University of Virginia Library

Community

Your editorial on whether
or not to rush was at best a
superficial on the treatment on
the subject.

The C.D. seemed to be
telling the first year class to
either join or not to join a
fraternity simply on the
condition the system is in now.
By giving such advice, I think
the C.D. missed the crux of the
matter.

Fraternities at U.Va. have
a potential for community
living that the University seems
to have forfeited. Except for
the dormitories and the Lawn,
the University offers no
housing that enables a fairly
large group to come together
to live as a community.

The first year class will
know what I mean when next
year it is scattered all over the
Charlottesville area,
fragmented into small groups.
Under such conditions, it is
very difficult to keep alive just
a few of the many friendships
built during the first year.

Theoretically, fraternities
hold the promise of enabling
one to develop a large number
of friends with whom a person
can share the college
experience for four years, not
just one year. Sure, fraternities
have drawbacks, but that is not
the issue that I am addressing
myself to right now.

I just wanted to point out
what I think is the best thing
fraternities have going for them
at U.Va., an aspect which the
C.D. failed to point out.

Fraternities have a great
potential for community life at
this "commuter University"
and the first year class might
do well to try to tap this
source of potential and to
improve the fraternities at the
University rather than to reject
or accept them solely for what
they are now.