A Short Disquisition Upon the
State of Fraternities at Wesleyan
A Short Disquisition
Upon the State of Fraternities at Wesleyan
Fraternities at Wesleyan are a bore. Traditional criticisms of
fraternities--that they exclude non-brothers and paternally restrict their own
brothers--are not so much wrong as irrelevant to this campus today. Fraternities
are generally self-conscious and eager to improve; they are serious about their
problems and potentialities. But they go nowhere. They have worried themselves
into a curious dullness, and this dullness has pervaded the entire campus. It is
the dullness of those who try too hard to respond to old and misplaced
criticisms raised against them.
Esse Quam Videri is an anarchic fraternity; as such it is an
alternative to fraternal boredom. Like all anarchic institutions, EQV is
continually on the verge of self-destruction, but it is this inner tension which
fosters novelty and individualism.
EQV has been forced to move twice during the seven stormy
years since its rebellion against the hypocrisy of national fraternities and the
audacity of secret, discriminatory rituals. Last year was spent in a University
dormitory. EQV membership is always fluid as a result of that very spirit of
informality and individualism which makes EQV a significant institution at
Wesleyan.
EQV retains its distinctive position as a vital
"non-fraternity" uninhibited by meaningless conventions and a stifling rigidity.
We think EQV the best hope for a novel intellectual and social vitality at
Wesleyan. Now that EQV is comfortably established in a fine building, it has
great potential as an intellectual center for independent-minded students. EQV's
future is bright, not buried in the past.
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