the way for me to rush Tri-Delt.

Stephen Krewson is a College sophomore from Schenectady, N.Y. His e-mail is krewson@dailypennsylvanian.com. The Parthian Shot appears on Fridays.

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