Page 3 - 1913 November - To Dragma

6 TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA 0 MIC RON PI

THE BARNARD SITUATION

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

(from Dean Gildersleeve's official report.)

A revision of our system of student organizations, which lias for
some time seemed desirable, was precipitated this year by an active
discussion of the faults and merits of fraternities. This agitation
was partly caused by certain evils in the rules and conduct of the
Barnard fraternity chapters, but was also due in large measure to
a wide movement, apparent in many sections of the country, of
which our Barnard discussion was merely a part. Organized at
a time when individual development and culture was perhaps the
dominating purpose of academic training, the fraternities appear to
many people today repugnant to the new ideas of social democracy
&nd social service. I f they are to survive and attain their highest
usefulness, these organizations must apparently be modified in some
respects, to harmonize more closely and clearly with the ideals of
the present.

Our first fraternity chapter was founded in 1891, the second year
of the college's existence. Its organization was permitted by the
administration at that time with the idea that it would help the stu-
dents to develop pleasurable and beneficial social life, which the cir-
cumstances of the college, especially its non-residential character,
might make difficult of attainment. We now have in Barnard eight
chapters of national fraternities and twenty other student organiza-
tions, besides the Undergraduate Association, the four class organi-
zations, and the Phi Beta Kappa chapter. There are also boards
of editors of the three student publications and committees in charge
of various plays and festivals. The activities of all these organiza-
tions have of course given rise to numerous problems and difficulties,
which have been dealt with very wisely, on the whole, by our stu-
dents under their system of self-government. The tendency has
been, in general, for the Faculty to interfere in such matters as lit-
tle as possible.

Rather more than one-third of our graduates belong to fraterni-
ties. Though many of our ablest and most popular students have
not joined these organizations, membership in them has probably-
been, on the whole, more highly valued than any other college as-
sociation. Three or four of the Barnard chapters have had small
apartments in the vicinity of the college, but, except in two instances,
undergraduate members have rarely resided in them. The social
purposes of the chapters have been carried out by meetings, teas,