Education

Dartmouth cracks down on frat that hosted ghetto-themed party

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Robby Soave Reporter
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Administrators at Dartmouth are debating possible punishments for a fraternity that hosted a “Bloods and Crips Party” that degenerated into a ghetto-themed event, offending many.

Alpha Delta, a well-known Dartmouth fraternity, held a midnight, gang-themed party last July. Attendees were supposed to dress and behave like members of the infamous Los Angeles street gangs, the Bloods and the Crips.

The character of the event turned toward costumes and language that were broadly racially offensive, however.

Members of the fraternity apologized for their insensitive behavior, and claimed that they had learned a valuable lesson.

“We have gained a greater appreciation for the very real effect gang violence has on members of the Dartmouth community, and the conversation has opened our eyes to a subject which we had never before fully comprehended,” said Alpha Delta members in a statement.

It’s not the first time a Dartmouth fraternity has engaged in offensive behavior. A simple apology may not go far enough this time, however, since many members of campus already feel that administrators are not doing enough to combat hateful speech.

“Incidents such as this, which violate our sense of community and mutual respect, have no place on our campus,” said a statement from the college.

Greek Leadership Council, the student government for fraternity members, may be forced to adopt measures aimed at curing inappropriate theme parties, according to The Boston Globe.

Minority groups are pushing for harsher penalties. The college’s chapter of the NAACP and La Alianza Latina, an activist organization for Hispanic students, have asked minority students to report the event as a bias incident to the campus judicial authority.

“We are asking everyone to flood the bias incident account with our call for justice, right now,” said a statement from the NAACP. “Today we are dealing with a ‘ghetto’ party, tomorrow it will be a Native American party, and soon after a Latino party. Students of Color are not respected on this campus, and enough is enough.”

It is unclear whether Dartmouth President Philip Hanlon will push for harsher penalties. He took office in June, and is an alumnus of Dartmouth’s Alpha Delta.

The ghetto-themed party may be a bad sign for racial harmony at Dartmouth in the year to come. Last spring, leftist protesters crashed a recruitment event to demand that administrators cancel classes and host a day of healing for aggrieved minorities on campus. The administration complied. (RELATED: Dartmouth cancels classes after leftists crash event with litany of absurd complaints)

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