Dartmouth College Greek controversy attracts media

HANOVER, N.H. - The controversy over the Dartmouth Board of Trustees' historic initiative has captured not only the attention of the Dartmouth community - the story has been thrust into the national media spotlight in the past week, mostly by newspapers, and radio and television programs drawn to the college's connection to the movie Animal House.

The movie, created by Alpha Delta alum Chris Miller '63, is based on his experiences at AD while he was a Dartmouth student. Although the conception of unrestrained and barbarous revelry portrayed in the movie has separated from the reality of Dartmouth Greek life, the stereotype seems to be unshakable and has been the focus of most coverage by the national media.

ABC's World News Tonight broadcast a segment on the controversy Sunday evening. After spending two days at Dartmouth and interviewing dozens of students and Dartmouth President James Wright, the 10-minute ABC segment focused on the Animal House connection and included clips from the movie and an interview with Miller.

Tara Connell, managing editor of Page 1 for USA Today, said a primary reason for a front page article in the USA Today on the Dartmouth controversy was, "the Animal House connection. We assume a lot of our readers can relate to the Animal House image.

"The irony of the coed action was obviously very contrary to the Animal House image," Connell said.

According to Connell, "If Animal House had been based on a small mid-western college we probably still would have run the story ... but the fact that it's Dartmouth makes it that much better."

Others said even without the Animal House connection, Dartmouth is well-known for its Greek system, making the news of the possible elimination of the single-sex Greek system of national interest.

"Dartmouth is a well known institution, and Greek life historically has been a big par ct of the college, and thus it strikes us as a major change," said Ben Gose, senior editor of the Student Section of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Gose said The Chronicle would have written a story about the Dartmouth controversy even without the Animal House angle, "although for other media, Animal House is part of the appeal."

"Forcing fraternities to go coed is a reflection for the fraternities nationally as another blow to national Greek organizations," Gose said.

02-19-99