The Brown & White

In "Campus must unite for change," (Sept. 30), Bob Buckheit, '09, writes, "We cannot remain stuck in the past. It is time to move forward as a unified and strong Lehigh community beyond the entrenched divisions that continue to separate us."

The problem with this call for change is that the Greek/non-Greek division, or hierarchy, is strongly embedded in Lehigh's consciousness. Within the first few weeks, 60 percent of students are unconsciously categorized as second-class citizens. This imagined division holds much more legitimacy than any other on campus. Athletics, clubs, majors and even race are all divisive labels, but none have the potency of "Greekness." This great divide is harmful because equality is a strong Western value; one that paradoxically finds its roots in ancient Greece.

America prides itself for being able to promote diversity while seeing all as having the same rights and duties. This value system, or moral order, has been spreading for centuries and was initiated by Grotius and Locke.

As Charles Taylor, a professor at Northwestern University, explains in "Modern Social Imaginaries," before we valued equality, individualism and freedom, hierarchies were the norm. Each person was to fulfil their natural task, and these pre-assigned duties allowed society to work at its best. In short, society was organized in a class system. You had clergy, soldiers, peasants, slaves, etc., and none were allowed to move between the classes. Today, each is free to pursue his and her own interest. We can note that this is one of the fundamental values of the free market and American entrepreneurialism.

This moral order would want all at Lehigh to be seen as equal; there should be no hierarchy. Unfortunately, the Greek institution at Lehigh, as it is, creates a social hierarchy. Its pledge system is "stuck in the past" moral order. The pledge system intrinsically creates a "feudal order," with ramifications going beyond any other social division. Greeks are seen as the lords of the campus and non-Greeks are seen as the subjects.

The reason the pledge system creates such a divide is because students are not free to move in to the Greek system. Opportunities for upward mobility are limited and seen as unjust. As opposed to clubs, which are open to all, and athletics, which have a known set of requirements, the Greek pledge system is based on the judgment of peers, guided by hidden criteria. In sum, the pledging system goes against our values of individualism and freedom.

What is the solution? To promote individualism, the Greek system at Lehigh needs to be open to all. This does not mean removing pledging. Instead, the pledging system needs to be seen as fair and judging people as equals. To judge people while considering them as equals, you need a set of criteria that are publicly disclosed.

However, these criteria need to not discriminate candidates based on sex, religion, race, ethnicity, income or sexuality. The Greek system needs to emulate the American university application procedure. It is up to each house to set its own criteria (GPA, sports, major), but these criteria need to help judge people based on their acts and accomplishments.

The first step toward a more inclusive Greek system at Lehigh would be making the houses co-ed. Discrimination based on sex dates back to the Middle Ages and was overthrown in the social revolution of 1960s and 70s. Going co-ed at Lehigh and demanding such changes at the national level would be a big step toward inclusiveness and a real sign that Lehigh's Greeks are innovative, open-minded and true leaders.