As first-year students begin their first semester at Whitman College, many are beginning to navigate social structures on campus, including Greek life, a community that remains both active and controversial. As of 2023, 16% of men on campus were affiliated with a fraternity and 13% of women were affiliated with a sorority. Despite being a small percentage of students on campus, Greek life does play a role in campus culture. 

Some students see Whitman’s chapters as fundamentally different from what Greek life looks like on other campuses. They see it as an inclusive community for all focused on philanthropy. Others argue that regardless of scale, problems persist surrounding hazing, sexual assault and racism due to their connection to these national organizations.

Micaela Brown ‘27, President of Kappa Alpha Theta, emphasized that Whitman’s Greek life culture looks vastly different from that of large universities, saying she enjoys the smaller chapter sizes and appreciates the connections that she has been able to create through her sorority.

“My sorority has personally provided me with an extremely tightly-knit group of people with whom I share so many values. With eight different Greek life organizations on campus, each with a different atmosphere and set of values, I feel there is truly room for anyone to find a group of people they resonate with,” said Brown.

Brown argues that the organizations here at Whitman are doing their best to make Greek life an inclusive space for all.

“[S]ome things have warranted the need for readaption. For example, with the growing diversity of our chapter, we have adapted our language to be more gender inclusive, replacing words like “sister” with “sibling” and other minor adjustments to ensure our space remains inclusive,” Brown said.

Poppy Lasher ‘28 has never been involved in Greek life at Whitman. While Lasher acknowledged that Greek life at larger schools can offer a community in a sea of anonymity, Whitman’s smaller student body, in their view, makes it less necessary for making friends around campus. However, Lasher was quick to criticize national Greek life organizations.

“Greek life in general is always going to have some big stains on its reputation. . .[national chapters have] been involved in so many problematic practices. I mean, hazing, racism, homophobia, misogyny, you name it,” Lasher said. “The Greek life organizations on campus are national organizations, so even if it’s not the Whitman chapters that are involved in controversy, you’re still a part of an organization that is involved in a lot of controversial things.”

Deniz Bean ‘27 disaffiliated from her sorority about a year ago. She talked about her experience before leaving her sorority, as well as explaining what these organizations were doing in her time with the sorority to prevent issues found in chapters across the country.

“Last year during one of our required hazing trainings, [we talked] about substance use and hazing and watched a documentary about someone at CU Boulder who was killed by binge drinking, and then he was left unattended. He did not wake up in the morning. That was a really big wake up call for me because at Whitman, I don’t see things like that happening as often. And I feel like it is important to note that in national chapters, these sorts of things are sometimes brushed over because there are a lot of resources in national chapters to cover up controversy, to not bring people to justice that probably should be brought to justice,” said Bean.

Brown similarly commented on these concerns surrounding hazing.

“[T]hose stories have been very informative in shaping the new policies we implement every year. Our organizations have done a fantastic job of executing thorough and informative anti-hazing training that all members must go through each semester [. . .] we have the Greek Allies Program (GAP) specifically to prevent sexual violence and hazing among the Greek organizations [by] mandating thorough Risk Management teams at all social events that include multiple sober roamers, liquid overseers and ID checkers. I feel this mandate has been incredible in making the Greek social scene a much safer setting for all,” Brown said.

As national criticism of Greek organizations intensifies, many campuses across the country have responded with policy changes or bans. Whitman’s approach appears more focused on emphasizing education, preventative training and culture shifts within a smaller, more personal Greek system.