University of Virginia Library

Girls In Fraternities

In its meeting two weeks ago the Inter-Fraternity
Council passed a resolution that
the hours during which girls are allowed in
fraternity houses be extended; in another
resolution the IFC asked that girls be allowed
in any room of the houses during
these hours. In order for these recommendations
to be effected, they had to be
approved by the 3-3-3 Committee.

The 3-3-3 Committee, however, when
confronted with the resolutions hesitated
to pass them because of a certain feeling
that the new rules might not be satisfactory
to all fraternity men. Members of the committee
objected, for example, on the grounds
that the proposed freedoms might interfere
with the studies of those who live in the
houses.

In order to find out just how fraternity
men do feel about these matters, the IFC
circulated a poll which asked six questions
of the sort, "Would you favor a rule that
allowed girls in the common areas of the
houses at any time?" Other questions specified
hours and included more flexibility
in the rooms in which girls would be allowed.

Of all fraternity men (1908), 1484 or 77.8
per cent responded to the poll. Not one of
the questions received less than 95 per
cent affirmative responses. Some of the questions
received as much as 99.8 per cent affirmative
responses. The poll also asked
that those who responded to it specify
whether or not they lived in the houses.
Of fraternity men who reside in their respective
houses (608), those about whose
welfare the 3-3-3 Committee was particularly
concerned, 587 or 96.5 per cent answered
the questions. No one of the questions received
loss than 96 per cent affirmative
responses from this group.

In short, the fraternity men, including
those who live in the houses, made it quite
clear that they do favor the new proposals
in one form or the other. The IFC and the
3-3-3 Committee has an impressive mandate
from the fraternity men to effect the new
rules. (We know of many politicians or
legislators who would do anything to get
such a powerful mandate).

We realize that there will still be some
hesitation to accept the new rules just
because they are so radical relative to the
current ones. This sort of thinking, however,
has never been legitimate in such matters.
We remind those who might have such
hesitations of the new rules on girls in the
dorms and girls on the Lawn. If the thinking
which allowed these controversial rules
to be passed was valid, then certainly similar
thinking is valid where fraternity houses
are concerned, to a much greater extent.
The fraternities are, after all, private clubs;
it is questionable whether they should be
under University housing regulations to
begin with.

We hope the 3-3-3 Committee will accept
the recommendations of the fraternity
men now that the poll has demonstrated
their feelings in the matter. Such a move
would be one more step in working toward
establishing at the University that freedom
of the individual which supposedly characterizes
the whole country.