"Sweet, sweet vindication -- the three words that characterized Martin Luther King Jr. Day for me this year". I'm sorry but despite your best efforts to defend that, you clearly sound like you feel all tingly inside knowing that racism is alive and well. I realize that was blunt and may seem sardonic, but your back pedaling, rephrasing, and use of transitive properties to infer things that you never flat out say is what makes this dialog difficult. It is one thing to approach someone and say "I feel like there may be some race problems at this school that Greek Life could help fix." In other words, view the Greek System as a resource as, in fact, other organizations (who used to hold the Greek System responsible for perceived problems) have done. I was approached by the HRC last semester who wish to use the Greek System as a launching point to help end bigotry on this campus. Rather than continue to finger point and tell students that it was their fault that homophobia was rampant on this campus and that they needed to fix it, they decided it was far more effective to work hand in hand with them to move forward. A similar approach would have been beneficial to your argument. Your first article which used the term "token minority" I promise you was a step in the wrong direction. Especially when you are trying to push students to be more diverse. They take a step back from what is, I promise you, a startling comment, take a look around, and then want to take your article and put it you know where. You cannot possibly expect someone to take that kind of vitriol lying down. That can be the beauty of words - they invoke emotion - but you have to take the good with the bad. Even thought this whole thing has drifted away from our argument - please do realize that you need to be ready for people to email you feedback - positive or negative. You are responsible for your words and once you say them they are open for criticism. So expect no sympathy from anyone just because you feel offended by what someone sent you on facebook. To move on, using names of fraternities, founding dates, and talking about the racial feelings of their first members is an argumentitive fallacy in the works. Correlation does not imply causation. Yes, because Vanderbilt is in the South, a lot of children of Southern families attended the University. Some of them joined Greek Organizations. Some of their parents were, indeed, racists. Thus those students and the organizations they joined are racist/have a racist frame work? Fallacy. Do not rely on the reader to "get what you are saying". Please, this is the kind of writing used by propagandists for years. Not saying that members are racists, but mentioning founding dates and values of founding members is just a subversive writing technique that coerces the reader to put two and two together without you having to say anything I'd like to finish my response with something that I think has gone unmentioned in this whole debate. And that is choice. Students will join whatever house they want. We cannot, as Greeks, do as Vanderbilt does, and take 10,000 applicants from all over the world and build a diverse class. It doesn't work that way. Despite having every freshman over for rounds that wishes to join - Caucasian, African American, Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanics etc - we cannot in anyway guarantee a diverse class. The difference between now and 100 years ago is that people can join any house they want, not just the NPCH or IFC, which yes, at one time, were segregated. So was Vanderbilt, so was every school in this country over a certain age. So is every institution that has a history of segregation responsible for racism in their respective communities? No. It is individuals, whether in the institutions or not who are responsible. What I would like to see is this conversation switch to "Vanderbilt Undergrads" or Vanderbilt University as a whole. I am tired of the "Us vs Them", "Greeks vs Non-Greeks". At one time all Greeks were non-Greeks. We need to tackle the problem together, not sit and say "Greeks do this, and Greeks do that, and Greeks were founded on these principles". It is unfair to point the finger at Greek life, as always, and turn it into a scapegoat. I know you say now "we are part of the problem and so are non-Greeks" but only because I called you on it. Why does your treatise need to be addressed to Greeks as opposed to Vanderbilt University? You clearly see it as the source. Until you respect the organizations that people devote their lives to and that have made life on this campus social, vibrant, and tolerable, expect at least at times a little bit of anger and emotion.

I think that it was perfectly contextual. If you cared to read what I wrote, it all fit within the context of representatives like Neelon and others, who are denying reality. Instead of trying to formulate solutions they spew anger and nonsense, through Facebook messages and whatnot. I think putting it out there shows how difficult it is to discuss these important issues. Everything you wrote in point two is logically flawed from the start. You started off with an "if" statement: "If the Greek system is inherently racist, then..." Where did I say the system was inherently racist? You are searching for flare points in the argument that do not exist. Was the system/members born around certain characteristics of slavery, racism, etc, Yes. But that does not mean it is -inherent- in the system today. Inherent means the racism in the Greek system is a permanent, essential characteristic. What I provided to you was the context of the Greek system's introduction and history on Vanderbilt's campus. Seeing how the system was back then can give us clues into how to modify/fix the way the system is now, opening up some perspective. The people in some fraternities are not racist. What I am saying is that the so-called "traditions" of the modern-day fraternities today, the archetypes, personalities, and style, of a person in "Alpha Beta Anything" represent remnants and legacies of the people who started the fraternities years ago. And if the people who started it were the racists or rich pro-segregationists, then you will come to see, over time and a lot of progression, people who fulfill some level of the archetype of its founders and later members. The concept is not so hard to understand. Big businesses across the country, once places that were mostly one race/color/ethnicity, have been diversifying more and more to try and modify the old racially homogeneous structure. And while you may argue that businesses diversify solely for economic benefits (better client representation) the fact remains that they do try to diversify. Some companies do it mostly for the former argument, some mostly for the latter, and some a mix of both. But they are doing it. When parts of the Greek system (there are some that are better modifying with the times than others) continue to stick to this "tradition" argument about needing people who fulfill certain archetypes, this de-facto segregation problem will continue to exist. All that will happen will be that Vanderbilt will start to be flooded with more and more people who are out of the Greek archetype, until the Greek system appeals to/recruits less and less from within the student body, finally becoming a minority of the campus's social atmosphere. Different campuses have different stories, but there are certain characteristics that are common to all of them. Modify and move out the comfort zone to grow, or stick to the old traditions and whither away.

Having 71 out of 100 students think that Greek life creates/contributes to de-facto segregation is 71 too many. These students were randomly selected at Rand, and while I am not attesting to the scientific validity of this poll, I am suggesting that we, as Vanderbilt students, need to do something to examine why so many people in this sample believe this way. You offered the explanation that it is a misunderstanding on the part of the students because they do not understand what the goals of National Pan-Hellenic and IFC are. I believe that misunderstanding can account for a fraction of the students opinions, but not all. I believe that there is a deeper reason for the opinion of those students and I have offered one explanation of where their reasoning originates from. But you, Danny, disagree. I will not be belligerent and taunt you ("go ahead Ravi, call Greeks racists!" even though I explicitly stated that I did not believe that) and I will instead be the bigger person on this one. As you are one spokesperson for Greek life on campus, the least anyone should expect is for you to have the decency to read the "opposition's" arguments, understand what they are trying to say, and respond respectively. Whether or not you did that is up to the reader to judge. But I will attempt to read and respond to what you had to say in peaceful student dialog, and offer positions where we can agree. We can agree that of those 100 polled, 71 have an impression of Greek life where they think it promotes de-facto segregation on campus. There is a problem when 71/100 students think this is true, for both me and you. Where we disagree, of course, are the explanations we offer for why some students think this way. Here is another place where we agree. Danny, you then talked about how you participated in VIBE. Yes, I did attend the show, and yes, I did notice the piece that you discussed. In fact, why don't you get to know more some of the new male VIBE members and you will find I am closer to the club then you think. I do not appreciate how you twisted my argument to make it seem like I felt vindicated that de-facto segregation existed on campus and to make it seem like I was happy to see this problem existed. Where did I, in fact, feel vindicated? From when I discussed the de-facto segregation contributed by Greek life earlier in the year and you said that I was alone on this issue. The vindication came from knowing that other students agreed and that I was not alone. So let us sit down and really think about this. If Greeks are not to blame for de-facto segregation on campus, Danny, who is? You cannot deny the fact that for the most part IFC and NPH ARE in fact segregated, one is mostly black, and one is mostly white. There is nothing sensational about this. (To be clear, I am not referring to segregation of the Civil Rights movement but a different version of segregation.) So who is to blame? Well you could read my exposition on Vanderbilt Greek life and why I think it contributes to the problem; I hope to publish all of it later on. Greeks are part of the problem. But so are non-Greeks. We probably disagree as to who should take more of the blame. I think that the dated infrastructure of Greek life at Vanderbilt influences separatism. You think non-Greeks do not do enough to attend Greek-lettered events. But we do agree that this is not a problem relegated to one side of the campus. I do understand that when I point out flaws in the Greek system I may offend some, because it is, after all, pointing out flaws in the very system that many students have dedicated a lot of their time, love, and energy. And when it comes to the flaws we are discussing, (I say de-facto segregation, you will say racism), emotions may flare up. But maintaining dialog and trying to maintain respect is key. There is no need for comments like, "you are just sitting at your desk and I am doing actual things," when you have no clue or idea what I am currently doing on campus. With the agreement that both Greeks and non-Greeks are responsible for the de-facto segregation on campus, we should look to formulate solutions. I would gladly like to be a student who represents one aspect of the regular student side to see where we disagree. We should focus more, however, on our commonalities, so we can compromise. But it cannot be one sided -- dialog needs more than one person. I extended an invitation to you and others to discuss the problem, which we both agree is a problem, but you yourself refused to be engaged in a discussion. If you have qualms with talking to me, so be it, but it would make sense strategically, that if you can neutralize one outspoken critic of the Greek system, you can probably show how serious you are about uniting our campus. I may be a first-year, but I am trying to bridge the gap. My door is still open. But others will start to close if no dialog is started. And as that continues to happen, the perception of our school as segregated, whether it's the Greek's fault or not, will trudge on and on.

Sweet, sweet vindication -- the three words that characterized Martin Luther King Jr. Day for me this year. Around four months ago I wrote an article in the Hustler that pulled no punches in describing the social atmosphere at Vanderbilt University, the de-facto social segregation that existed on campus, and how Greek life in its current form was a “social engine” that contributed to this problem. Danny Neelon, Phi Kappa Sigma Social Chair, angry and probably reacting to the saying “the truth hurts,” then classified my article as a “diatribe,” twisting what I said around to make it seem like me, Ravi Singh, a first-year student, was partly responsible for de-facto segregation and Greek life on campus. Then came the vindication, because on the day of all days – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – the Hustler published a poll of 100 students showing that 84% thought there was de facto segregation on campus, while 71% thought that the Greek system “create/contributes to de facto segregation on Vanderbilt’s campus.” In the face of an overwhelming majority of students, Danny Neelon now had to show how Greek life did not contribute to this problem at our school. He was not the only one who angrily responded to reality – I received Facebook messages from many Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers upset over what I said. Despite not once saying the word “racist” in the original article, one brother, Charlie Kirby, claiming I called SAE racist, sent me a message that said, “…you can shove it [your article] up your ass,” and that the next time I wrote another “hippie paper,” I should do some more research. To top it off he said, “…congrats, you’ve been cut from almost every house based on that paper.” Of course, I was surprised! Instead of trying to tell me where I was wrong and responding in peaceful dialogue, the only resort of one of the supposedly most respected fraternity’s on campus was to silence me and stop me from ever trying to learn about the system that I thought needed fixing. I tried to contact every person who had a problem with what I thought – Danny Neelon, Charile Kirby, etc – but they all shut down dialogue, denying the problem and continuing on with the status quo. For the next few months I did major research because of the complaints of Neelon and other brothers. One SAE brother, Morgan Roach, complained that I should look up minority enrollment of the IFC fraternities at Vanderbilt. I inquired at the Office of Greek life but learned that they kept no such statistics. So I examined Greek life at other campuses, at peer institutions (as defined as the top 20 Universities in US News & World Report), and liberal arts colleges across the country, to see if in fact, Greek life could be a main reason for de facto segregation here at Vanderbilt. What I found was absolutely interesting and vindicating. It showed one example of what the possible future of Greek life at Vanderbilt would be. Among the top 20 universities in the country (of which we hope Vanderbilt rises to a higher rank), not one of the top 3 university’s – Princeton, Harvard, and Yale – has a recognized Greek system. Three others – California Institute of Technology, Rice, and Notre Dame – for a total of six in the top 20, have no recognized Greek systems. Of the other 14 Universities, Greek life constitutes a small minority of the overall social atmosphere of the school. For example, at Stanford, Greek life is 13% overall, Columbia, 12.5%, University of Chicago, 10%, and Brown, 8.5%. Here is a rare ranking among the top 20 where Vanderbilt comes first – no other peer institution has as an active Greek scene as Vanderbilt, it is #1. It blows virtually all the other universities away (44.5%). So why is a huge Greek scene like this a problem? Let’s step out of the box for a moment and understand the social circumstances of the school. Vanderbilt, created 8 years after the end of the Civil War, in the former slave state Tennessee, was a regional university, attracting children from the South, the children who happened to be sons and daughters of the plantation owners, slave owners, and to put it bluntly, racists. The first fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, was established in 1847, in the precursor to Vanderbilt, the Central University of Nashville. The earliest fraternities here, Kappa Alpha (1883), Sigma Alpha Epsilon (1857), Phi Delta Theta (1876), and Beta Theta Pi (1884) became places where many students (the children of then racist Southerners) could socialize with one another. To be safe, disclaimer: do not mischaracterize what I say here to argue that I am saying every student at Vanderbilt back then was racist. What I am saying was that we can logically conclude that Vanderbilt, being a prestigious University in Tennessee, was the place where many who fit the criteria of being part of the old Southern establishment could fit in. Then, in 1953, Vanderbilt admitted its first black student to the Divinity School, breaking the color barrier. National Pan-Hellenic fraternities were soon established here (Omega Psi Phi, 1971), because its well known that many of these black students would not “fit in” to the fraternities here (interestingly enough, many fraternity brothers still use the "they don't fit in" argument to justify why minorities do not join their fraternity). Then Chancellor Joseph B. Wyatt (1982-2000) stepped in: he envisions Vanderbilt as a “national university” and expands the school dramatically, moving it from #24 to as high as #18 in 2006. He hoped to make it a more “welcoming university” to all people of diverse backgrounds – geographically, politically, and ethnically. Minority enrollment thus tripled at the school. The administration during and post-Gee now tries vigorously to make the school more accepting and welcoming – we see that today through programs like Kaleidoscope, VUCept, and the soon to be Commons. In this case, one of the beauties of fraternities and sororities here proves to be its Achilles’ heel – it’s dedication to tradition. From the history described above you see the tradition of Greek life at Vanderbilt – a socializing engine born from slavery, racism, and segregation, causing the very problems that the Administration was trying to fix. This is the tradition that trudged on and on through the Greek system, beaten little by little through the administrations efforts, national efforts, and men like Martin Luther King Jr’s efforts. And while I sincerely believe that racism has been nearly wiped off our campus, the relics and remnants of the old system haunt us today. I think I share the belief of many here when I say that I do not believe every Greek here is racist or intentionally for-segregation. In my time here in the same state where MLK was martyred, I have seen the beauties of what King so gracefully fought for – candid discussions about race, IFC-NPH joint shows, VIBE, political clubs, sports, and most importantly the friends I’ve made in my hall -- white, black, and more. We are at the cusp of a new era of Vanderbilt student. The Commons dream to me is the final way the administration is trying to make the campus a welcoming environment for all. Far away from frat row, it hopes to unite students beyond the lowest common denominator of skin color and instead unite on common interests and culture we share, not as white people or black, but as Americans. The latest statistics show that Vanderbilt applications for fall 2008 shot up 30% with minority applicants having the highest increases in Vanderbilt history – 34%+ Hispanics, 29%+ Asians, 24%+ African Americans, 17%+ American Indians. History and precedent at other peer institutions show that Greek life, grasping at the last fringes of its “traditions,” will fade into a minority of the social atmosphere of the school. Failure of fraternities and sororities to adapt to the “new” Vanderbilt students means a steady decline in the number of students who opt to join the traditional, old-boys club, legacy organizations. To all Greek students here, (who I do not see as enemies, despite the anger from a select few brothers, but as fellow Vandy students) who fear a the decline of fraternity/sorority life, I offer some advice: change with the times, open up to all backgrounds, and pursue the very students who you believe wouldn’t have necessarily fit in to your group years ago. Join with the regular, non-Greek students here, and host/attend events held by clubs. Bridge the gaps, and they will come to respect and appreciate the philanthropy that Neelon so excellently described in his article earlier this week. We all may find that stepping out the comfort zone and becoming more inclusive the best thing to ever happen to Vanderbilt University, and the best thing to ever happen to us.