Speaking to a different crowd

I not only write for the IDS, I read it. I criticize grammatical errors and editorial gaffes; I examine the point of view of fellow columnists. Like many of you, I read Dean of Students Richard McKaig's request for explanation of an incident at Acacia during the "Take Back the Night" march. Undoubtedly, many of us said, "There they go again." \nIn a society of individuals, a university full of them, some view communal living with suspicion. The greek system is admittedly a mystery to me -- I couldn't wait to get away from my parents and siblings and be blessedly on my own. The fact that I ate lots of baked beans and Kraft dinners to make my rent payments wasn't a hardship. Kraft dinner that a poor boy pays for on his own tastes damn good -- and it still does.\nI was of the lower middle class and the first person in my family to graduate from college. To me, the idea of legacy was wholly foreign. The idea of owning a car was remote, much less having a big one. Greeks were privileged, moneyed and had much better clothes. I thought they were appalling.\nIn my older state, occasionally they still are -- beer busts, water slides on Third Street, traffic jams, couches on the lawn -- they do a lot of things I just don't get. I'm not supposed to, I suppose.\nMy lack of comprehension overlooks the incredible good of the greek system, an item easily overlooked by the critical, serious independent students of IU. In the collective, there is a power that can't be matched by an individual, no matter how cause-committed.\nAs an HIV educator, I've been invited to a couple of houses and to training sessions of the Pan-Hellenic Council. In each case, despite my apprehensions and lack of greek experience, I've been treated with great respect and have engaged with people whose openness is a credit to their houses. Undoubtedly, the majority of them grew up in situations economically better than mine. The majority isn't gay or lesbian. For many of them, the idea of engagement with AIDS is fairly foreign to their lives. You wouldn't have known it.\nI thought that the letter from Acacia, printed in the IDS Oct. 10, captured the best of the greek system and put it on display -- much as the action of one misguided individual attempted to play into the worst fears of many regarding greek houses. Some guys don't know when to quit, don't understand what's appropriate, just don't know how to act. One Acacia brother didn't -- the house took action.\nWe are fortunate in two ways through this incident -- we have a dean whose commitment to a better life at IU isn't nine-to-five, an admirable facilitator and listener. I'm a fan of his work. We have a healthy greek system that deserves some admiration, too, for works of charity and commitment to pluralistic education, even when they too are the targets of bad attitude and discrimination.\nHigh five to Acacia for one of the best apologies I've seen in print -- no excuses, a plan of action and some sincere regret. Keep those ugly plaid couches off the front lawn, but otherwise, I'm impressed.