Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., announced a plan this week to eliminate single-sex sororities and fraternities on campus.

Dartmouth officials announced in a letter to students that the move would encourage respectful relations between men and women. They would not say whether they intend to make the existing greek organizations coed or eliminate them all together.

OU students said they disliked the plan.

Nutritional science freshman Emily Sue Petticrew, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, said it makes no sense to make fraternities and sororities coed organizations.

"I think sororities and fraternities need to be single-sex because men and women are different," Petticrew said. "Men and women are not going to agree on everything."

Economics freshman Stefan Jacewitz said he is not in a fraternity but sees no reason why they shouldn't be allowed on college campuses.

"I'm not a big fan of fraternities and sororities, but they have the right to get together just like any other organization," Jacewitz said.

Dartmouth students protested the move by canceling all weekend activities in an effort to show administrators that there is nothing to do at the college without greek activities.

A group of 1,000 Dartmouth students also protested outside Dartmouth President James Wright's home Wednesday night.

OU zoology freshman Danyale McCurdy, a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority, said it is unfair to ban fraternities and sororities on a college campus.

"That's like saying, 'Let's get rid of the football team because girls can't be on it,'" she said.

Some national organizations like Restore Our Individual Rights Inc. have protested the move as unconstitutional. They fought to push a recent law through Congress that would prohibit colleges and universities from banning greek organizations.

Business freshman Thomas Hammer, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said fraternities and sororities get a bad name.

"Greek organizations offer a lot more than what people want to look at," he said. "They do a lot of positive things and I think people have a right to join them."
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