Poge Six
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wednesday, August 27, 1969
THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, August 27, 1969
006.= logo&
Arlin M Arlin AW'M
U vY MW
nillel W elcuill e
FRATERNITIES
Living (down?) the stereotype
Open House-Tues.-Fri. (Sept.
2-5)
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Come for coffee and a chat with our new Director, Rabbi Gerald
Goldman
Meet student officers
Sign up for courses, committees,
Kosher meals.
See our display of hand made jewelry: Israeli artist, Rachel Levitan
Welcome Back Mixer-Thurs. evening, Sept. 4th
New Beautiful Faces-Cool drinks & delicacies
featuring the OPUS SIX
First Shabbat on Campus--Fri. everng, Sept. 5th
Traditional services
Shabbat dinner at Kosher Koop
Creative Sabbath Services led by students-7:15
Oneg Shabbat
Grad Mixer Saturday evening, Sept. 6th
On Sunday, Sept. 7th 2-4 Israei o anc
4:30-8:00 pen House
Pizza served at 6:00 followed by Hootenanny. Bring your guitars, chalits, etc.
F ALL THIS AT HILLEL FOUNDATION-1429 HILL ST.-ANN ARBOR
By TOBE LEN'
The fraternity system at the
University, much like those at
other schools, is increasingly on
the defensive.
Lately the system has been
forced to expend countless time
and energy explaining away
contentions that Greek life is
a n t i - intellectual, reactionary,
material, shallow, old-fashioned
and childish.
Intellectually regarded as an
academic backwater, the system
has tried to counter this stigma
by sponsoring a lecture series of
controversial political figures
and by emphasizing that the
academic average of its mem-
bers is slightly higher than that
of students at large.
Politically regarded as the
millstone . about the neck of
campus reform, the system ini-
tiated a new organization last
year, Fraternity Representa-
tives Association (FRA), to re-
present the views of its mem-
bers on all-campus issues. The
association unanimously en-
dorsed the boycott at Stephan's,
the rent strike, and the aboli-
tion of the language require-
ment.
FRA - officers argue the atti-
tudes of fraternity members re-
presents a cross-section of Uni-
versity-wide attitudes. However,
if attendance at FRA meetings
is any indication, the system's
members are still politically
apathetic, though not necessar-
ily more than most students.
But criticism of the fraternity
life-style can't be countered by
these Interfraternity Council
programs. The image of the
beer-drinking slob has not been
completely dispelled. If frater-
nity members no longer wear
raccoon coats and wave Michi-
gan pennants, they are still
considered overly-prone to such
bourgeois manifestations as
wing tip shoes, V-neck sweaters,
sumption of certain popular sti-
mulants is significantly below
par. All this despite the protes-
tations of a Greek avant-garde,
regarded atabest as a small mi-
nority and at worst as a bunch
of outright phonies.
Critics also score fraternity
"exclusiveness.' But the system
claims everyone can find a place
in a fraternity house, whether
he be a jock, scholar or socialite.
Still, some say the radical and
rionconformist are disenfran-
chised. Privately, some FRA
members admit, in fact, that
many of the nsmnallerhouses are
responsible for the exclusive,
conservative stereotype. But
they maintain that the large
houses, and the Jewish houses
in particular, attract students of
all manner of persuasion.
They assert fraternities and
radical activism are perfectly
compatible. For instance Marc
Van Der Hout, executive vice-
president of Student Govern-
ment Council and a member of
the Radical Caucus, served last
year as a fraternity president.
But some say the rush process
itself perpetuates a system bas-
ed on superficial status and of-
ten crassly financial or ethnic
considerations.
Greeks respond that this
charge, like the others, is an in-
flated exaggeration. Rushees,
they say, simply choose the fra-
ternity whose members they like
best. All other considerations,
whether financial, ethnic, reli-
gious or racial, are completely
secondary.
And what about the fraternity
conception of brotherhood? Cri-
tics contend it reeks of mom's
apple pie, and stands for a val-
ue-system long since discarded
as insipid and corny. Fraternity
pledges in most houses still must
"prove" their loyalty by under-
going traditional rituals.
IFC prohibits physical hazing
of pledges, but everyone knows
it is standard practice - Hell
Week is still a reality. Only a
few houses have recently aban-
doned it.
And many claim the sin of
fraternity traditionalism is vis-
ited upon the general campus:
the "UAC- fraternity clique" is
said to perpetuate obsoletecul-
tural forms through Homecom-
ing parades, carnivals, and skit
nights.
Recently the system has
shown some noticable signs of
decline. De-activations of jun-
iors and seniors, who generally
live outside the fraternity house,
have increased because upper-
classmen in some houses no lon-
ger feel the fraternity fulfills
their needs. And even more cri-
tically, the number of students
registering to rush has fallen
somewhat in the past two years.
The factors behind the de-
cline - apparently changing
student attitudes and values -
can only grow stronger in the
immediate future.
Inevitably some students will
remain nonplussed by arguments
that fraternities are bulwarks
of traditionalism; these stu-
dents themselves are not orien-
ted toward change,
But, others will note a fatal
parallel between the traditional-
ism they deplore in other insti-
tutions and the traditionalism
in the fraternity system. These
students simply won't rush.
Is the fraternity system neces-
sarily tied to the past? Tradi-
tional fraternity values are sup-
posedly universals, adaptable to
any era. Apparently fraternities
must try to revise these values
and carry them out in new pro-
grams, or a process of decline
which has only just begun could
accelerate.
Dorms,fratsI co-ops
try sexual integration
By MARCIA ABRAMSON
"The Harrad Experiment?" Not quite. But University frater-
nity houses, co-ops and even dormitories began last year to move
toward close, if not intimate co-existence of the sexes.
In February, Phi Epsilon Phi became the first social fraternity
on campus to go co-ed. Rush was held that month and 14 girls de-
cided to join up as Phi Ep "associates" with all social privileges.
The only difference between the sexes is that the girls will not be
initiated and will not vote at house meetings,
Phi Ep was not, however, really the first University frat to go
co-ed. Members of Alpha Rho Chi, the professional architectural
fraternity, were quick to point out that their house has been suc-
cessfully co-ed for some time.
The Phi Ep rush was completely successful, since there were
places for only 16 girls in the house. The female portion of the
house can be divided off and has separate bathroom facilities.
Not yet as successful is the plan of several Mosher-Jordan
residents to set up a co-ed floor in that dorm. Although the pro-
posal appears to be headed for approval by the University, organi-
zers are having trouble finding enough residents-especially girls.
The Mosher-Jordan plan calls for alternating male-female
rooms with separate bathroom facilities.
As this supplement goes to press, eight women and one man are
still needed to complete the experimental floor of 38 residents.
The originators of the plan were hopeful that additional ex-
perimenters would be found among transfer students, whose hous-
ing applications have not yet been processed.
Perhaps the most successful co-ed living arrangement at the
University has been created at the co-ops. Known for their infor-
mality, the co-ops provide an ideal place for co-ed life.
Nakamura House, formerly for men only, went co-ed early
during the 1968-69 school year, and several other co-ops are trying
out co-ed living arrangements over the summer.
It may be the wave of the future.
COMINGATTRAC"TIONS
button-down shirts
Beachboys' records.
And many contend
and old
their con-
Registration for Belt Midrash
Film Series
High Holy Day Services
Lectures
APPLICATION for Membership in Hillel-1969-70M
Name-I am enclosing check or money order'
for $5.00 to Bnai Brith Hillel Foundation
Address: - for membership 1969-70 r,
I M
Phone:
3r a a ar.r-...a a ara-awawa-a r-a a-ar-rawawa a a.a ararawara-a.a.a arS a.ara.a a a..raw a...a.aw..,.....a.a...a.a.a.a.a.a a a.a.a...m...a......a.a.a.a.a.awar3
BARBERS
for
MEN
WOMEN
and
CHILDREN
Welcome Students!
says Don Dascola, M '36
to The
DASCOLA BARBERS
THREE SHOPS:
Arborland.
Maple Village
971-9975
761-2733
Hours: Mon~ Thurs., Fri.-10 A.M. to 9 P.M.
Tues., Wed., Sat.-9 A.M.-6 P.M.
ON CAMPUS: 668-9329 Daily 8:30-5:30
cra
1 ' :
L : ,. J.. K':
start ....
,,
a1
start
start thinking about sororities as a viable alternative.
come see for yourself what they have to offer
upperclass rush registration september 3-5
:
$I-:
fishbowl, dorms, diag
n rush reaistration in innuarv
I ' freshrma
' "