COLGATE FRATERNITY PLAN COULD BE SMOTHERING
Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY)
August 8, 2004
Section: Opinion
Edition: Final
Page: C3
To the Editor:
As an alumnus of one of Colgate University's fraternities, I've received
some petulant letters from the administration regarding its plan to take
over the fraternity and sorority houses. President Chopp and Co. can't
seem to understand the lack of enthusiasm for their offer. In my case
at least, the administration's lack of candor is a factor. For example,
their missives fail to mention how much the university stands to gain
from increased room and board revenues.
The communications we receive also ignore that ownership by the university would take the houses off the property tax rolls, to the detriment of the village, town and school district. This is a valid concern for those of us with a sense of responsibility toward our community.
The university does make an indirect reference to its great ulterior motive when it talks about enforcing policy in the houses. What the administrators really mean is that they want to smother any organized efforts to criticize those policies and offer alternatives - in education jargon, to eliminate competing sources of authority.
A liberal arts college ought to encourage critical thinking and challenges to established authority. Colgate's residential policies, by contrast, seem aimed at churning out continuous stream of Stepford students, cheerfully toeing the university line.
Living in fraternities and sororities, unhampered by constant surveillance, can provide valuable learning opportunities for students, including opportunities to learn from their mistakes. Many of the problems that arise are the result of obtuse policies from Washington and Albany, and an excessive deference to certain very vocal special-interest groups.
When the university announced its new residential plan last year, the houses were "invited" to join, rather like the Baltic states were invited to join the old Soviet Union. At least the Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians eventually regained their independence; if this scheme goes through, I seriously doubt the same will ever be said for Colgate's Greeks.
David H. Alvord
Oneida
Copyright, 2004, The Herald Company