University of Virginia Library

Brothers Know Name, Race

watched two committed rushees
that they go out of their way to
rush men of different races and
religions. They certainly do. I
trying to persuade a Negro man to
join their house. He was assured
that "everybody" in the house
wanted him to pledge. Ironically,
this man had not participated in
rush beyond the first smokers and
few members, if any, even knew
him other than by name and race.
This prostitution of brotherhood
for the sake of appearing
non-discriminatory is rank with
hypocrisy unjustifiable by any
means. If fraternities at the
University are ever limited or
abolished altogether, the most
probable reason will be their failure
fulfill their primary
responsibility, that of promoting
honest brotherhood.

Fraternities at Virginia must
constantly be engaged in
self-evaluation to avoid the
conviction that their opinion is
their only one tenable. Lack of this
evaluation results in not only
several deficiencies in the system
but the unwillingness to view
criticism as anything other than
destructive.

"Newsweek" quotes Ed Hayes,
president of the IFC, as saying,
"The (fraternity) system is so
strong it does not have to move and
change." But has Mr. Hayes made
the all too common error of
mistaking strength for rigidity?
Fraternities can certainly withstand
criticism from Rapier. The Virginia
Weekly, and even from the CD.
However, could they withstand the
fundamental changes in the
University and, even more
importantly, in Charlottesville, that
coeducation would bring? Could
they survive, without serious
decline, the substantial increase in
Charlottesville's social facilities that
would certainly occur with
extensive coeducation?
Unfortunately, questions
cannot be answered with an
automatic "yes".

Whether members recognize it
or not, fraternities at the University
(not to mention the nation) are
entering a crucial phase. Although
some may claim it, there is no real
reason for fraternities to "justify
their existence". The nature of the
fraternity system, that of social
development and brotherhood, is of
unquestionable merit. But if
fraternities continue to refuse to
even consider criticism such that
they will not move with the times,
they will break; as they are already
doing everywhere but the
South.