Dissent

Delta Lambda Phi is "not exactly" a gay fraternity. "It is open to any males who want to be in it," said junior Jeff Alewine, secretary of the new fraternity, set to colonize on Jan. 19. It may not be a gay frat, but is that how it will be perceived? If that is how it is perceived, will that promote or inhibit diversity on campus?\nPublicizing its openness may single it out as the "gay frat." That may encourage gay males to pledge and others not to pledge; it would become the "gay frat." That would not encourage diversity, rather it would encourage polarization. Right now, many fraternities do have homosexual members and they are not treated differently.\nRyan Gill, a senior who came out to his frat brothers told the IDS in Oct. 2001, "a member who happens to be gay is just as valued for diversity. They're still good brothers and sisters. They're just gay." \nNone of IU's chapters has evidence that homosexual members are discriminated against, nor are there policies that discriminate against them. One drawback to this is that it doesn't prepare them for the real world where they will have to interact with straight people everyday.\nWhile Delta Lambda Phi means well, it would not diversify the campus or create as much diversity within existing houses. In time, there may not be any homosexual males in the other houses and diversity will suffer.