Dear Editors,
I am a senior member of Phi Kappa Psi and my feelings aren’t hurt. I am not offended, angry, or outraged. I write to the community of DePauw University in deep disappointment. I believe The DePauw has done an incredible disservice not only to my fraternity, fraternities in general, but to all students on this campus. The DePauw that depicts a Phi Psi “frat bro” discussing the “100 proof alcohol” “flow[ing] through [his] veins” as part of an explanation for the sprinkler system flooding that took place at Phi Psi on April 10, 2016. This comic was published not even one week after DePauw Dialogue 2.0, in which the entire campus came together to discuss concrete ways to make our campus a better, more inclusive place. By perpetuating harmful stereotypes and making light of serious issues facing fraternities and sororities on campus, a comic like this illustrates just how far we really are from facing the real challenges involved in bettering Greek life at DePauw.
Did your “comic” get the cheap laughs you hoped for? Admittedly, I laughed because of the pathetic attempt for humor, and ignorance of real problems in Greek life that could/should be addressed.
A fellow senior, Matt Piggins, eloquently wrote last week about the dangers of a runaway Greek system; one that promotes frameworks of thought and behavior that are detrimental to the quality of every students’ DePauw experience. The system of Greek life is severely flawed, and I’m not here to argue about those realities – they exist. Changes on such a large scale require gargantuan effort and sincerity from the entire campus.
It is therefore quite embarrassing to see a fellow member of this community further portray Greek members as, for lack of better words, immature and oblivious alcoholics. I certainly don’t know many of these types of people that now occupying Bloomington Street Hall. I can assure you that these types of people weren’t there to support me and my family at my father’s funeral eight months ago. I bring this up not to pull emotional strings, it’s just real evidence of the quality of character of people who chose to join Phi Kappa Psi that became some of my best friends. Stop the stereotypes and let’s make real changes.
Maybe I’m being a bit too sensitive, but that sensitivity grows out of a deep concern for the larger Greek community to be better for DePauw. I’ll admit, maybe I haven’t done my part, but comics like this don’t incentivize anyone else in the Greek community to be agents of change.
P.S. Dear Comic Person: if you have some 100 proof alcohol let me know, I’m pretty upset about my house flooding.
P.P.S. Comic Person: I’d like to grab lunch sometime to discuss some concrete ways that the Greek community can be better.
Paul Simon
(314) 660-7273 – feel free to call any time this evening.